4 Boats Aground in Hilo, HI

[SkiprJohn]

Sad news this morning after the winds cleared the area. 2 sloops, a ketch and a catamaran aground. About 1700 the winds picked up in the bay from the north and began steady until about 2300. Gusts to 35-40.

This is a historically bad anchorage and mooring area during the months of Jan, Feb, March with February usually being the worst when the winds are predicted to clock around to the north.

Will give more details when I get them.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Sad news this morning after the winds cleared the area. 2 sloops, a ketch and a catamaran aground. About 1700 the winds picked up in the bay from the north and began steady until about 2300. Gusts to 35-40.

This is a historically bad anchorage and mooring area during the months of Jan, Feb, March with February usually being the worst when the winds are predicted to clock around to the north.

Will give more details when I get them.

Please tell me the ketch was not "Faiaoahe". In my opinion, the State of Hawaii should be sued for it's continued lack of cooperation with mariners to make improvement to the anchorage and to build a marina there. For years the Local government has stone-walled and looked down upon sailors as if they were 2nd. class citizens due to learned behavior handed down to them from their ancestors...and I don't mean the Hawaiians. Most people are familiar with the situation at the Ali Wai on Oahu. But this problem continues through the entire state. Hawaii has the possibility of being the jewel of the Pacific. Much like St Barts., But no...the local pencil pushers have their feet dug in.

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Please tell me the ketch was not "Faiaoahe". In my opinion, the State of Hawaii should be sued for it's continued lack of cooperation with mariners to make improvement to the anchorage and to build a marina there. For years the Local government has stone-walled and looked down upon sailors as if they were 2nd. class citizens due to learned behavior handed down to them from their ancestors...and I don't mean the Hawaiians. Most people are familiar with the situation at the Ali Wai on Oahu. But this problem continues through the entire state. Hawaii has the possibility of being the jewel of the Pacific. Much like St Barts., But no...the local pencil pushers have their feet dug in.

I, of course, agree with your post as most boaters in Hawaii should.

No, not Faiaoahe. Scotty just redid the mooring having borrowed Robers dive gear.

One was a Petersen, one was "Mango Me" the catamaran and one was an aluminum sloop that ran over a mooring line on a ketch that sent it aground. I don't have all the details but Mango Me bounced off a few other boats.

[Boatguy30]

Where do you keep your boat? I really thought about moving to Hawaii a few years ago, but it really seemed like I wouldn't be able to do much boating due to lack of affordable marinas/ availability in state rent controlled slips.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

Where do you keep your boat? I really thought about moving to Hawaii a few years ago, but it really seemed like I wouldn't be able to do much boating due to lack of affordable marinas/ availability in state rent controlled slips.

My only suggestion is to fly there first and take a look for yourself. Talk to any Harbor official. You'll sense the vibe immediately.

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

Where do you keep your boat? I really thought about moving to Hawaii a few years ago, but it really seemed like I wouldn't be able to do much boating due to lack of affordable marinas/ availability in state rent controlled slips.

My boat is in my yard for renovation and its next to my house. If I applied for a slip here locally it could be a few years or more. For a mooring I could get a 90 day temporary mooring and hope to get a permanent mooring in a couple years. On Oahu where all the jobs and people are there is a very long wait for slips unless you go to a private Marina that costs a lot. The very best way of boating here is trailerable.

Very few liveaboard (legally) slips in the islands compared to the number of registered boats.

Do a search for "Hawaii" and you'll get lots of information.

kind regards,

[Boatguy30]

That is why I pretty well decided against it.

[gjordan]

I lived in Hilo in the eary 70s, and sailed into Hilo Harbor in the mid 70s. All I seemed to see were abandoned boats on moorings. Maybe on marginal moorings? The state of Hawaii has always done a poor job of dealing with cruising boats. Some things never change. ___Grant.

[gjordan]

Just listened to the local California news and they are setting up for the world famous Mavariks surfing contest since there are huge swells hitting the north shore of Hawaii right now, and should be hitting Calif. in the next 48 hours. Ever wonder why boats drag in Hilo???? ____Grant.

[Celestialsailor]

What Hilo needs is a professional mooring field. It is hard lava bottom and needs hardware pounded into the lava. Instead the State leaves it up to the owners to come up with junk as a mooring. Usually old engine blocks.

[SkiprJohn]

There are some photos here. Saturday Jan 25 issue.

Hawaii Tribune-Herald |

[Celestialsailor]

While they are correct in the statement that some mooring tackles are not properly maintained, it could be argued that they have no intention, in the future, to offer any assistance from the Army corp of Engineers, or any other agency to make the anchorage a safe place. They always like to skim over that right to...business as usual.

[Boatguy30]

So are those pirate moorings licensed by the state? Is that one of the ones you would have to wait years for? I was mainly considering Oahu to live, but that plan is either dead or well postponed.

[roverhi]

Drilled and epoxied mooring pins go for around $750 on the Kona side, last time I checked. The State doesn't/won't have anything to do with moorings outside of Marinas. They don't even maintain the ones in Honokohau Harbor on the Kona side as I had the misfortune of finding out.

The problem with most moorings and anchoring for that matter, at least around the Big Island, is the bottom is lava with a thin layer of mud on top. Anchor will bury and look nice but won't hold in serious conditions. Either have to have a serious weight mooring block or have a pin put in. Don't know if the boats that went ashore in Hilo did it because the mooring blocks were two light. Suspect it was either poor maintenance on the mooring or the pennants chafing through. in high winds, mooring pennants aren't good for much more than a day and need to have the wear point in the chocks adjusted regularly, BTDT that in Kawaihae. The mooring I had a guy put in the Bay off Kailua-Kona was four engine blocks chained together. Worked okay though we didn't winter over on it. It was set by a guy out of Kawaihae who had a surplus landing craft and did that kind of work. Don't know if he's still around or if he worked the whole island or just Kona side.

[SkiprJohn]

I hope you meant private. We don't have any pirates here, aaargh!

They are state approved location-wise but the state has no idea what you may be moored to. Some of these moorings have never failed because the boatowners maintain them well and they are heavy enough to start with. Catepillar D-9 tracks are the favorite. Forklift counterweights are up there in popularity. Mooring field is from 25 to 12 feet with a little mud over flat pahoehoe (lava rock). A really good storm would slide most of the moorings all around the field.

The cost is ninety-five cents a foot per month. It might be up to 2 years for your name to come up on the waiting list.

As Martin said, the state has no interest in making their jobs more difficult by satisfying infrastructure needs for boatowners. They are much more interested in getting their paycheck.