Question: Whatever happened to the Rachel Marie and Melissa Ann, two catamarans used for the TheBoat water transit service from Leeward Oahu to downtown Honolulu?
Answer: The two vessels provide water taxi service in King County, Wash.
In September 2007, Honolulu provided ferry service from Kalaeloa Harbor to Aloha Tower to give West Oahu residents an alternative for their commute to town during peak traffic.
But fiscal constraints and low ridership led the city to scuttle the transit service in June 2009.
Officials believed ridership could have been higher had they been allowed to use the harbor at Iroquois Point in Ewa Beach. The Navy prohibited use due to security issues.
Wayne Yoshioka, director of the Department of Transportation Services, said they sought a consultant more than a year ago to conduct a feasibility study on possibly restoring the transit service.
Officials had worked with Haseko (Hawaii) Inc. to use the planned marina as a starting point. Developers planned to build a public boat launch ramp at the marina for the OceanPointe/Hoakalei Resort communities.
But the city terminated the study after Haseko decided not to build a marina due to the high costs to dig a channel and low demand for boat slips. Developers now plan to build a recreational lagoon.
In September 2009, King County started to use the Melissa Ann for water taxi service from Vashon Island to downtown Seattle, a 22-minute ride.
Scott Davis, director of the Marine Division of the King County Department of Transportation, said it’s not uncommon for the vessel to be filled for two of its three afternoon commutes.
In April 2010, the Rachel Marie started to provide transit service predominately from west Seattle to downtown Seattle, a 10-minute ride.
Ridership is growing since it started, Davis said. “We’re doing as best as we can to provide a service that’s going to be around for a long time.”
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This update was written by Rosemarie Bernardo. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To…” by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.
