Monday, January 28, 2008

 

Superferry cancels three days in a row...


by Larry Geller

Travel Alert The summer will be better. But the frequent cancellations further cast doubt on whether the ferry can be used for commercial purposes. I'm also wondering if they really waited until 4:30 p.m., as this alert from their website indicates, before making the decision to cancel.

It's one thing to go on vacation with the kids, spouse, dogs, cats, gerbils, etc., and find you're stranded, and quite another if your business Canceleddepends on getting the truck back for appointments already made.

Ridership may pick up steadily once the winter weather is past, if the ferry can sustain operating continually at a loss. In other words, will they still be around?

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Comments:

Well, last August on the test runs people were getting motion sick as soon as they entered the channels.

I think the real surprise will be in the summer.

There won't be anymore excuses left then.
 


EIS FIRST- shoulda, woulda, coulda
 


I propose a rating system for the rides. Instead of "stars" like a four star restaurant. the superduper ferry rides can be rated by "barfs" using little airsick bags instead of stars. so it's a "four barf" ride if four passengers get ill; three barf etc. anyone have a neat little bag graphic?
 


This is a cool idea. Thanks. As the Barf Index gets refined, perhaps some voyages will be rated with something like 3 1/2 bags.

Is that half bag half full or half empty? Depends perhaps on whether you're a passenger or ferry management.
 


For Immediate Release January 28, 2008
Karen Chun, Spokesperson for Save Kahului Harbor
808 283-3049
webmaster@SaveKahuluiHarbor.com

Kahului Freight Crisis Pits Passenger Ships Against Hawaiian Culture
Increases in cruise ship stays at Pier 1 and the addition of the Superferry to Pier 2 has precipitated a crisis in Maui's only deep water harbor. With almost 80% of all food and goods coming in through Kahului Harbor, the Department of Transportation has responded by proposing a new Pier 5 for the cruise ships and Superferry on the inner west side of the harbor.

Paddlers and Surfers say this will wipe out the Kahului Harbor surf break and the canoe race course. The draft EIS, while admitting this, says these losses will have no significant impact on Hawaiian cultural practices.

Save Kahului Harbor, which has been lobbying for procedural changes that give freight priority over passenger ships advocates removing passenger ships entirely to solve the freight crisis quickly instead of waiting 6 years to build the one-third of a billion dollar Pier 5.

According to Save Kahului Harbor spokesperson, Karen Chun, “Removing passenger ships from Kahului Harbor gives us the breathing room to plan an outward expansion of the harbor and to obtain federal funds for this more expensive option, We all agree that freight is essential and that we need more room for freight as Maui grows. What we don't agree on is whether we should expand inward and wreck our paddling, surfing, fishing and beach, or expand outward so that we are better shape for the future. We believe building inward is short-sighted and will create unsafe conditions in our already tight turning basin as well as damaging culture and recreation that has existed here for a thousand years.”

Chun went on to say that cruise ship passengers are disappointed to land on the windward side with few of the sunny sand beaches they expect. She urged that the the Superferry barge be removed from Kahului Harbor as soon as possible. The barge was moved to the freight dock, Pier 1B because of winter swells and the Superferry has again canceled its trip to Maui. “Our freight situation cannot take 6 more years of the barge at Pier 2b because it was designed wrong,” added Chun. “We need it out of here now.”

Save Kahului Harbor and Surfrider Foundation are sponsoring an informational sign waving this Saturday, February 2nd from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Ka'ahumanu near the canoe hale. The paddlers will join the sign wavers at the finish of the high school paddling race which is being held that day in the harbor.

Sign waving will be followed by a potluck and strategy meeting. According to Chun, “Our use of Kahului Bay is on the line. Who do we kick out of Kahului Harbor? Us or the cruise ships?. If you favor Hawaiian culture over cruise ships, then we hope you'll show up and make your voice heard.”
###
 


Hey, that's a good idea 1 to 5 or 6
barf bags lined up depending on where in the index. That's good, you should do that. Larry, you can keep refining this idea and take some credit too. I was going to maybe refine the breakdowns of the index and send that to you. I am thinking it should be even more in line with the Beaufort scale:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale

Since the Beaufort scale has more breakdowns, you could maybe use the Beaufort scale and assign a half bag to each level and full bag to every two levels of that.

I still think that NOAA link for channel conditions should be the source of data as the data is reliable and the channels are where people are getting motion sick.

Feel free to take it to the next level, Larry. We'll make sure you are at least the third person accepting the IgNobel. ;) BTW, if we use the Beaufort scale in this manner, then Greg should be the
4th person to get some credit if he wants it, as he was the one to point that out as a standard.

I think it's good to divie up the credit as a community kind of thing, yeah?

Aloha, Brad
 

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