From the deck of the Tango II, it seems like the crew has it made. Berthed at Pier 13, it's a short walk to Aloha Tower for some entertainment, or to downtown for the night life, or to Chinatown for a tasty meal. They know that famous Waikiki Beach is pretty close, too.

“;Two miles? I can walk, take bicycle,”; said crew member Yuri Stepanek. “;Five minutes, maybe 15.”;

So close. And yet so far.

The Tango II's 10-member crew has been unable to come ashore since it tied up with engine troubles on May 17. They are all foreign nationals—eight Russians, an Argentine and an Italian—and because they lack visas and the proper paperwork to come ashore, they remain stranded, a gangplank away from paradise.

The Tango II's American and Argentine owners have run into financial problems, said Rusty Nall, of American Marine Services, which towed the vessel to Hawaii. The crew's contract with the company has expired, and without a contract the crew cannot obtain the permission to come ashore legally.

“;That's not very good aloha we're showing them,”; said Randy Swindell, Honolulu harbormaster. “;If we Americans were stranded somewhere, I think we would be allowed to go ashore.”; Customs and Border Protection could not be reached for comment.

It seems natural that a ship named Tango would weave such a tangled path. The 157-foot crabbing vessel, built in 1992, was one of many Russian trawlers to fish the rich Bering Sea. Scandal brought down the Russian magnate who controlled the business, leaving the boat high and dry in a South Korean scrap yard.

The new owners found it there and spent more than a million dollars refurbishing it, Nall said. The trip to Argentina was its first voyage since renovation, but it ran into engine problems about 1,000 miles out from Hawaii on April 24. It took six days for a tugboat to reach the vessel and another six days to tow it in. Crew members wave their arms and bounce up and down remembering the rough seas they endured, but they said they were never worried.

By May 10 the boat was in local waters, but it took a week to obtain permission to tie up. An examination of the engine revealed the extent of the damage.

“;It's catastrophic engine failure. It will take a half-million dollars to fix it,”; Nall said.

Local seamen's groups have taken a look at the situation and were ready to help if the situation became urgent, said Brad Scott, of the International Transport Workers' Federation, which has helped stranded sailors in the past.

With a view of traffic whipping around Ala Moana Boulevard and the occasional pretty girl emerging from Aloha Tower, the crew is treating the situation with quiet good humor. They watch DVDs on their computers but have no TV to watch local broadcasts. They continue to clean and paint the boat, though they receive no pay for it.

“;It's an adventure,”; said first mate Hernan Hermelo with a laugh. “;In Argentina when we have action at sea, we call it a maritime adventure.”;

Staff at American Marine Services have been looking after their needs, buying them food and other necessities. The crew has even made a friend in Jeff Nicholas, a homeless man who happened on the vessel three weeks ago. He visits the ship every day and also purchases things for the crew.

“;When they leave, I want to go with them,”; he said.

Still, the crew knows what beckons out there, on land. “;I want to go to the beach, and I want to go to the museum, Pearl Harbor,”; Hermelo said. “;I'm interested in the history.”;