KAILUA-KONA — Chris Brown has spent most of his adult life fishing commercially, but he had two unique experiences on the water Sunday before unexpectedly encountering a familiar face at a most opportune time. ADVERTISING KAILUA-KONA — Chris Brown has
KAILUA-KONA — Chris Brown has spent most of his adult life fishing commercially, but he had two unique experiences on the water Sunday before unexpectedly encountering a familiar face at a most opportune time.
Around 11 a.m., 15-foot swells in the choppy seas four miles off Honokohau Harbor toppled Brown’s boat after it began taking on more water than the bilge pump could manage.
The submerged parachute he’d deployed to hold his vessel in the current and allow him to drop his long line to the necessary depth pulled the boat down in the water when he tried to escape the peril.
Brown, a 29-year-old resident of Hawaii for the last 12 years, and two passengers on the 15-foot vessel were tossed overboard as the boat flipped upside down. It was the first time he’s ever capsized.
“I should have cut the stupid (chute) off,” Brown said. “I’ve been fishing a long time, and I would have never imagined something like that would have happened to me.”
But what happened next, or rather what didn’t happen, came as an even bigger shock to Brown.
“There were a bunch of guys out there who saw what happened, but they didn’t do anything about it,” he explained. “I know a couple individuals saw us and just kept fishing. I’m kind of upset about that. When you see people in distress on a boat and you’re witnessing it, you’re supposed to go help them no matter what. It’s just kind of sad.”
Luckily for Brown and his passengers, one charter fishing boat — the High Noon — chose to honor the maritime code.
John Stephenson, a freelance writer and photographer from Wyoming, chartered the boat with members of his family, all of whom are in Hawaii for a wedding. The passengers on the High Noon fishing for mahi-mahi notified the captain, Jaen Nogues, that there was a boat turtled in the water.
“The captain quickly looked at us and said basically that our fishing charter was over,” Stephenson said. “No one in our boat was upset.”
Nogues and his first mate, Stuart Clements, sped to the area and began pulling in the distressed mariners. That’s when Clements, a Florida native, looked down and saw a face he recognized — the face of his high school friend Matt Brown’s younger brother, Chris.
“Chris, what the hell are you doing out here?” Clements asked, taken aback.
“Hey, Stu,” Brown replied nonchalantly. “What’s up?”
Clements knew Brown was on the island, and had stopped by his place in Hawi during one of Matt’s visits about six months prior. The two brothers were working on a project boat at the time, the same boat that bobbed upside down in the water Sunday.
“It was just a weird coincidence,” Clements said. “Of all the people out here, for him to be the guy I was looking down at, it was just strange. I used to travel all around Florida with his family ever since he was a little kid. I’ve known him for 20 years and then this happens 6,000 miles away (from home).”
The current was ripping north with substantial force, Clements explained, as debris from the boat was already hundreds of yards away only minutes after the watercraft capsized.
Brown, who has significant experience fishing commercially more than 150 miles offshore in rough seas, said he was never fearful for himself. But he was concerned for his passengers, who were without life vests, as well as for the boat he’d spent months working on and in which he’d invested a considerable amount of capital.
Those concerns were allayed once he saw Clements.
“When I saw my friend Stuart, I knew I was in good hands. It was kind of a blessing he was there five minutes after we went in the water,” Brown said. “Seeing my livelihood (upside down) in the water, I felt helpless and kind of embarrassed, to be honest. It was pretty awesome they towed the boat in, because I had no clue they’d be willing to do that for me.”
It took roughly three hours to bring Brown’s boat back to nearshore waters, where a collaborative effort was undertaken to flip it back upright. While there was some damage, Brown said he’ll be able to salvage the vessel, which is almost as big of a relief to him as being rescued in the first place.
Nogues said after the positive outcome, the experience is a good reminder of just how volatile the ocean can be, even for those who know how to navigate it.
“Just be prepared,” he said. “It sounds silly, but just be prepared for the worst even though you think it will never happen.”
