Navy dependents
take boat to school
Moanalua and Radford
By Gregg K. Kakesako
kids beat H-1 traffic by the
Pearl Harbor cruise
Star-BulletinHawaii's policy makers take note: A group of island schoolchildren are taking to the water every day, doing what city and state officials have only been talking about.
The city has talked about a Sand Island ferry, and the the state has a proposed a high-tech Ewa to downtown Honolulu high-speed commuter ferry.
More than a dozen Radford and Moanalua high school students commute to school daily from Ewa by water and love the convenience of the shuttle, which makes the travel to class almost enjoyable.Because these youngsters are Navy dependents, the shuttle service, which takes them across the Pearl Harbor channel, is free. But unlike their Ewa neighbors, they avoid the morning gridlock on the H-1 freeway.
The short 20-minute ride takes them from Iroquois Point in West Loch across the Pearl Harbor entrance channel to Charlie Point, where they hop onto a Navy bus that takes them either to Radford High School or the city bus line for the short commute to Moanalua High School.
Nick Comito, a 15-year-old Radford sophomore, said: "None of my classmates believe that I take a boat to school."Like the rest of his waterborne commuters, Comito has to be up at 5 a.m. to catch the Navy shuttle that leaves Iroquois Point at 6:40 a.m. He is normally in school by 7:30 each morning.
"It's OK," said Comito during a commuter run last week, "only a few bumps here and there.""I've never missed a boat yet," said Jorge Palacio, Jr., who has been catching the early morning shuttle for the past two years.But it can cause problems with after school extracurricular activities.
Radford High junior Shawndelle Jones said she had to catch a ride with parents last fall because Oahu Interscholastic Association's air riflery practices ran later than the shuttle's last 5:25 p.m. run.
The 50-foot shuttle is part of Pearl Harbor's water transportation command that links Ford Island, Iroquois Point and other parts of the naval station using a fleet of 12 "gray boats."
Also part of Pearl Harbor's water transportation fleet were the two Ford Island ferries that were retired last month when the new concrete bridge was opened.
The gray boats, which can each hold 150 passengers, were a lot more crowded before the bridge was available to traffic because many Ford Island workers were forced to park their cars at Pearl Harbor and commute.
Moanalua High sophomore Patrick Shannon said he has taken the city bus from Iroquois Point and the boat "seems to be faster."
Maybe it's because the ride is more enjoyable, he added, and there aren't the normal traffic problem. "It's still far better than riding the bus, Jones, 15, added.
But 16-year-old Amanda Erler, a Radford junior, maintains: "I think it's pretty convenient, but I would rather have my own car."
