Sailing Yacht Criterion Runs Aground, Breaks Apart and Sinks Within Hours

File this under "the worst sailing tour experience possible." Sailing yacht Criterion, a 90-foot (27-meter) vessel used to ferry tourists to various hotspots in Hawaii, ran aground on Sunday (March 3) and sunk within 24 hours after breaking apart completely. The incident and its aftermath were captured by cameras and make for the most dramatic viewing, which only adds to its strangeness.

You will find two such videos at the bottom of the page.

Criterion was out with tourists, carrying 30 people in total. According to local media, 24 of those were guests and six were crewmembers, and all were onboard when the yacht hit the coral reef some 1,500 feet (457 meters) off Fort DeRussy Beach in Waikiki. When that happened, Criterion became stuck and, as you can see in the video, began listing from side to side as it was being battered by waves.

All 30 people onboard were evacuated with no injuries and taken to shore with help from Ocean Safety and a passing vessel. By then, the sails of Criterion had been folded, and there was talk of the owners sending a rescue vessel to retrieve it. The Department of Land and Natural Resources told the local media that it was entirely the owners' responsibility to see to the retrieval of the yacht, but reports also claimed that the insurance company wouldn't cover the expenses.

The argument was short-lived, not because the parties reached a solution but because Criterion was smashed to pieces by the waves within the next 24 hours. Whatever was left of it sunk, with smaller pieces of debris washing up on the shore.

As per the DLNR, it is still the owners' responsibility to clean up the site of the crash, as well as pay for whatever fines result from damage to the coral reef and leakage. On the bright side, there doesn't seem to be considerable damage to the reef, and there are no signs of pollution at the crash site.

The Criterion was carrying only a 5-gallon (19-liters) of diesel fuel, which was removed when the crew was rescued. The Coast Guard says that there were also a number of marine batteries on the yacht, and their fate is unknown. The owners have reportedly informed the Coast Guard of a plan to clean the shoreline and the crash site of all debris.

The DLNR has opened an investigation. Apparently, the owners blamed the crash on an "operator error," but the exact cause will be determined by the investigation.