Loren Johnson's car remained on O'ahu last night, as it has for the three weeks since he moved to the Garden Island.

But he — along with several other Hawaii Superferry passengers who arrived back in Honolulu after spending nine hours at sea yesterday because of protests over the Superferry entering Kaua'i's Nawiliwili Harbor — was able to manage a smile over the latest setback for Hawai'i's newest form of interisland transportation.

"Actually, everyone was pleased to see all the fun when we got to Kaua'i. But it got old real fast," Johnson said of the estimated 300 protesters — including scores of surfers, swimmers and kayakers — blocking the harbor's entrance and keeping the Superferry out at bay for nearly three hours before it finally turned around and came back to its Honolulu port.

"It wasn't surprising after the protests that happened Sunday night, but I thought it would be more controlled by the Coast Guard.

"I've been looking forward to this. I bought a ticket at full price so I could get my car over. It's great. Amazing. I'll try to get the car over again today, but It's only worth about a thousand bucks and that's what it would cost to ship it. If I can't get it over, I'll sell it."

VOUCHERS AND REFUNDS FOR PASSENGERS

Part of Johnson's happy-go-lucky demeanor can be tied to the Superferry officials' response to having to turn its rig around and come back to Honolulu last night after three hours of sitting outside Nawiliwili Harbor: All passengers were given full refunds, plus five free roundtrip vouchers and travel expenses.

Those passengers who were looking to spend last night on Kaua'i were also put up in hotel rooms overnight on O'ahu and will board the Superferry again today for another trip to the Garden Isle.

"We're making our regularly scheduled voyage today," said John Garibaldi, president and CEO of the Superferry.

"We've had 4,000 people travel on the Superferry over the past two days and we've had tremendous feedback. Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people want this service in Hawai'i. It will happen. It's unfortunate a handful of dissidents are doing this."

Garibaldi voiced frustration with the past two days' protests over the Superferry's service to Kaua'i.

If anything, last night's protests seemed to strengthen many of the passengers' desire to keep the Superferry going. The only negative comments were about the three-hour standstill outside of the Kaua'i harbor and rough seas on the return trip to Honolulu that left several passengers seasick.

As they left Pier 19 shortly after midnight, many passengers expressed more compassion for Superferry officials and also said that they don't understand why the service isn't being embraced.

SYMPATHY FOR THE SUPERFERRY

"It's not (Superferry officials') fault," said Rebekah Kerwin of Waikiki, who took her two daughters to Kaua'i to take advantage of the $5 fares and the chance to check out the new service.

"They handled the situation well. The captain went around to people individually to explain why we were turning around. Then they gave us our money back and five free roundtrip vouchers.

"Most people on board were starting to rag on the protesters. They just wanted them out of the water.

The Superferry itself is really a nice trip to take and I'd definitely do it again."

Dylan Mellor of San Diego had taken the Superferry to Kaua'i with his girlfriend so he could play in a golf tournament at Princeville this morning. His tee time was supposed to be at 6:30 a.m. so he'll be a scratch.

While upset with not being able to dock on Kaua'i, any anger he had seemed to be centered more toward the U.S. Coast Guard and security officers who didn't control the situation instead of the Superferry officials.

"It's hard to grasp why the Coast Guard couldn't pull a handful of surfers out of the water and let us pass," Mellor said as he headed to a hotel on O'ahu.

"I can get reimbursed for half of my entry fee to the tournament, but I'll never make it now. We'll see how they cover my expenses. Nine hours on the ferry — I could have flown to the Mainland and back to Kaua'i in almost the same time.

"The ferry itself is great. The three hours sitting outside the harbor wasn't. I think this brings a new perspective to interisland travel and it has to be good for trades. I don't know why it wouldn't be embraced."