Re: No Charter Boats In Hawaii???
Nope, no bareboat charters, just too dangerous, insurance companies won't touch it and charter companies won't either. I lived and sailed there for 30 years, and I know lots of stories of people, who otherwise might have been pretty competent but got into trouble because of the additional challenges Hawaii poses (eg. coral reefs, big breaking surf, strong winds at points and channels, big steep seas, etc.). Hawaii is nothing like the Virgins or elsewhere in the Caribbean.
If you really want to tune into the local sailing scene, bop over to one of the yacht clubs and get to know the locals. There are lots of coastal and inter-island races and if you have any sailing experience at all you should be able to find a boat that will take you. Then after you've gotten some local experience under your belt and you still want to get a boat you shouldn't have too hard a time finding one.
Cruising Hawaii is awesome, but it's definitely not for beginners.
