69-year-old, Japanese sailor, Ken-ichi Horie, will shortly set out on yet another pioneering voyage, a journey of 4,350 miles from Hawaii to Japan in a wave-powered boat. It will be a world record for the longest distance traveled by a wave-powered boat, which is being described as the greenest nautical propulsion system since the sail.
This delightful video of green sea turtles, with which we can wind down at the end of the week, has been provided by Jason (wreathian) who shot it while scuba diving off the eastern coast of Oahu, Hawaii. The area is known to the locals as Hawaii Kai and Jason says that although it is not a particularly great area for diving, it boasts several 'cleaning stations' where green sea turtles come to have their shells tidied up by shrimp and other small fish.
No soundtrack but wonderfully relaxing to watch these beautiful creatures in their own environment.
This is not a political blog but occasionally a piece of news is brought to my attention that is beyond belief. It is news that directly impacts millions of tourists and news that the world deserves to hear. The information appears to be valid and I forward it without comment; make up your own mind.
I will however, begin by quoting the Buddhist Thought for the Day: "If you want to have friends, you must be friendly. If you want to make peace, you must be peaceful. - Peace Pilgrim...", which coincidentally, I happened to read just before I saw the article Merry Christmas Hawaii - And Bombs Away! by freelance writer, Cathy Garger.
According to a recent Associated Press article, "B-2 Stealth Bombers Hit US Targets" and the Cathy Garger article in OpEdNews, the United States government is using both Hawaii and Alaska to expand its war games and better train pilots by dropping bombs from stealth Air Force B-2 bombers on them around Christmas time.
No doubt the Alaskans aren't to happy about this and the Hawaiians have begun a protest movement because their land has been found to be previously contaminated with depleted Uranium from military exercises. A problem that would be compounded by bombing, since it would cause the toxic dust to become airborne. They point out that Hawaii is a special place, loved, enjoyed and visited by millions of people every year from all over the world. It truly seems beyond belief that tourists face being greeted with the US military's own unique brand of hospitality, which Cathy Garger describes as "the invisible gift of inhaled Uranium aerosol blowing in the warm tropical winds."
On December 6, 2007 the controversial Hawaii Superferry finally gets to begin daily round-trip voyages between Oahu and Maui.
The ferry is scheduled to leave Honolulu at 6:30 p.m. and arrive in Kahului at 10:15 a.m. Then it departs Kahului at 11:15 a.m. and arrives in Honolulu at 2:15 p.m.
Congratulations to Penny Edwards, a UK teacher who has just completed the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii; finishing in the top ten for her class, in one of the most gruelling race events in the world. Not bad for someone who did not take up running until her 40s and is now a very fit 52 year old. More.
Congratulations also to Chrissie Wellington, who won the women's event and became the first British athlete to claim an Ironman World Championship title. This under-sung, relatively unknown 30 year old, did not turn pro until this year and only took part in her first Ironman a couple of months ago, a race which she won convincingly.
Winner of the men's event was determined Australian, Chris McCormack, who says that he has dreamed of being the World Ironman Champion for 20 years.
The Ford Ironman World Championship involves a 2.4 mile swim in the open sea, a 112 mile cycle ride and then a 26.2 mile marathon run through the lava fields of Kailua-Kona. Nearly 1,800 athletes took part in the event, ranging in age from 18 to 78 years old. Yes, 78. Most of the Ironman athletes have quite a story to tell, some exceptionally inspirational and you can read more on the Ironman website.
My short post last week about the Hawaii Superferry Protest has generated loads of interest and reflects the furor that has exploded in the media about the issue. Like most onlookers, when the idea of the Superferry was first announced, I thought that it seemed like something that would be of great benefit to the people of Hawaii and would certainly make life easier for tourists. Great assurances were made about possible environmental concerns and I was surprised to receive a strongly worded comment pointing out in no uncertain terms, that there was a lot more to the Hawaii Superferry Protest than meets the eye.
Another reader, Zaphod, provided a link to SinkDaSuperferry.googlepages.com for tons of links to superferry info and video, which I duly followed up and it seems that there is a lot more to this issue. It seems that the law requires ventures such as the Hawaii Superferry to be subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) but despite protest, this requirement was waived in the case of the Superferry.
