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dcapn88 · 20-10-2008, 21:38

I have lived in Hawaii (mostly Oahu) off and on for over 17 years. I'm in Honolulu now, working and expecting to leave here in a year or so. I have taught sailing here and have skippered a couple of inter-island charters and deliveries. I can tell you that the channel between Oahu and Molokai, and the channel between Maui and Hawaii are "rigorous" (to say the least) most of the time, but there are very few rocks/reefs to worry about if you pay attention to your charts & position. It is fairly easy & safe to anchor at most destinations on the leeward sides of the islands, but not recommended for the windward (usually the Eastern) or Northern sides.
Getting a slip over here is almost impossible, there are only a couple of private marinas, the rest are owned/run (down) by the State and they are in poor condition, and some of them are in potentially dangerous/high-crime locations. Hawaii has the highest cost of living, in general, of any place in the US, and the COL on the other islands is about 20% higher than Oahu's. If you want peace and quiet do not spend any time on Oahu: if it's not jet-noise, it's boom-boxes and garbage-trucks! If you want night life and a variety of things to do then you must stay near Honolulu. Traffic is bad on Oahu. The locals will probably be nice to you if you look and act like a money-spending tourist, otherwise you may find many of them prejudiced against you, (this has a direct relationship with the state of the economy...and that is getting worse by the minute, with the present debacle in the world financial markets).
There are many things to see and do over here, especially if you're a water-person, and when you get here ask the folks what you can do to fit in, meet the locals, and get the "aloha" spirit going. Good luck! Mike G.
PS you can get good live Irish music at Kelly O'Neil's Pub in Waikiki on Sunday afternoons 4-7 pm. Slainte!

20-10-2008, 21:38	#13
dcapn88 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Honolulu HI USA Posts: 3	I have lived in Hawaii (mostly Oahu) off and on for over 17 years. I'm in Honolulu now, working and expecting to leave here in a year or so. I have taught sailing here and have skippered a couple of inter-island charters and deliveries. I can tell you that the channel between Oahu and Molokai, and the channel between Maui and Hawaii are "rigorous" (to say the least) most of the time, but there are very few rocks/reefs to worry about if you pay attention to your charts & position. It is fairly easy & safe to anchor at most destinations on the leeward sides of the islands, but not recommended for the windward (usually the Eastern) or Northern sides. Getting a slip over here is almost impossible, there are only a couple of private marinas, the rest are owned/run (down) by the State and they are in poor condition, and some of them are in potentially dangerous/high-crime locations. Hawaii has the highest cost of living, in general, of any place in the US, and the COL on the other islands is about 20% higher than Oahu's. If you want peace and quiet do not spend any time on Oahu: if it's not jet-noise, it's boom-boxes and garbage-trucks! If you want night life and a variety of things to do then you must stay near Honolulu. Traffic is bad on Oahu. The locals will probably be nice to you if you look and act like a money-spending tourist, otherwise you may find many of them prejudiced against you, (this has a direct relationship with the state of the economy...and that is getting worse by the minute, with the present debacle in the world financial markets). There are many things to see and do over here, especially if you're a water-person, and when you get here ask the folks what you can do to fit in, meet the locals, and get the "aloha" spirit going. Good luck! Mike G. PS you can get good live Irish music at Kelly O'Neil's Pub in Waikiki on Sunday afternoons 4-7 pm. Slainte!