Kaneohe sandbar ‘mellow’ on holiday weekend
The number of boats at the Kaneohe sandbar increased slightly Sunday, but the state said the mood was mellow and cooperative.
Patrol officers with the state Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement issued four citations, but none for illegal drinking or drugs, said spokeswoman Deborah Ward.
She said there were about 50 boats and 200 people at the sandbar or within the Ahu o Laka safety zone, where drinking and rowdiness and prohibited on three-day weekends through Labor Day. That was up from 30 to 40 boats on Saturday.
“The mood and ambience of the crowd at the sandbar was very mellow,” said Ward, adding that the people there were “cooperative and appreciative” of the new rules.
Officers boarded 44 vessels and issued 15 warnings for improper or inadequate equipment, she said.
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Officers also issued four citations, two for nonexistent or expired boat registrations, one for a traffic violation at Heeia Kea harbor and one for a parking violation, Ward said.
There were no safety zone citations on Sunday, compared to two on Saturday.