Wasting away again at the Ala Wai
As the son (but not 鈥渢he son of a son鈥) of a sailor man, I am intimate with the recordings of Jimmy Buffett. And so the issue of raising fees for live-aboards at small boat harbors at the Ala Wai and Keehi on Oahu is a sensitive one.
Two measures that call for that and other fee 鈥渁djustments鈥 鈥 and 鈥 are moving through the cash-strapped state Legislature.
The land board has wrestled for years with boaters over slip, mooring and other fees. Many boat owners admit they鈥檝e had a pretty good deal on rent, even as they criticize how the state鈥檚 Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation spends their rent money.
Leadership at the boating division has changed in recent years, though, and millions of dollars have been spent on fixing Hawaii鈥檚 dilapidated docks. The changes are evident at the Ala Wai, where some docks have been replaced and where more work is planned. That costs money, and one solution has been the implementation of a paid-parking system in the harbor.
The spotless Ko Olina Marina in West Oahu is run privately. Maybe the state should just get out of the small-boat harbors management business? It needs money.
Sing it, Jimmy: 鈥淒on’t know the reason that I stayed here all season, with nothing to show but this brand new tattoo …鈥
