This winging image from yesterday at Kanaha introduces the important topic regarding foiling in the harbor below.
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The Kahului harbor is the best place where to learn how to wing in Maui. Unfortunately, it might soon be banned to the ever growing community of foilers. This is the email with which the harbor Master Duane Kim replied to a canoe paddler representative complaining about the foilers:
Aloha XYZ,
Thank you for your email and I apologize for not keeping everyone informed of DOT Harbors’ intentions to still prohibit any type of foil surfing in Kahului Harbor, including Kahului Bay.
Between September 1-30, we have been relegated to only one (1) Harbors roving security guard for all of Piers 1, 2 & 3. This made it impossible to post extra Harbors security officer in/around the parking lot at the end of Pu’unene Avenue as well as the beach areas where the foil surfers gather together.
We have a new DOT Harbors security contract in place for Allied Universal Security Services to start this Friday, October 1, 2021. We would need to provide them at least a couple of week to ramp up and train their security officers.
Word has already started to spread that DOT Harbors will prohibit foil surfing as I’ve already received a couple of letters/calls. We are prepared to post signs in a week or so to inform users of the date in which this prohibition will take effect, and my Harbor Master Notice will be posted on our DOT Harbors website. Based on our Harbors Administrative Rules, there will be “no in-between”.
Respectfully,
Duane S. S. Kim
Harbors District Manager
DOT Harbors, Maui District
This is the email he replied to:
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2021 9:15:25 PM
To: Senator Gilbert S. C. Keith-Agaran <senkeithagaran@capitol.hawaii.gov>; Representative Troy N. Hashimoto <rephashimoto@capitol.hawaii.gov>; Representative Justin H. Woodson <repwoodson@capitol.hawaii.gov>; Kim, Duane SS <duane.ss.kim@hawaii.gov>
Cc: Kauhane Luuwai MIL SEABURY <pualeleiki@hawaii.rr.com>; Owen Seiki <seiki7@live.com>; Keone Ball <keoneball@gmail.com>; Tiare lawrence <tiare4maui@gmail.com>; GMAIL-Sunshineorchids <sunshineorchids@gmail.com>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Kahului Harbor
Aloha Senator Keith-Agaran, Representative Hashimoto, Representative Woodson, Harbor Master Kim
First, I'd like to again mahalo each of you for your interest in our profound concerns regarding conditions at Kahului Harbor involving foilers and windsurfers. I'd also like to thank Representative Hashimoto for giving us an update in August. On behalf of our hui of paddling and fishing representatives, I'm writing to inquire on any progress made regarding our concerns and on our request for assistance in removing foiling and windsurfing activities from Kahului Harbor. The dangers posed by the inundation of foilers and windsurfers continues daily as does the disrespect our people are experiencing.
I'd like to reiterate that our interest is not to accommodate foiling and windsurfing activities in the harbor. The hazards their activities pose in the area and the ever-increasing volume of foilers and windsurfers create unsafe and unsuitable conditions between their use and cargo ships, tug boats, small boaters, paddlers, fishermen, divers and swimmers. Equally, we are reluctant to place the cultural practices related to wa'a and the rights of fishermen secondary to recreational foiling and windsurfing, As we've noted, Kanaha Park is nearby and already has accommodations in place. We are prepared to come forward and provide assistance to your efforts should you need a demonstration of support. We understand that there will likely be opposition to our position and would like you to know that we are committed to bring forward the larger paddling community on Maui and across Hawaii, as well as those from the fishing and boating community should there be a need to.
We look forward to learning more about what progress has been made and if there is a need for us to make a more public stand at this time in support of your efforts. We feel deeply that the situation will continue to escalate and sincerely appreciate your assistance.
Mahalo,
XYZ
The email address of Mr. Duane Kim is duane.ss.kim@hawaii.gov and here's the content of the email I just sent:
The Maui foiling community is greatly expanding. So much so, that
I suggest that it has become the largest community of recreational
harbor users. The Kahului harbor offers ideal conditions for
learning (MUCH easier than Kanaha after 11am) and that allowed
newcomers of ALL ages, from 10 to 70+ to embrace this wonderful
new discipline. It's also a respectful and considered community, as signs that invite to stay out of
the water during the canoe paddling practices on Tuesday and
Thursday afternoons have already been made and posted.
