Our last update in the saga of the Hawaii Superferry wasn’t a positive one. The company had filed for bankruptcy, and the once mighty catamarans were in the process of heading out of Hawaii’s warm water paradise. As of this week, it looks like the ships are planning to call Norfolk, Virginia their home while they await their final fate.

The Alakai, one of two high speed ferries, arrived in Virginia this week. The other is on its way and should arrive before the end of the month. They were in Alabama for a little bit, but the US Maritime Administration feels that a home in Virginia is better for insurance reasons. They were also a little bit worried about hurricane season—good thinking.

At this point, it’s pretty much a guarantee that these vessels will never find their way back to the islands. However, they may have a busy schedule ahead of them. Rumors suggest that the Navy is looking into leasing both of them. For now, if you’re looking for a used high-speed ferry, and have some cash, you could get a hell of a deal on these two.

Related Stories:
· Ferries From Bankrupt Hawaii Company Land in Norfolk [Virginian-Pilot]
· Hawaii Superferry Is Grounded and Lonely [Jaunted]
· Ferry Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: hawaii] ]]> kjb 2009-07-24T09:27:40-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/2/71519/68454

When we last heard about the Hawaii Superferry, it wasn’t up to much ferrying. Due to potential negative environmental impact, it was ordered to stay at dock until further assessments could be completed. But when you own a huge, expensive boat and it’s not carrying passengers day after day, bad things are bound to happen.

Thus, it was no surprise to learn that the company which runs the ferry filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this week, claiming that because it had to stop operations the money simply dried up. They’ve reported that they have between $50 and $100 million in debts, but only $10 million in assets at most. It doesn’t take someone like Ben Stein to figure out that economic math problem. ]]> kjb 2009-06-02T08:38:20-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/3/23/65157/8798

We admit we've been a bit more interested in the cheap prices you can get on the Hawaii Superferry than the big legal/environmental impact drama, but it's the latter that's meant the big boat is now sitting at the dock in Honolulu with nowhere to go.

The Supreme Court decision by five justices has said the ferry can't go anywhere until a full impact assessment is carried out. Environmentalists have a bunch of concerns, including that the ferry

would strike whales, spread invasive species and create traffic jams at its destinations, first on Maui and later on the Big Island and Kauai.

Trouble was brewing for the Superferry even before the court bigwigs put their heads together--delivery of the planned second ferry was cancelled in October thanks to the depressed economy. Now there are a bunch of ferry employees and prospective passengers who are feeling a bit depressed too.

Related Stories:
· Hawaii Superferry: End of the Saga? [Forbes]
· Is the Hawaii Superferry Finally Catching On? [Jaunted]
· Hawaii Superferry Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: hawaii] ]]> amandak 2009-03-23T10:56:26-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/11/134027/586

Okay, this one's kind of out there, but I remember as a kid flipping through the dictionary in school and pausing at the miniature illustration for the word atoll. For a simple thumbnail sketch, it seemed like such a fascinating place to visit: a beautiful coral island with languid palm trees and a protected lagoon in the center. What I would have given to hop on a sailboat and explore the real-life model for the Merriam-Webster artwork. It seemed like the perfect setting for a pirate adventure. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-01-11T13:40:27-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/18/71943/073

On Election Day, when most Americans were glued to their televisions, the US Bureau of Land Management announced they’d be selling more than 50,000 acres of land with the intention of offering the new owner an opportunity for gas and oil drilling. So what? These lands sit right outside the boundaries of national parks.

Obviously environmentalists are concerned over this and are quick to accuse the Bush administration of trying to sneak one by the American people. Even National Park Service officials are claiming that they weren't properly notified of the offering, and are less than pleased with the administration’s decision.

On the other side of the issue, if you're interested in submitting a bid for these acres, they're primarily located on the borders of Arches National Park in Utah along with Dinosaur and Canyonlands National Parks. So far there’s been a lot of finger pointing as government agencies continue to blame one another about what was decided and how to move forward. The lands are scheduled to hit the auction block on December 19, but we have a feeling that might soon change.

Related Stories:
· Uproar Over Federal Drilling Leases Next to Parks [AP, via Google]
· National Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: NatalieMaynor]]]> kjb 2008-11-18T12:30:15-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/3/21478/7960

So you've been eating local, biking to work and using those light bulbs Al Gore said we had to. Being eco-conscious is feeling pretty good, right?

Wrong. Apparently, we all have one more thing to feel eco-guilty about. Well, at least those of us in long-distance relationships.

Slate reports that locawhores are now the new locavores, and you had better quit those every-other-weekend cross-country flights to visit your sweetheart:

The same type of environmental logic has already been applied to our eating habits. The Local Food movement encourages us to cut CO2 emissions by calculating food miles—the distance a meal travels from production to the dinner table—and eating only what's produced within a 100-mile radius. Isn't it time for a Date Local movement, too? Let's start thinking about "sex miles": Just how far was this person shipped to hook up with you? And how many times more efficient would it be to date someone within a 100-mile radius?

Cleary, Jaunted can't get behind this kind of anti-travel, anti-long-distance-hookup stance--particularly now that a new website is here to help get us some action--but we just wanted to make sure everyone knows there's one more thing we're supposed to not be doing.

Related Stories:
· The Environmental Case Against Long Distance Relationships [Slate]
· Romantic Travel coverage

[Photo: Kossy@FINEDAYS]]]> BS 2008-11-04T11:05:07-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/28/74555/044

Southern Africa opened an auction of existing ivory stockpiles Tuesday, selling off more than 220,000 pounds of what's ordinarily contraband in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The nations plan to sell the confiscated, poached tusks to approved Chinese and Japanese entities, and return the funds they earn to existing environmental conservation efforts.

The whole things strikes us as a bit counter-intuitive, like PETA hosting a pig roast fund raiser to promote vegan lifestyles. But if the pig’s already dead, then why not right? No point in letting good tusks go to waste.

Opponents say the sales could reignite a dying trade, and warn that the ivory could eventually end up in the wrong hands, particularly in China where the rules appear particularly lax. The potential bounty from the sales could be as high as $30 million: We hope our surviving trunked friends see a chunk of the cash.

Related Stories:
· Controversial Ivory Sale to Open [BBC]
· Addo Elephant National Park [Jaunted]

[Photo: rocky0009]]]> ced138 2008-10-29T14:35:03-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/