High seas caused cancellation of Hawaii Superferry voyages to Maui for the third day in a row today, and the outlook for tomorrow is "marginal," according to a company official.

The National Weather Service reported winds of up to 35 knots and seas of up to 18 feet yesterday in the Pailolo Channel between Maui and Moloka'i, with 25-knot winds and 12-foot waves in the Kaiwi Channel between O'ahu and Moloka'i.

Approximately 160 passengers were booked for yesterday's sailings aboard the high-speed catamaran, and 480 had reservations for today, according to Terry O'Halloran, director of business development for Hawaii Superferry.

Wednesday's cancellation affected a total of 450 passengers.

Those whose trips were canceled are being offered refunds or rebookings.

Shawn Woo of Hawai'i Kai had reservations to take his wife, five children and two dogs on the ferry to Maui yesterday and was notified of the cancellation by e-mail around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, he said. The company followed up with two phone calls.

"They were awesome. ... Me and my family were looking forward to taking the Superferry but unfortunately we had to get over there today," he said.

The Woos and their two dogs flew on Aloha Airlines instead, but Woo came without his longboards after deciding it would be too much trouble to put them on the plane.

In addition to being able to drive his surfboards and work gear to other islands, the 40-year-old software salesman said he is looking forward to business trips on the ferry because he can get work done on his computer on the way.

Another booked passenger, Jeff Courtney, 47, of Ko Olina, said he did not get word of the cancellations yesterday and Wednesday. He and a friend were planning to take his car to Maui on Wednesday for a five-day trip to visit his brother and do some camping and hiking. He left home at 4:30 a.m. to drive to the ferry terminal at Honolulu Harbor and was told about the cancellation.

When he got home there was a message on his phone from the company, he said.

Before trying again yesterday, Courtney called Hawaii Superferry eight times but was unable to get information, he said.

"I never got the word. We drove up from Ko Olina two days in a row and got turned away," he said.

It was the third time he has booked travel on the Superferry without actually traveling on the 350-foot vessel. Courtney said he made a reservation to go to Kaua'i before service was suspended because of protests.

He said he's been a Superferry booster but was disappointed that he didn't get notification of the cancellations and that more concern wasn't shown for his situation.

"I can understand if they have to cancel their voyage because of high seas. It's the way I got treated afterward," he said.

The experience has shaken Courtney's confidence in the ferry service, and he said he won't be rebooking any time soon.

"After two days in a row being turned away after waking up at 3:30 in the morning, I'm exhausted," Courtney said.

DECEMBER WEATHER

Hawaii Superferry relaunched service to Maui on Dec. 13 after an initial start-up in late August that was halted by legal challenges on Maui and protests on Kaua'i. The company has not indicated when it will resume Kaua'i service.

"December is historically the month with the highest sea conditions of the whole year and we just happen to be starting in December," O'Halloran said.

Superferry officials had earlier said weather-related service interruptions could be expected an average of four days a year.

O'Halloran said the Coast Guard has restricted the ferry from operating in seas of more than 6 meters, approximately 19.7 feet.

"We have been approaching those limits in the last couple of days, so in the interest of vessel and passenger safety and comfort," the company made the decision to cancel its Maui voyages, he said.

Weather-related cancellations are to be expected in sea transportation, O'Halloran said.

"Obviously weather conditions are out of our control," so the best Hawaii Superferry can do under the circumstances is ensure that passengers are notified of cancellations via telephone, e-mail and phone text messages, he said.

GALE WARNING

A gale warning was posted for Pailolo Channel through this morning, and small-craft advisories were expected to remain in effect around the state through tomorrow afternoon.

East winds in the Pailolo Channel are forecast to ease a bit to 30 knots today and drop to 25 knots by Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Seas are expected to drop to 14 feet today, and 8 to 10 feet by Sunday.

Monday's marine forecast calls for northeast winds of 20 knots and seas of 8 feet, with conditions picking up again Tuesday, when 25-knot winds and 8- to 10-foot seas are expected.

The marine forecast for the Kaiwi Channel calls for east winds today of 25 knots with 12-foot seas, the Weather Service said. By Monday, northeast winds of 20 knots and 7-foot seas are expected.

National Weather Service forecaster Eric Lau said rougher seas are typical in Hawai'i during the winter, when seasonal storms in the central North Pacific and Gulf of Alaska generate strong winds that whip up ocean swells.

Current winds and choppy conditions are being caused by a large high-pressure system to the northeast, he said.

Stronger winds are normal in the Pailolo and Kaiwi channels, and the 'Alenuihaha Channel between Maui and the Big Island, Lau said. The land masses block the trades and accelerate the winds as they flow out around the tips of the islands.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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