The harbor is such a great place for learning that we're seeing people from all over the world come to Maui to learn here, boosting the
economy of many businesses that just started to
recover from the Covid lock down.
Banning foiling from the harbor would be a discriminating and
undemocratic decision and we're going to strongly oppose it with any possible legal means.
Please send him an email to express your opinion too if you care. Don't wait, the earlier and the more numerous, the better.
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Hookipa yesterday afternoon.
3am Surfline significant buoy readings and discussion.
South shore
No southerly energy at Barbers, but the westerly energy discussed below might get to Kihei. Check the Lahaina
webcam if interested, for size, conditions and consistency.
North shore
NW101
3ft @ 18s from 297° (WNW)
Hanalei
Waimea
Kaneohe Bay
3.6ft @ 8s from 75° (ENE)
Today we're going to start tasting the rim of the donut. Low, 20s energy from typhoon Mindulle is at the buoys. Here's an abstract from Pat Caldwell's page:
Long-period swell from this phase of Mindulle out of 280-300 degrees is predicted to pick up locally on Tuesday. Iffy for dawn, but better odds filled in by the PM on Oahu. This WNW event should peak on Wednesday then slowly drop from this direction into Friday.
Probably too west yet to make it to our north shore, but it could squeeze to the Kiehi coast. The post
Buoys to Maui travel times and Maui's shadow lines
discusses the topic if you want to dig into that.
Home guess for Hookipa is around head high, mostly due to the 13s NE energy I discussed yesterday.
Forecast of Pauwela from this PACIOOS page.
Wind map at noon. The other ones can be found here
(click on animation of the 10 meter column).
Fetches map (circles legend: red: direct aim, blue: angular spreading, black: blocked, yellow: possibly over the ice sheet) from Windy.
North Pacific (about 4 days travel time from the NW corner of the North Pacific):
South Pacific (about 7 days travel time from east/west of New Zealand):
Morning sky.
3 comments:
If someone from the foil community wanted to take this to court, they would likely prevail. The trust doctrine in the Hawaii constitution says public resources are not owned or for exclusive use by anyone. That's why hotels cannot restrict who gets to use their beaches. Near-shore waters are a public resource. The harbor master would have to show good cause why he is violating the public trust doctrine by excluding one group.
While coexistence is always desired, as well as respect for Hawaii's heratige ,it is unfair to discriminate against one group, the foil community, at the best of the others.
As administrator of the Maui Wingfoiling FB page and financial supporter to Giampaolo’s Blog (full disclosure), I would like to share my perspective. I see the harbor as an ideal learning environment for wingfoiling, there’s often flat water and steady winds in contrast to the higher winds, choppy waters, and occasional swell at Kanaha. With all due respect to its beauty and allure, Kanaha is not a suitable place for beginner wingfoilers. Yet there are challenges with regard to access at Kahului Harbor. For one, the harbor is our lifeblood for most of the supplies that arrive to, or are shipped out of Maui. There are two canoe clubs, Hawaiian canoe club and Na Kai Ewalu canoe club that, through great effort over many years, have been able to establish their Hales and access to the harbor’s sheltered waters. What I see as the issue with the harbor for the “wingers” is really a “scheduling problem”, commercial shipping needs unimpeded access in and out, and the canoe clubs need to be able to train and race unimpeded as well. Yet the commercial shipping and canoe club activities comprise a small fraction of the day to day activities in the harbor. We have as “wingers” have tried to accommodate both commercial shipping concerns and canoe clubs. We have alerted wingers at the beach, posted signs, rules, and charts, and have distributed these to shops and posted on our FB page. I, and others, have personally gone down to the harbor to alert wingers prior to canoe practice times. We have shown the harbor stakeholders that we can manage our group, and we will continue to “self police”. For this we ask for continued access, and we will continue to be proactive about it. We are using all means to present our case effectively to stakeholders. While I don’t support the disclosure of sensitive emails and email addresses, the “cat is surely out of the bag”. We have an “advocacy group” in our FB Wingfoiling group, and we meet regularly, and would hope to represent all those who are concerned with what is happening. Please support us in our advocacy for harbor access.
Ely Spivack, administrator
Maui Wingfoiling and Wingsurfing FB group
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