Update: Mariner and vessel, Malulani arrive safely in Hawaiʻi after being reported missing : Maui Now

Coast Guard officials have confirmed that a missing mariner and his 32-foot boat, the Malulani, arrived safely in Hawaiʻi on Saturday.

Sixty-year-old Noel Rubio was missing on Friday after he failed to arrive on Oʻahu as planned on Jan. 18, 2024.

Rubio had departed on the Westsail sloop from Long Beach, Calif. on Dec. 28, en route to Kāneʻohe.

After receiving notification, the Coast Guard began efforts to locate Rubio and his sailboat. Crews issued urgent marine information broadcasts (UMIB) and conducted harbor checks in California, Hawaiʻi and Mexico.

He last made contact via cellphone Dec. 28, from south of Catalina Island, Calif., informing a friend that he was enroute to Hawaiʻi. The only means of communication aboard the vessel Malulani was a VHF-FM marine band radio.

“The Coast Guard is greatly appreciative of the expert consult advice on weather and routes provided by experienced trans-pacific sailors,” said Douglas Samp, a search and rescue mission coordinator in the Rescue Coordination Center Alameda.

He advised: “Mariners intending to conduct an open ocean passage are highly encouraged to have multiple layers of communication, including a VHF-FM DSC radio, HF DSC radio, satellite communications, and a 406Mhz electronic position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) as the notification of last resort to help SAR authorities locate your position in a time of need.”