Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

[LikaNui]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

Karen Chun of Save Kahului Harbor actually took the time to completely read and analyze the draft EIS for Kahului Commercial Harbor Year 2030. Here is the testimony she has submitted and will testify to at the public hearing on Jan. 23.

That's just one Maui resident's opinion, and I see she feels she's more of an expert on harbor design than the Army Corps Of Engineers, who has built thousands of harbors.
And note that I wrote that she's a Maui "resident" and not a Maui "native." A very quick Google search found this site about Karen Crowther Chun, which includes a photo of her and these tidbits:

Karen started out life in Palo Alto, California. She attended Gunn High School, which was so anxious to get rid of her that she graduated at age 16. Given the choice of staying home under her parents' watchful eyes or going to college, she started an abortive college career at the University of California at Berkeley in the midst of the '60's turmoil.
(...)
Fortunately, Western Area Power came to the rescue and Karen spent several happy years writing computer programs to plan resources for the vast array of California reservoirs and hydropower plants.

So. This California born-and-raised Berkeley hippie girl didn't mind helping to design powerplants that California residents protested against, but she moves to Maui late in her life and suddenly is a self-proclaimed expert on telling Hawaiians how to save their state?!?

[Nords]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

You written almost 9,000 posts here on HT, making you by far the most verbose member. (The creator of HT has almost a third less posts, and only a couple of folks are over 5,000, with everyone else far below that.) You've averaged 7 posts each and every single day for the past 4 years.
Don't act surprised that you're on the radar of those of us who respect HT. You asked for it.

You're doing a good job at what you're doing, Lika, but lemme offer a different perspective. Besides, your quoting of Miulang is ruining it for the rest of us who have her on "Ignore".

I'm a Hawaii resident but a Pittsburgh "native". (Bleagh-- I've been back twice in 30 years but I escaped both times.) I'm trying to imagine myself spending four years reading the Pittsburgh newspapers every day, watching Pittsburgh TV & webcasts, and as an expat lurking on a Pittsburgh discussion board-- let alone being the top poster. It could imply that I'm having an acculturation problem with my local community or else it's possible that I'm spending all my free time putting up even bigger total-post numbers on other local boards. Whether I was living in the wrong place or spending all my time on websites, I would think that at some point I'd have to acknowledge that there's something wrong.

You've proved your point, and you've done a great job with that, but you've also fallen into the trap of validating the existence of someone who feels that this type of behavior is an appropriate use of their time & energy. No matter how successful the trap or how big & hairy its occupant, the fact is you've spent your time proving that a troll is a troll, and you've given them a very gratifying free publicity boost.

Rather than hounding a troll or wasting our your time trying to modify their behavior, in the long run perhaps it's better to just let them run in the muck amok. The conclusion is not in doubt but actions like yours could mean that the timeline is subject to delays & extensions. Eventually the troll's behavior will run off the rails, the moderators will have to step in, and at some point after that the trolls will cross the line. Once they're banned then we can all get on with our lives, but hassling them only delays the inevitable.

For more details on the discussion-board attention-craving phenomenon, take a look at the strange cases of Felicity Jane Lowde and Rob Bennett. I watched the latter destroy several discussion boards, including a big investment board at Morningstar, due to posters engaging him in his behavior.

So let's not feed the trolls.

[infinitypro]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

Countless other examples, and some day when I have time to kill I'll go through the threads and list all the examples of your "mistakes" and especially a list of the questions you refused to answer because you allegedly had me on Ignore, which you yourself just helped prove was yet another of your lies.
GOTCHA.

Classic, well-executed.

Back to the topic...

There has only been one person that I've encountered on Maui that's against HSF. His exact words, "I'm scared, scared of the bugs that may come." He couldn't explain preventing the same from happening on a barge or in a carry on bag on a flight.

One person.

[mel]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

With all of that stuff out of the way, has anyone here other than Blaine and myself, taken a Superferry trip? Anyone plan to do so in the near future? Or at least up and into the summer months? I expect smoother sailing conditions and more reliable service once the winter weather and rough wave season passes.

