Dear Noonsite-Team,

We greatly appreciate the services you provide for cruisers. Checking out Noonsites information about any new location prior to going there is a must for us. We also recommend Noonsite to any other cruiser who doesn’t know the website yet.

We’d like to share with you some information about Hawaii, even if it’s already more than half a year ago that we left Hawaii. We hope that this information still is valuable for other cruisers.

1) Hilo, Hawaii:

We stayed there in June 2012 with our 37 feet sailboat. We anchored in Reeds Bay, after having talked to a local captain, who advised a certain spot with good holding (about 2 boat length after the last buoy but far from the Radio Bay seawall – closer to the seawall the holding isn’t good). We called the Port Captain to report our position. As we were anchored out of Radio Bay, he didn’t need any information. But we had to visit the Department of Land and Natural Resources, to pay a modest fee for an anchorage permit. Shortly after our visit, the office moved to a new address, and that’s what we mainly want to communicate. (new address: 75 Aupuni Street, Ste 210, Hilo). Any cruiser anchoring out of Radio Bay must get an anchoring permit from the DLNR. The cost was about 2 USD per day only (for a 37 feet boat).

Landing: The dinghy can be taken ashore in two places in Reeds Bay: Either on the left-hand side of Reeds Bay in a little park or on the beach on the right-hand side of Reeds Bay, where also free showers can be found.

Provisioning: The Farmers Market takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays, reportedly it’s the best in all the Hawaiian Islands. All other days except Sundays there will also be some fruit stands under the shaded roof, but the offer is far more limited than on a Farmers Market day.

Laundry: Unless it hasn’t been re-installed in the meanwhile since June 2012, laundry just outside the dock gate on Bayfront Highway, doesn’t exist anymore. We were told it was closed years ago. We washed at the Laundry Express in town which you mention. It’s at 194 Kilauea Avenue

Internet: Free internet is also found close to Reeds Bay in the lobby of the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel on Banyan Drive.

Attractions: On June 11th and the weekends around this date: King Kamehameha Day (parades, music, traditional ceremonies)

2) Honolulu, Ala Wai Marina Update

Today the Ala Wai Harbor Marina has proper floating docks in the whole marina, we haven’t seen any Med-style moorings. It’s the cheapest place to dock in Honolulu, the cost is about half of what the Hawaiian Yacht Club charges. On the “400” row, slips are o.k., slips in the “800” row are not recommended (many homeless and other “suspect” persons).

Hope this helps. Thanks again for the great service you provide for the cruising community! If I find more time I’ll send more info about the North-American West Coast.

Kind regards,

Susanne

SV PAGENA

Wiesbaden, Germany

OVNI 345