michael j wise

http://starbulletin.com/2003/12/06/news/story12.html

" Gov. Linda Lingle's administration has been studying the feasibility
of
" the superferry. In September she told a Big Island audience that
" post-9/11 air travel difficulties could make the idea "even more
" attractive, if the price was right."

" HSF Ltd. is seeking financing to bring an Australian-built superferry
to
" Hawaii.

" "In the Vancouver area," said Birnie, "you can take ferries to
different
" islands and keep the same rental car. It's very convenient. Why
couldn't
" something like that work here?"

All I can say to that is...

PREACH IT!

Aloha mai Nai`a!
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mel

I'm all for an interisland ferry as long as it is privately operated and
privately funded. Government doesn't need to go into the ferry business.

lars johansson

Why are ferries special? Roads are operated by the government, so are
bridges.
Why not ferries?
/Lars J

mti

The unique ocean conditions of Hawaii contribute to the obstacles of any
ferry service capturing the requisite passenger load. Customers want
smooth
& fast, which generally means higher performance vessels. The cost of
operating in Hawaii is also prohibative, given fuel and parts
supply/costs.
You really can't compare ferry operations in Hawaii to anywhere else in
the
world on an "apples to apples" basis.

alvin e. toda

I've ridden the ferry to Victoria Island, but it's
quite a different story for inter-island travel over
the open ocean. It might work out if interisland travel
with airport security gets onerous enough.

--alvin

dan birchall

I'm with Mel on this. Let the users pay for it, and maybe I'll decide to
be one.

I have a healthy degree of skepticism toward this; as much as MJW might be
pleased to see Vancouver mentioned, http://www.bcferries.bc.ca/schedules/maps
clearly shows that even their longest-range things deal with coastal
environments, not deepwater open ocean. Also, most people's concept of
"ferry" is something that you're on for a lot less than 5 hours (and a
lot less than 200 miles). Growing up, I made a trip or two on the Cape
May-Lewes Ferry (17 miles in 80 minutes, slow!) and that was a big deal.

Of course, the BC ferries tend to make a lot of stops along the way, and
personally, I'd think it sensible for any ferry between Hilo and Honolulu
to stop somewhere on Maui, which is basically the midpoint of the trip.
Whether that "somewhere" should be Lahaina or Kahului, I don't know.

--
Perfer et obdura; dolor hic tibi proderit olim. | http://dan.birchalls.net/

sharon westfall

Not sure about the Lanai Ferry, but the Molokai Ferry only exists
because of government subsidy. The ferries operating in the
Washington/Vancouver area are subsidized too, aren't they? As well as
the ones in New York? I can't imagine them surviving without it.

I've been on the Molokai Ferry when the waves were splashing over the
top of the boat, and half the passengers (including me, unfortunately)
couldn't keep their food in their stomaches. InterIsland transportation
by boat will not be anything like going through Puget Sound. Not so bad
going west, but going east for some reason, is really rough.
--
__
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* westfal@lava.net | ) Get your SCH Logowear here!* * \/\____/ http://www.Cafepress.com/sch *
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mel

The state government does not have money to fund a ferry much less
maintan it. Leave this risky venture to the private sector.

michael j wise

Sooner or later, on a capital project of this magnitude, the State will
have to get involved.

Ge****a Strate is ... can be, pretty rough, Sir.


There is a run up to the Queen Charlottes that takes 2 days.
But that's more a scaled-down luxury liner.


How many cars did the ferry handle?


Erm... Nope. The main routes are direct, non-stop.


Yeah.

Aloha mai Nai`a!
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"Please have your Internet License http://kapu.net/~mjwise/
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michael j wise

Some are, some are not, as I understand it.


How big was the "Boat"?

The ferries being discussed here are typically four decks tall.
Capacity for about 200 cars, depending con configuration.


Puget Sound is a picnic compared to the Strait in a gale.
And if worse comes to worst, you do what the BC ferries do.
You stop sailing until it calms down.

Aloha mai Nai`a!
--
"Please have your Internet License http://kapu.net/~mjwise/
and Usenet Registration handy..."