01-01-2008, 06:39 AM
Should we have a poll and see how many people think the SF will survive and for how long? I'm giving it about a 25% chance of not making it through 2008.
Already they have canceled trips between Oahu and Maui due to weather and that isn't one of the difficult routes. These are also fairly normal winter weather conditions with the exception of the persistent rains. I think folks are finding out a few difficulties with the ferry. Apparently the rental car companies won't let their cars go on it so tourists will have to get a new rental on each island and because of that they are just as inclined to fly since it is faster. There are also all sorts of folks who's cars are now stuck on another island since the ferry canceled the return trips. Folks have all sorts of stuff in their cars and don't want to ship it back via YB because they fear the stuff will be gone when their car arrives back in Honolulu. So now they have flown home and are having to do without their car. If I had that problem, I'd take the stuff out of the car, box it up and ship it via G-van on YB and the empty car on YB but that's still a lot of bother.
I could see a passenger ferry service between Ewa Beach and Honolulu and between Hawaii Kai and Honolulu. Don't think they would want to run to the windward sides of the islands though. Ferries could go between Kaunakakai and Lahaina and Manele but these ferries would have to be scheduled so folks would be able to get to and from work and cheap enough that working folks could afford to use them.
Who is the targeted customer of the SF? Tourists?
Already they have canceled trips between Oahu and Maui due to weather and that isn't one of the difficult routes. These are also fairly normal winter weather conditions with the exception of the persistent rains. I think folks are finding out a few difficulties with the ferry. Apparently the rental car companies won't let their cars go on it so tourists will have to get a new rental on each island and because of that they are just as inclined to fly since it is faster. There are also all sorts of folks who's cars are now stuck on another island since the ferry canceled the return trips. Folks have all sorts of stuff in their cars and don't want to ship it back via YB because they fear the stuff will be gone when their car arrives back in Honolulu. So now they have flown home and are having to do without their car. If I had that problem, I'd take the stuff out of the car, box it up and ship it via G-van on YB and the empty car on YB but that's still a lot of bother.
I could see a passenger ferry service between Ewa Beach and Honolulu and between Hawaii Kai and Honolulu. Don't think they would want to run to the windward sides of the islands though. Ferries could go between Kaunakakai and Lahaina and Manele but these ferries would have to be scheduled so folks would be able to get to and from work and cheap enough that working folks could afford to use them.
Who is the targeted customer of the SF? Tourists?
Kurt Wilson