Trilogy Excursions Returns to Lahaina Harbor with New Catamaran and Community Whale Watches
For the first time since the August 2023 fires, Trilogy sails again from Lahaina Harbor — marking a meaningful step in West Maui’s recovery.
A Meaningful Return to Lahaina Harbor
On March 18, Trilogy Excursions will once again raise sails from Lahaina Harbor. For our crew, our guests, and the broader West Maui community, this moment carries deep meaning.
Lahaina Harbor Pre-Fires
The Maui 2023 wildfires changed Lahaina in ways that are still unfolding today. As we rebuild and continue to grieve for the immense loss of life and property, we are hopeful with good news.
The return of sailing from Lahaina Harbor represents something hopeful. It is a step toward restoring a rhythm that has long connected the Lahaina community to the ocean.
For Trilogy, that connection runs deep. Since 1973, when the Coon family founded Trilogy Excursions, the company has built its story around sailing, stewardship, and welcoming guests into the Trilogy ‘Ohana.
Returning to Lahaina Harbor is not simply a schedule update. It is a moment of reconnection with a place that has shaped generations of ocean experiences on Maui.
A Harbor That Sustained a Community
For decades, Lahaina Harbor served as one of the busiest small boat harbors in Hawaii. Its docks supported a network of ocean-based businesses that introduced visitors and residents alike to whale watching, snorkeling, sailing, and marine education along the West Maui coastline.
Before the fires, the harbor supported over 600 of local jobs across captains, crew members, naturalists, hospitality teams, and marine maintenance professionals. These ocean operations helped sustain West Maui families while sharing the surrounding waters responsibly with guests from around the world.
Reopening activity from the harbor represents an important step toward rebuilding the local ocean economy. Each returning vessel brings back not just a tour departure, but a small piece of Lahaina’s working waterfront.
For companies rooted on Maui, that return carries a responsibility to support both community recovery and respectful ocean practices.
Lahaina Harbor Post-Fires
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Introducing the New Trilogy VI
Capt. Turtle in front of the new T6
Alongside the return to Lahaina Harbor comes the launch of a new vessel: Trilogy VI.
The original Trilogy VI was lost during the 2023 Lahaina fires. Replacing it became an important step in restoring the company’s fleet and continuing operations on Maui.
The new Trilogy VI completed a remarkable 6,000-mile transoceanic journey from St. Croix in the Caribbean to Hawaiʻi before joining the fleet. With her arrival, Trilogy once again operates seven vessels across Maui Nui.
Launching this new catamaran from Lahaina Harbor carries symbolic weight. It reflects both continuity and renewal — honoring the past while moving forward with the same commitment to safe, responsible ocean experiences.
Blessing the return to the water
Uncle Sol Kahoʻohalahala performing a blessing.
Before the first official sailing week begins, Trilogy marked the moment with a quiet inaugural sail shared with the people closest to the company — the Trilogy ʻohana.
On March 8, crew members and their families gathered aboard the new Trilogy VI for a private inaugural sail from Lahaina Harbor. The morning began with a traditional Hawaiian blessing performed by Uncle Sol Kahoʻohalahala, a respected Lānaʻi cultural practitioner and longtime friend of the Trilogy family.
The blessing offered gratitude for the ocean, protection for the vessel and crew, and guidance for the journeys ahead. Moments like this reflect the deep relationship between the ocean, the people who work on it, and the cultural traditions that help keep those connections grounded.
For the Trilogy crew, this inaugural sail was not about launching a new boat. It was about honoring the waters we sail on and beginning this new chapter with intention.
Whale Watching During Inaugural Sailing Week
During its first weeks of operation, Trilogy VI will focus on Maui’s winter whale season while also launching a brand-new experience from Lahaina Harbor: the Lahaina Golden Hour Whale Watch.
This new sail takes place in the soft light before sunset — a time of day when the ocean often settles and the West Maui Mountains glow in the evening light. It’s a quieter moment on the water and a meaningful way to observe the humpback whales that return to Maui each winter.
