Body Glove Cruises certified as sustainable tourism operation
Body Glove Cruises has passed the three-step verification process of the Hawaii Ecotourism Association and is now a certified sustainable tourism operation. This makes the Kailua-Kona based tour operator the latest of now eight companies on the Hawaii Island who are certifiably dedicated to run their business in a culturally and ecologically responsible way.
“With millions of visitors to our islands every year, we have to find the best ways to create a balance of keeping our land and ocean healthy while we share it with our guests,” said Maggie Brown, owner and president of Body Glove Hawaii.
Hawaii Ecotourism Association provides an independent verification system to distinguish industry leaders in sustainable tourism and also offers education for all wishing to develop a more sustainable operation to help ensure the long-term viability of tourism in Hawaii.
Body Glove Cruises Hawaii has been in operation for over 25 years offering snorkel tours, historical lunch and dinner cruises and seasonal whale watch excursions.
Notarized bill of sale to be required for transfer of vessel registration
Beginning on July 1, all vessel registration transfers in the State of Hawaii will require a notarized bill of sale to be presented to registering agency the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation.
Presently, DOBOR needs to match a vessel owner’s signature on record with the signature on a bill of sale in order to approve a vessel registration transfer. This method can be inaccurate since an individual‘s official signature may change over time. It also puts a burden on the buyer if DOBOR staff cannot authenticate a signature on a bill of sale. If that should happen the transfer request would be denied and the buyer would have to go through the process of securing a notarized bill of sale.
Notarized bills of sale will not only reduce work for the vessel owners and DOBOR. They will allow for more secure vessel registration transfers.
A standardized bill of sale form is available that includes a section for a notary’s signature. That form can be accessed at http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dobor/forms/ on the DOBOR web site.
Even if a bill of sale is not executed using the official DOBOR form it will still be accepted at the time of transfer, so long as the signature of the seller on the bill of sale is notarized.
Info: 587-1970.