Right now Superferry has the cheapest per-person interisland fare at $39 each vs. the $49 low fare that Go and the other airlines have been forced to adopt. Of course if you are going to take your vehicle cost for that is at least $55.

A friend of mine who wanted to use Superferry to take his vehicle to Kauai had to finally ship the thing via Young Bros. and it cost him $400. The $55 vehicle seems like a bargain to me... especially when you consider same day roll on and roll off service.

[joshuatree]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

A little clarification, I see a lot of posts that the $39 fare doesn't include some huge fuel surcharge. But when I just tried to book OW with no car, I get $39 plus ~$4 in tax, PUC, and surcharge. So did the ferry cut back on the fuel surcharge or was there misinformation being spread around?

[mel]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

One of the nice things about online booking is that you can play with it up to a point just to see how much things cost. So I did right now and priced a one way trip to Maui on Superferry for May 4. Here is the resulting window I got:



No fuel surcharge as of today. The surcharge was waived since they started service in December with the $29 promo fare and the $39 fare with no surcharge still holds true.

So maybe now is the time to book if anyone is interested in sailing without the extra cost.

[MixedPlateBroker]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

I think I read somewhere in one of the stories about the embargoed Christmas tree shipments from Oregon that the growers said you can't irradiate the Douglas firs because it will cause the needles to drop. So in the case of Christmas trees anyway, it sounds like the plan they came up with (inspections in Oregon prior to containerization and then inspection in Hawaii in refrigerated secured inspection areas) may be the only way to maintain the integrity of the trees. Wasps "hibernate" in cold weather, so inspecting the trees in a refrigerated cargo container will isolate them while they are sleeping and make it easier to find them and remove them safely.

Best option is to embargo Christmas trees from the Mainland, period. Either buy locally grown trees if you need a real tree (like the Norfolks from Helemano Farms) or stick to fake ones.

I say the best option would be to pop a couple of those bug grenades in each container before shipping them off. No need to use a sledgehammer to pound in a nail.

I knew it was just a matter of time before market (and judicial :-P) forces would push interisland fares back above SF prices. Long live the Super Ferry!

[helen]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

has anyone here other than Blaine and myself, taken a Superferry trip? Anyone plan to do so in the near future? Or at least up and into the summer months? I expect smoother sailing conditions and more reliable service once the winter weather and rough wave season passes.

No. Right now no. I don't know. As it stands right now I have no reason to go Maui.

[dick]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

I've been on it for the inaugural voyage to Maui for the S-B.

I had a trip booked to take my car to Maui to visit mom, but that was when the court thing happened. The refund was quick and painless.

I'm planning a trip as soon as I can get some time off.

[zztype]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

I'm hoping to take the family over for the July 4 weekend to catch the Makawao Rodeo and visit my sister in Kula.

They don't book that far in advance, so we keep checking back. But that would seem to be a killer opportunity to check out the ferry and catch one of the great things about Maui.

If we have time, maybe run out to Hana for a bucket of 'opihi!

Blaine

[oceanpacific]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

I will be booking a weekender in Maui sometime in April. Good chance I'll take a vehicle as the RT fare for the car ($110 + taxes) will likely be less than a car rental ($45/day x 3) AND the parking charge ($10/day x 3) at the Honolulu airport. Then, there's the convenience factor.

For the first time, we went with the artificial tree this past Christmas.

[dick]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

I'm hoping to take the family over for the July 4 weekend to catch the Makawao Rodeo and visit my sister in Kula.

Dude, where in Kula? I'm born and raised there... and yeah, Makawao Rodeo is good fun. The parade is one of the best on the island, and hanging at Oskie Rice is good times. Might be time for another photo essay over there...

[Nords]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

With all of that stuff out of the way, has anyone here other than Blaine and myself, taken a Superferry trip? Anyone plan to do so in the near future? Or at least up and into the summer months? I expect smoother sailing conditions and more reliable service once the winter weather and rough wave season passes.