Each year, North Pacific humpback whales migrate thousands of miles from Alaska to the warm, shallow waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands to breed, give birth, and nurse their calves. The waters around Maui Nui are considered one of the most important breeding grounds for this population.
During the sail, guests may witness surface behaviors such as breaches, tail slaps, or pectoral fin waves. When ocean conditions allow, Trilogy’s onboard hydrophones can also capture the haunting underwater songs of male humpback whales — an experience many guests describe as unforgettable.
Alongside this new golden hour sail, daytime whale watches will also be available during Trilogy VI’s inaugural week of operation.
Maui’s humpback whale season typically runs through mid-April, offering one last window to experience these remarkable animals before they begin their long migration north.
As always, every whale encounter is approached with care, following NOAA and Sanctuary guidelines designed to protect these animals and the waters they depend on.
Free Community Whale Watch Sails for Kamaʻāina
The Lahaina fires touched nearly every corner of our community. Families, businesses, crew members, and neighbors all felt the loss in different ways. As Lahaina Harbor begins to welcome boats again, Trilogy wanted to find a meaningful way to give something back.
To honor the Lahaina community, Trilogy will host two complimentary Lahaina Golden Hour Whale Watch sails for kamaʻāina during the first week of operations from the harbor.
These sails are offered at no cost to local residents. They are our way of inviting the community back onto the ocean that has long connected Lahaina families, fishermen, captains, and ocean workers.
Departing from the newly reopened Lahaina Harbor aboard the new Trilogy VI, the Lahaina Golden Hour Whale Watch takes place in the quiet light before sunset — a time when the ocean often settles and the day softens along the West Maui coastline.
More than anything, these sails are meant to create space for people to be together again on the water. Watching the humpback whales move through the ʻAuʻau Channel can be powerful. For many on Maui, the ocean has always been a place of reflection and renewal.
This offering is not simply a tour. It is a small gesture of love for the Lahaina community and a way to share a moment of healing as the harbor begins to come back to life.
Kamaʻāina interested in joining one of these community sails can reserve a seat through Trilogy’s reservations team while availability remains.
A Step Forward for Lahaina
Jim Coon with his daughter MeiLi Coon in front of the new T6.
“This moment means a lot to our crew and our community,” said Trilogy President Stephen Bennett. “Being able to sail again from Lahaina Harbor represents a step forward — not just for our company, but for the people and families connected to this harbor.”
For the Coon family, the return to Lahaina Harbor carries another layer of meaning.
When the original Trilogy VI first joined the fleet, Jim Coon and his son Riley Coon personally completed the transoceanic journey to bring the vessel to Maui. Sailing thousands of miles across open ocean together was both a technical achievement and a family milestone.
With the launch of the new Trilogy VI following the loss of the original vessel in the fires, the moment carries deep emotion for the family who helped build Trilogy from the beginning. Seeing a new Trilogy VI sail from Lahaina Harbor again represents resilience — not just for the company, but for the community that has always been at the heart of Trilogy’s story.
Rebuilding after a disaster takes time. For many on Maui, recovery is measured not only in structures returning, but in the quiet moments when familiar traditions return to the water.
The sight of sails leaving Lahaina Harbor again is one of those moments.
Looking Ahead
As whale season comes to a close in April, Trilogy plans to gradually expand additional sailing experiences from Lahaina Harbor, including snorkeling excursions along the West Maui coastline.
These future sails will continue the company’s long-standing focus on ocean education, safety, and stewardship. For more than five decades, Trilogy has worked alongside conservation partners and marine managers to support responsible ocean tourism and mālama kai across Maui Nui.
Returning to Lahaina Harbor marks the beginning of a new chapter — one grounded in community, respect for the ocean, and gratitude for the chance to sail again.
For many on Maui, the harbor has always been more than a place where boats depart.
It is where stories begin.