Radio bay is still open to cruisers but I did not find it a good deal.

The first 24 hours will cost you $36 for a boat under 40ft. If you put your yacht alongside the dock your fenders and hull will get filthy. There are cockroaches on the dock. They want $50 deposit for the toilet key.

The dock is fenced off and locked if you want to get out you need to phone security and they can take up to half an hour to respond. Returning, you must wait at the main gate until they are ready to escort you.

If there is a cruise ship at the dock when you are entering or departing you are expected to call CG Honolulu on 22a.

If I return to Hilo to clear out I will not return to Radio bay. Instead, I will anchor outside the boat harbor, take my dingy into the harbor and hike up the road 20 minutes to the US Customs office located just outside the port gate. It’s a good safe anchorage. From the end of the breakwater, head towards the main beach where they keep their canoes. As you near the beach you will see the leading markers for the harbor. Anchor just outside the markers and of the channel.

There is no free anchorage in Hilo Bay. All anchoring, mooring, berthing is at least $9 a day. But first, they sock you with a $27 application fee. Hilo Bay is administered by an office in Kona. At the time of writing the Harbormaster was in Hilo on Tuesdays and Thursdays only.

If you are a genuine transient boat, staying only a few days, probably no one will bother you for fees.

Graeme Coughlan