No joyriding. I used to be paid to get seasick so I'm not motivated to do it voluntarily.

Now that the protests are subsiding, the SF staff are probably finding out all over again that they're competing with the airlines. I priced a two-day stay on Maui last October as only a good deal via SF if we slept in our car. Doing what we needed to do on Maui wasn't worth the extra $$ (let alone the civil-disobedience danger) of taking the ferry. But we hardly needed a car on that trip, let alone our own.

My next concern would be the amount of time involved. Sure, it's probably just as long to find airport parking, get through security, wait at the gate, and get clear of the arrival airport. However you're not stuck in traffic lanes waiting to park a car or leave a pier. Maybe this concern is overblown.

But the biggest issue with the SF was its schedule and travel convenience. Last Oct we would've had to struggle from Central Oahu to the pier at dawn's early crack through rush-hour traffic. Taking the plane meant we could go in mid-afternoon, right after school, and come home when we were ready (instead of on SF's schedule).

Don't know if we'll ride the SF this year or next. Our kid's high school breaks are filled with other activities & trips, and holoholo has taken a big-time backseat. We may not see a neighbor island for another couple years, let alone via SF "adventure travel".

[zztype]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

Dude, where in Kula? I'm born and raised there... and yeah, Makawao Rodeo is good fun. The parade is one of the best on the island, and hanging at Oskie Rice is good times. Might be time for another photo essay over there...

Hui, Rich, they live on Lower Kimo Drive. I've never been to their house, but heard it was nice, with a big lot.

Yes, plug the photo essay with the editors, now! I would look forward to that one.

Blaine

[LikaNui]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 8

Anyone see this article in the Advertiser today, about the Kahului Harbor expansion? It included these interesting comments:

The state Department of Transportation will face familiar foes as it pursues a $390 million plan to expand facilities at Kahului Harbor to provide much-needed berthing and storage space for cargo and passenger ships.
(...)
Chief among the concerns are the loss of popular surf spots, impacts on canoe paddling, fishing and other recreational uses, and overdevelopment.
(...)
But many business, government and community leaders say the harbor improvements aren't about growth but survival. Kahului Harbor, Maui's only deep-draft harbor, is the third busiest port in the state. The draft EIS said harbor capacity is most critical at the Maui port because of the rapid growth of the cruise ship industry, the new interisland ferry and the continued increase in cargo shipments.
The west breakwater is the site of a recreational boat ramp, a clubhouse for old-time boaters and fishermen, and a park.
Planning for the Maui port is complicated because the harbor is located in a developed area and land is scarce and expensive. The idea of creating a second commercial harbor on Maui was rejected due to cost and environmental and cultural impacts.
The draft EIS acknowledges that reaching consensus on harbor development is "an unrealistic goal" considering the diverse and competing interests involved in the planning. However, while wishing to respect recreational uses, the Maui Harbor Users Group agreed to give commercial cargo first priority.
The draft EIS for the 2030 Master Plan proposes two alternatives in addition to no action. Both of the action alternatives include development of the west breakwater to create piers and operational space, and changes to existing pier areas.
The preferred "Alternative A" would develop cruise ship and interisland ferry facilities at the west breakwater, including construction of an inner breakwater to limit wave action. At the east side of the harbor, Piers 1 and 2 would be lengthened for cargo operations, with a new fuel offloading facility built at Pier 3 or 4, and the breakwater extended outward by 900 feet. The estimated cost of the improvements is $390 million, according to the report.
"Alternative B," estimated at $359 million, would develop passenger facilities at Pier 2 and expand cargo facilities at Piers 1 and 3 and at the west breakwater.
(...)
Although the 2030 Master Plan does not propose displacing two of Maui's largest canoe clubs, Hawaiian and Na Kai Ewalu, the east harbor improvements would encroach on racing lanes used for paddling regattas. Security zones around ships at berth also would constrict areas used by club and individual paddlers and kayakers.