However, it turns out that there is even more to the story. Let me begin by drawing attention to an article by Joanne Ralston in Hawaii Reporter. Joanne asks why protesters have, "singled out just one company for an Environmental Assessment (EA) and Environmental Impact Study (EIS)." Suggesting that, "there is nothing fair or reasonable about this. Either everyone has to go through a costly and time consuming EIS, or no one does." She concludes that the Superferry Protesters are "Hypocrites All" and implies that there must be a hidden agenda to the protest.
Guess what, there is a hidden agenda, but surprise, surprise, the hidden agenda may not be coming from the protestors. A web site devoted to the superferry impact provides a valuable insight into the many and varied environmental issues but then comes up with this little gem. "The Superferry design is the same as vessels being used by WestPac Express who transport military personnel and equipment in Japan."
Can you hear the alarm bells ringing? superferryimpact.com advise that John F. Lehman, former Secretary of the Navy under President Reagan chairs the Hawaii Superferry Board of Directors; his private equity firm, J.F. Lehman & Co., has invested $71 million in the Hawaii Superferry and five of the other 11 members of the Hawaii Superferry Board have ties to J.F. Lehman & Co.
The site goes on to quote an interview with John F. Lehman in the Pacific Business News (April 8, 2005), the nub of which is that there will be regular usage of the Hawaii Superferry by platoons of Stryker vehicles because armored personnel carriers can travel as a unit and drive on to the ferry. The unit members will be able to go into the passenger area that is set up so that it will be a conference or briefing area, making it much cheaper and more efficient for the military to train soldiers.
Maybe, just maybe, this is the reason that the protesters have "singled out just one company for an Environmental Assessment (EA) and Environmental Impact Study (EIS)."
Just a few days after its maiden voyage, the new Hawaii Superferry has been grounded indefinitely until public safety can be assured.
On Monday, environmental protesters, arguing that the new ferry will endanger whales, cause pollution and damage the ecology, paddled out on surfboards, canoes and kayaks to blockade the $95 million ferry, forcing it to return to Honolulu. Already suspended from sailing to Maui because of an impeding court challenge, the Coast Guard has now said that a safe passage for the ferry cannot be guaranteed in and out of the harbor at Kauai.
Superferry officials say that the boat is jet powered, so there are no exposed propellers to endanger marine life and they have instituted special navigational procedures to avoid whales. Ironically, the only alternative means of travel between the Hawaiian islands is by air, which is the mode of transport most commonly targeted by the environmental lobby because of the widespread pollution that it causes.
Our listings contain many different activity holidays in Hawaii covering a wide range of activities, including swimming with dolphins.
Hundreds of small earthquakes on Sunday, 17 June, 2007, caused the closure of most of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park because of the imminent threat of an eruption of the Kilauea volcano. Campers and livestock were evacuated from portions of the park.
The area around the volcano is an important wildlife habitat and features trees and ferns that are found nowhere else in Hawaii. Kilauea has been active for 24 years and is possibly the world's most active volcano.
News of a new Hawaiian island ferry which will offer a daily service between Oahu and Maui, and also offer a service between Oahu - Kauai which will operate everyday except Saturday. The ferry service begins in July and will be expanded in 2009, with another ferry that will operate between Oahu and Hawaii, while also providing a second daily service between Oahu and Maui.
Hawaii Superferry's catamaran-style vessels are environmentally friendly, designed and operated to take care of all ocean life and each island's unique ecosystem; even the ferry routes are modified during the Whale season.
With island hopping becoming so easy and journey times of around 3 to 4.5 hrs, presumably there is plenty of space to store all those surf boards they can expect to accompany foot passengers.
For the fourth year in a row Italy placed first in 2006, as the single most popular destination for package tours booked through members of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA),with Rome ranked as the top city. California and the National Parks were cited as the hottest destinations for those seeking domestic package vacations. In another survey aimed specifically at those with a special interest in photography, conducted jointly by USTOA and Popular Photography & Imaging magazine (Pop Photo), most photo buffs wanted to go to Hawaii, followed closely by Alaska, and Australia. Members have recommended the best places to shoot at these destinations as:
Haleakala National Park on Hawaii?s Maui Island, Denali National Park in Alaska, and the Australian Outback or Tasmania.
In another survey aimed specifically at those with a special interest in photography, conducted jointly by USTOA and Popular Photography & Imaging magazine (Pop Photo), most photo buffs wanted to go to Hawaii, followed closely by Alaska, and Australia. Members have recommended the best places to shoot at these destinations as:
