The crew and friends of the Maui Nui Explorer put the 48-foot rigid-hulled inflatable vessel through its annual dry dock service recently at Maalaea Harbor. Though she was scraping paint off the boat's hull, Andrea Bendlin usually serves as a lifeguard and naturalist aboard the boat that is based in Lahaina and is used to run snorkel and whale-watching tours around Lanai. The boat's captain, Jill Mickelsen, said the vessel was to be in dry dock for at least a week. During that time, it also would undergo its yearly U.S. Coast Guard inspection. Chris Brunstad chips in to help sand the hull of the Maui Nui Explorer. "Actually, I'm a computer repair technician, but my friend needed some help," he said.
The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photos
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The crew and friends of the Maui Nui Explorer put the 48-foot rigid-hulled inflatable vessel through its annual dry dock service recently at Maalaea Harbor. Though she was scraping paint off the boat’s hull, Andrea Bendlin usually serves as a lifeguard and naturalist aboard the boat that is based in Lahaina and is used to run snorkel and whale-watching tours around Lanai.
The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
