Return of Superferry?

[TomK]

Mendo, AM, (and James),

"The ferry died due to Lingle administration not following the law, not any inherent problem with the ferry itself. It needed an EIS but they couldn't be bothered. It could work if we do it right. Stop trying to blame environmentalists for this stupid error."

"The real nail in the coffin for the Superferry was no EIS."

I agree with all of the above, but even if an EIS was done I suspect the ferry was doomed. Just look at what is happening with the TMT which has done an EIS. For the TMT the delays are significant but since the funding is not commercial there is a buffer zone. With a commercial entity such as the Superferry, even if they had done an EIS the subsequent lawsuits would have likely killed off the project anyway as they would have delayed things so much the company would have gone bankrupt no matter what.

No expert in the matter, just my opinion.

[Rene Siracusa]

ckg is mirroring my own thinking. Never mind Superferries to Oahu and Maui. We could use a good old Staten Island-type ferry that carries vehicles and passengers between Pohoiki and Hilo. Once we're in Hilo we can go anywhere else.

[punafish]

My feeble imagination can't fathom how a ferry large enough to carry vehicles could get in and out of Pohoiki, even with major construction. (Not claiming it can't be done, just that I find it difficult to believe.) If someone knowledgeable believes otherwise, please enlighten me.

And as someone already pointed out, even if it were feasible, that would be one rough ferry ride, especially in the winter. I don't get seasick but my wife does. That'd be enough to ruin the trip for both of us.

[JohnDW]

I lived Midland Beach, Statin Island, parked at the ferry terminal, and rode the ferry to the Battery for three years- 25¢ R/T. Way better than the Veranzano Bridge let me tell you. It's a way of life. It can be done if there is the political will.

[Frank]

rode this Cat http://www.navatekltd.com/foilcat.html in 1998, several times in Alinuihaha...handled the rough water pretty well

[opihikao]

Rene, punafish, JohnDW, Frank, it is all possible. Good to read potential solutions. Hiki no! ("Can do!").

Does anyone think the Federal Gov., State, and County, et al, will support this mana'o? The County owns the Issac Hale Beach park up to the ramp; the State owns the ramp/harbor area, the Federal Gov. "manages" the sea. Now, what are we going to do to ensure the changes necessary (post lava cutting off Hwy. 130, etc.) are implemented?

What about adjoining land owners all the way from Kaimu to Kapoho? We have a HUGE amount of land owned by Bishop Estate/KSBE (which a school is currently operating on; 600+ acres). What about the Lymans? They are good people; long standing in this community obviously. What about those owners along the shoreline? Will they participate in this effort? What about the Kealoha ohana, whose aina sits adjacent to the park? That is old kama'aina family, too.

Time to come together for Puna. How we do this must be strategic (working with Federal, State, and County government, etc.), and with the kanaka maoli, of which I am one. Apologies for the rant, however, "now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their people". (My Papa made me type this on the old Royal typewriter to practice typing. Kala mai, OT, [])

Let us respectfully request (or demand) we be given access to necessities via land, air, and sea.

JMO.

[Frank]

looks like this one is for sale...http://www.navatekltd.com/forsale.html I rode this one from Campbell Industrial Park to Honolulu Harbor a couple of times just for the fun of it...Did not get into any big swells though

[ckg]

I would like to add that even if a ferry large enough for cars could not be reasonably accommodated, a boat that could move people and goods/mail would still be a great idea even if just to alleviate traffic from the emergency roadway routes. Maybe add a new bus circuit route in Hilo town to help people get around from the pier at that end. Hilo is not a big place or for that matter very spread out. This may help commuters, shoppers and folks with medical needs to still use Hilo in the centralized hub and spoke fashion it was laid out to be just using our coastline as a 130 replacement. Travel time would probably be competitive with the Chain of Craters route at least and since this is all transportation related I am sure this would not be all that dissimilar from other transportation projects in the US with similar financing resources that could be tapped.

[snorkle]

Listen up folks;
There will never be a harbor built in Puna Makai suitable for a Commercial Ferry. A 30 ft boat is what the current Harbor can safely handle, and expansion is unrealistic.

First of all, it's a Lee Shore, requiring much more protection than, say, Kona. Wind and waves predominantly come onshore necessitating a breakwall, like our other Lee shore Harbor; Hilo.

Can you imagine the cost of building a breakwall big enough to handle commercial vessels in water that's over 100 feet deep? We're talking tens of Millions, if not Billions. Hilo had the advantage of an existing outer reef "Blonde Reef" to build on. We don't have that luxury here.

Dredging out Kapoho bay and using the dredged material to augment its natural barrier would be another option. The cost; tens of Millions, if not Billions. Plus there's the whole industrialization of Kapoho thing. Not gonna happen.

There will always be small boat traffic available, but at great cost and time compared to land and air transport (that require much less infrastructure).

As an interesting aside; The Hawaiians of ancient Puna carved holes in the cliffside rock, lashed Ohia structures that worked as slides onto the cliffs, and launched (and recovered) 400 pound canoes into the ocean with the help of wave and tidal action. I doubt today's commuter would be up to that sort of excitement.

It's OK to dream, but reality can be a bitch.

[MarkP]

Makes a lot of sense, Snorkle.