KAPALUA, Hawaii — The luxury yacht, Nakoa, which had been aground just outside the Honolua-Mokuleia Marine Life Conservation District for nearly two weeks, was freed on Sunday, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The boat was scuttled – or deliberately sunk – in 800 feet of water, where it will remain on the seabed.

“It had taken on water, was listing starboard and riding bow high after being pulled free by a tractor tug early this afternoon, following a two-week-long grounding,” said a DLNR release.

On February 26, the defueling of the yacht was completed, and all hazardous substances were removed.

Before hooking up to the salvage ship, Kahi, operated by Visionary Marine LLC, and tractor tug, the Mary Catherine operated by Sause Brothers Inc., a crew used a carbon cutter to free either the yacht’s prop or rudder that was believed to be the reason for the unsuccessful earlier attempts. Once the tug turned the boat 90 degrees, it pulled out into deeper water.

According to DLNR, it’s unknown whether the yacht was pulled all the way to Honolulu as it was listing to one side and riding bow high.

DLNR Chair Dawn Chang, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen and Maui County Council member Tamara Paltin watched the salvage operation from above Honolua Bay.

“We all thought today was it. It was either going to happen or not,” said Chang. “I’m extremely pleased.” She again credited the salvage and tug company for sticking with the job, and the community for their patience and understanding. She said the state will aggressively pursue recouping all salvage costs from the owner, in addition to the cost of repairing damage to coral reefs and live rock. A team from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources will return to the site during the week to conduct a post-incident damage assessment.

From their vantage point, Chang, Bissen and Paltin saw humpback whales almost immediately began escorting the trio of vessels headed west.

“If you’re Hawaiian, you think about hō‘ailona, or sign,” Chang. “There was no wind until we saw the whales and it suddenly picked up. We all had chicken skin.”