Tammy Helekahi and Robert Malaiakini bow their heads during the memorial ceremony. |
 Story & Photos By Maria Howell, Hanaside News
Thirty years ago when the Sarah Joe was lost at sea, the families of the crew members gathered at Hana Bay, every day and night, to wait for something, anything, to tell them that their loved ones would be coming home safely. On Feb. 21, 2009 those same families gathered once again to say their prayers, and bid one more farewell.
“This is all about family, there were only five guys but it spills over into the whole community” said Mike Woessner, who lost his brother Patrick. Of the five men who went missing, the remains of only one, Scott Moorman, were discovered, along with the boat, in the Marshall Islands, nearly eight years later. “I have an answer that the other families don’t,” explained Patricia Moorman, the mother of lost crewmember Scott Moorman. “When Scott was found, we went to the Coast Guard in Oahu and there was the boat upside-down and it looked so small.” Shortly afterwards she returned to Hana to mourn the loss of her son with the families that had helped her search so long ago. “When Scott was found I wanted to come to Hana and I thought that maybe the others didn’t want me to come. Tiny Malaikini told me to come, so I did and we [the families of the Sarah Joe all clung to one another.” |
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Robert Malaiakini, who lost his twin brother Ralph, is a fisherman to this day, “The one reason the ocean doesn’t bother me,” he said as tears began to form in the corner of his eyes, “he is always there. The ocean always reminds me of him.” Malaiakini found closure when he traveled along with Mike Hanchett, brother of lost crewmember Peter Hanchett, to the Marshall Islands. “Before that I thought that they would come home. That’s when I told my wife, ‘I don’t think they could survive the distance.’” Now, thirty years later, the children of the Sarah Joe crew have children of their own to whom they can tell the story of the Sarah Joe. “We don’t want to ever forget the boys. We are always going to remember them,” said Ulu Helekahi, who was married to Benny Kalama when he was lost at sea. |
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| Family members gather on Feb. 21, 2009 for the closing prayer of the Sarah Joe Memorial. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the disappearance of the Sarah Joe. | ||||
On Feb. 11, the actual anniversary of the Sarah Joe, the immediate family planted five Norfolk pines on the hill next to Fagan’s cross in memory of the lost men. “Those five trees when they grow up will remind us of our boys,” said Mike Woessner. So on Feb. 21, just before the families of each of the Sarah Joe crew paddled out canoes to offer their prayers, and spread flowers into the opening of Hana Bay. John ‘Boy’ Hanchett opened the thirtyyear memorial ceremony with a reminder, “Today is a big day to celebrate.” |
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