The Coast Guard paid another visit to Kawaihae recently, checking out the buoys marking the entrance to the harbor. The ship approached the harbor around the same time as a double-hulled canoe. The canoeists wisely decided to give the ship priority.
There are rules for who has the right of way on the water, but it’s always wise to remember that a large ship might have little room for maneuver, especially close to shore. I always bear in mind the epitaph, possibly apocryphal, which reads, ‘Here lies the body of Roger Wray, who died asserting his right of way.’
Graham's Island 
Every so often the Coast Guard comes to Kawaihae and checks the buoys. I think they are way overdue and NEED to contact the Kailapa Hawaiian Homestead Association before they move those buoys anymore. Even I can appreciate replacing the lights or the anchoring: but not moving the buoys without checking with the native Hawaiian community. The Coast Guard sends new staff, who probably don’t know they are violating Federal law.
How and where they install these equipment, direct large vessels TOO close to shore. People dive, swim and fish here. These vessels can drown people.
This is a Historic fish habitat site dating back to when King Kamehama built the heiau in the National Park.
We would love for the Coast Guard to make a presentation and move the buoys appropriately. Mahalo
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I don’t know the specifics of the buoy maintenance the Coast Guard does, but I thought the buoys are anchored in a specific place. They pull them up, do whatever maintenance is required, and reattach them to the anchored spots. I know from my days on boats large and small that the placement of navigation aids is quite precise. They don’t move them about or the charts used by mariners would be worthless.
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The Canadian Coast Guard maintain buoys along the Lake Huron shoreline. It always seems strange to see a Coast Guard vessel on a freshwater lake until you remember that Michigan is on the other side of the lake.
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And they should stay vigilant. You never know when the U.S. will turn on you!
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Yes, and the waves and currents caused by the ship… Still, I bet some people don’t pay attention. Last summer, stand-up paddling became so popular here that it almost matched electric scooters. The same people ride both while looking at their screens and not paying any attention to other traffic…
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It wouldn’t be so bad if they just took each other out, but they don’t. They tend to run over innocent bystanders.
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