Minimalist Sailors in Hawaii?

[lucidsalt]

I have met so few other sailors living aboard here in Hawaii, I am actually resorting to the internet to find them! There are some of the yachtie variety but in terms of modest boats and minimalist means I am surprised at how few there are. You would think this place would be super popular. I guess the simple fact that those cheap sailboats you see on Craigslist being a mainland phenomenon might have something to do with it. You actually have to sail here. Still, sailing downwind with the trades is a lot easier than most realize.

Starting in 2019, the Hawaii DLNR did just make liability insurance mandatory even for transients as well as a safety inspection even for anchoring.
Also there is a prpposed 300 percent increase in harbor fees which there is a meeting about March 7th. That may sound scary but given how low the fees are now, it isnt that bad. Right now I pay about 35 dollars a month for the newly required insurance and about 60 dollars a month to anchor the boat out. (I am a 38 ft mono so even less if you are around 30ft). That comes out to being cheaper than legally camping out. There is a long list of pluses...warm all year round, some of the most scenic anchorages anywhere, access to surf breaks from some anchorages, the wealth of social services like Quest medicaid and "no work requirement EBT", loads of easy to get casual employment in tourism, great jump off point for heading south to below the equator, etc...

So where is everybody???

 

[Dunedrifter]

How does the $60/month work? Is that to anchor in a designated area or basically anywhere? Who is that paid to? Which island are you at? An increase from $60 to $240 seems pretty significant!! I guess relative to what rent onshore goes for, it’s a bargain.

Overall, sounds pretty nice aside from potential tsunamis and hurricanes. But then there’s always something that can kill you regardless of where you live. I was thinking about the Puget Sound, but it’s so damn cold!

 

[lucidsalt]

According to the rules, you can anchor anywhere for 72 hours. After that you have to move or if in a harbor you have to obtain a permit from the DLNR, a state agency. Permits are granted 30 days at a time for a maximum of 120 days per harbor per calendar year. Obtaining a permanent permit so that one could just stay put requires years on a waiting list for just about all harbors. Not realistic.... Fortunately, the DLNR always makes sure there is some space for transient boaters so one can usually get the 120 days. It is different for each harbor and I can provide specifics if necessary.

Basically, you can live on your boat on the cheap year round but you have to move every so often. This can be a pain with work and planting roots or it can be seen as a way to keep things interesting.

Besides the time limit, which one can learn to adapt to, the other challenge is that Hawaii is not a protected cruising ground like the Bahamas or San Juans.. This really isnt an issue or shouldn't be as if you had sailed here from the west coast, the boat and one's handling of it will be up to the required standard.

If it gets below 65 degrees, it is a shock here and that is all everyone will talk about. The water ends up being warmer than the air...

 

[Dameon]

There's not many liveaboards doing the anchor thing on the west coast in the first place, so it's not too surprising that very few would get out to Hawaii, and it is a pretty daunting trip compared to just following the coast down to Baja California. Even if it's not a challenging sail, it's still 3 weeks straight out at sea, and pretty much another 3 when you want to leave.

Pretty tempting, though.

 

[lucidsalt]

Sailing along a coast has so many more variables that an ocean passage in the trades doesn't have. Coastal passages are way more complex with all sorts of challenges. I agree about the open ocean being more daunting if one hasn't done a long passage. There is far less of a safety net. I think a lot of it has to do with confidence in the boat. We all know when we cut corners... And if you haven't honestly made things as strong as you know they should be, then you won't have the courage to take that leap. It would be suicide and we all sort of know if we are tempting that. If the boat is solid, then the sailing really is easy. Pleasant in fact. The trades are steady in direction and strength compared to anything close to shore. No localized conditions, so much less traffic, a much more predictable sea. And when you get to the tropics you can more easily do the liveaboard life at anchor cause the water and air are so warm.

 

[RoadFlower33]

So..... Im doing the puget sound to buy a boat and learn to sail and live on it for the simple reason it's a good opportunity boats are cheap work is plenty the main land has a flood of boats and resorces like you said red for the taking. @lucidsalt I assume you have found the puget sound thread posted by
@CrowTheBard...?
I recommend it! Also I think Crow has a bitching idea that I feel you may be intorested in and could very well help in building a part of there in Hawaii. After all what good is a nomadic Web page like STP for if not helping each other abroad? I for one love the idea of a Fucking pirate community of missfit vagabonds!!! Ultimate freedom! Imagine ports all across the globe welcoming the black flag with open arms and expectations of good music art mix culture and hand crafted goods!!! I may dream big... but what is life without a dream?

While I'm on dreams.... A brother of mine and I had an idea.... I'm going to make a post about now that I think about it. But we think it would be dope to eventually get a crew large enough to man a large wooden sailin yacht or ship!!! Traveling around making port, working , selling there goods, busking there talents gathering supplies and moving on... its allot, it's a dream. It could be done!

 

[lucidsalt]

I have seen sea going collectives on larger boats so it can be done. Smaller boats are cheaper and easier to maintain and I have seen the sea going collective in fleet form.

It is all quite doable and with forums like this, organizing is very possible.

 

[RoadFlower33]

I have seen sea going collectives on larger boats so it can be done. Smaller boats are cheaper and easier to maintain and I have seen the sea going collective in fleet form.

It is all quite doable and with forums like this, organizing is very possible.

With a forum like this a couple efforts like you and @CrowTheBard a few dozen like me and some ligit dedication (the hard part for most) we could have an STP ship with an ever changing crew and passengers...

 

[CrowTheBard]

I have seen sea going collectives on larger boats so it can be done. Smaller boats are cheaper and easier to maintain and I have seen the sea going collective in fleet form.

It is all quite doable and with forums like this, organizing is very possible.

Awesome!
This is the current dream indeed!

Cheers,
Crow

 

[CrowTheBard]

With a forum like this a couple efforts like you and @CrowTheBard a few dozen like me and some ligit dedication (the hard part for most) we could have an STP ship with an ever changing crew and passengers...

This is a killer idea too.
A traditionally rigged schooner of 45-50’ would be the sweetest of options for this if we could find one. With insurance and at least 1 captains license on board, it could be used to take paying passengers as well, during the tourist season. Sail training for kids. Sail training for the recently released from incarceration. All sorts of cool things that ou could do with a larger boat with live in crew.

Cheers,
Crow