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Hello! We're again planning our next visit to HI (Aug if work schedule allows, Dec otherwise) and we are hoping to scout some local sailing clubs at the same time. My researches suggest there may not be options in Oahu for visitors - i.e. paying for high monthly dues that we wont use for most of the year - but may be feasible in the Big Island (or even another island)? In our current club, we pay a monthly fee for unlimited use of club boats but we also have a membership tier for visitors to make it worth their while to join.
I came across Kona Sailing Club and Aloha Sailing Club(both in BI) which say they welcome visitors but didn't get much details from their website so I'm wondering if anyone has more direct experience with them or other clubs? I'm mostly looking for some day sailing or overnight sailing opportunities on smaller keelboats (~25' to 27') when visiting. I sail here regularly - doing both club races(the laid-back, non-competitive flavor) and taking out family and friends on weekend cruises. I've supplemented hands-on sailing with formal classes (ASA 101-104) as well.
For those who haven't seen my earlier posts, we initially researched moving to HI from Asia when we relocated back to the U.S. but eventually decided that having a mainland salary plus frequent HI visits is our better option at this time. I mention this to put the club membership thing in perspective since this will let us meet more like-minded people as we eventually hope to spend more and more time in HI. We're frequent visitors of Oahu before but this would be our first time visiting BI so any additional advices are much appreciated.
My research on marinas in Hawaii has turned up very little and quite expensive. I can see where a sailing club might struggle to survive. There just aren't many safe places to leave a boat in the water, so moorings are hard to come by.
My suggestion is that you buy a trailer-able sail boat and store it on hard standing when you are out of the state. I know that there are boat ramps on the Big Island. I haven't looked on other islands, but they must be available.
Honolulu is the only place that has a really good natural harbor. So that would be the best place to find either a sailing club or a rental boat.
Another possibility is to find a sailor who has no one to go out with him and crew for him. My family used to go out with a lovely elderly gentleman who loved to sail but considered himself too old to go out alone.
I don't have any first-hand experience either, but I do know that Kawaihae has a good harbor with lots of boats.
But I looked up both of the websites you mentioned and the Aloha Sailing Club had the better site. Since they posted a phone number, perhaps you could give them a call.
Thanks Oregonwoodsmoke and Dreaming of Hawaii. Good information and suggestions. Dreaming, you probably meant Kona's website since Aloha's is only a single page? I also got a PM for a link to a club in Hilo so thankful for that as well.
I realize marina slips and moorings are expensive in HI which would discourage more widespread boating but I was hoping sailing clubs - especially those grand-fathered to their existing sites from way back - would be the cost effective and preferred option for local enthusiasts. I've lived a lot near bodies of waters - Puget Sound and SF Bay for example - and the amount of choices range from the low $100 per year/all-volunteer orgs to the more pricey outfits that still make them more cost effective vs individual boat ownership. It's also more fun to sail and learn from other members in a club setting.
Thus, my main goal is more about finding a club to fit in and start meeting and participating in the local community albeit on a small scale initially. We were quite happy with the results of this approach when we were in Asia and I find club sailors everywhere are mostly easy-going and fun to meet. (might be due to all the shore-side drinking and tale-swapping when wind is down )
But I guess it's hard to fight geography if there aren't very many sheltered areas in HI.
Thanks Kayekaye. I've seen that thread and lots of info for sure. I'm more leaning towards coastal cruising personally and my current search is more about finding a club where I can meet and interact with local enthusiasts. I like Kona Sailing Club's description of their club and was hoping I can get some feedback on personal experience with them or similar clubs, location info, accessibility, water conditions in respective areas (ex. a club in Hilo might be lee shore but generally safe conditions?), and anything else that might help in planning a trip in advance.
On a related topic, does anyone have a good handle on the releative price for boats (sail and power) West Coast compared to Hawaii (best Island Market). Would a boat command a better price in Hawaii, or California and, which class of boat is seen as more desireable in Hawaii (Sail (single or multi-hull), power (trawler, Cat, etc))
One of my few bucket-list iitems is to make a single-handed passage from West Coast to Hawaii, and perhaps do it several times with both power and saill, and perhaps a few of each. I'll have to sell the boats in Hawaii, and don't really want tot take a beating (virtual or otherwise).
Nor am I interested in taking the beating running uphill from Hawaii to Mainland.
For example a 36' Grand Bank, Fiberglass, twin diesel, or perhaps a 40 to 46' LaFitte or Hans Christian type (sloop-rigged for simplicity)
Perhaps Cabo would be a better point-of-Purchase/Departure.
There aren't many slips available and nobody is going to buy a boat too big to take out of the water if they don't have a place to keep it (I am just assuming you aren't going to try to sail a trailer-able boat across the Pacific).
I haven't looked at boat prices in Southern California, but there are some really nice bargains in Oregon.
There are lots of brokers on line and e-magazines for selling boats, so price comparison is easy. I suggest that you start calling marinas in Hawaii and find out if you can get a slip where the boat can become a permanent resident.
If you can't get a slip, the chances of selling the boat are really slim.
PS: also look into the cost to get a pilot to sail the boat back to California, or the cost to ship it. You can get it hoisted up onto a freighter (probably for a whole lot of money)
I was going to get a river cruiser shipped from Britain to France and it wasn't bad cost-wise, but that is a heck of a lot smaller boat.
PS: also look into the cost to get a pilot to sail the boat back to California, or the cost to ship it. You can get it hoisted up onto a freighter (probably for a whole lot of money)
I was going to get a river cruiser shipped from Britain to France and it wasn't bad cost-wise, but that is a heck of a lot smaller boat.
It costs a lot to haul a boat from/to hawaii.
Even if I sold it at a small loss in Hawaii, probably be better off selling it there The boat would just be for the crossing, and not for long term retention anyhow.
I would like to make at least two crossings, one in a CHB trawler or similar low-speed displacement hull, and one or more under sail.
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