The Hōkūle‘a Arrives in Hilo – Malama Hawaii (Statewide Sails) and Malama Honua (Worldwide Voyage)

Today I had the opportunity to check out the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s Canoe the Hōkūle‘a as it has arrived in Hilo as it prepares to take off for its “Malama Hawaii” (statewide sails) before the Malama Honua (worldwide voyage).

Hōkūle‘a ported at Radio Bay in Hilo

The Worldwide Voyage will include stops at more than 60 ports in more than 20 countries, all connected by ocean, most with traditional systems of ocean voyaging.

The Hōkūle‘a

Here is a map of the planned route that they plan on taking:

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Crew member Kim Kuulei Birnie talked about the pending voyage and the route that the vessels will take and explained how this is the first time that the vessels have ever been out of the Pacific Ocean as part of their planned route will take them through the Panama Canal and into the Atlantic Ocean and beyond.

I was invited out to the vessel along with David Corrigan from Big Island Video News and Tiffany Edwards Hunt from Big Island Chronicle and we got to ask crew members about the pending trip.

David Corrigan interviews Kim Kuulei Birnie

Tiffany Edwards Hunt checks out one of the places to sleep on board

Education Specialist Jenna Ishii was kind enough to explain how things worked aboard the ship and was honest enough to tell us that one of the most difficult tasks they have is actually going to the bathroom as they have to harness themselves to rope and then do their business over the side of the boat.

Jenna Ishii explains some of the safety equipment

She explained in all the years that the vessels have been going on there has been only three incidents of a crew member falling over board however they are prepared for it when and if it were to happen.

Ishii shows us the flashing beacon that is tossed off the boat if someone goes overboard

“Since Hokulea’s launch in 1975, Hawaiians have reclaimed and refined the art of wayfinding, non-instrument navigation that synthesizes tradition principles of Pacific Navigation and modern scientific knowledge.”

“Eddie Would Go!”

Here is one of the press releases I received from them on Why Hokulea Voyages:

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Here is the tentative Sail Plan and Port List, of course this could all change because of a lot of factors but this is what they are shooting for… note that this first year is what is termed the Malama Honua Hawaii Tour as it travels throughout the Hawaii Islands for the next year to make sure the vessels are prepared for the worldwide Voyage:

The Hawaii part of the World Wide Exploration

And the worldwide plan(s):

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Click to Enlarge

I spent about an hour aboard the Hokulea this afternoon and look forward to following them on their worldwide tour.

The decks were so hot, that they had to keep splashing water on the deck to keep our feet from burning

Here are some quick facts about the Hokule’a and the Hikanalia:

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The public is invited to send off the vessels tomorrow, however, they technically won’t leave for a few more days however, this will be the main chance for the public to check things out.  A community potluck is being provided by the folks of the Keaukaha Community and the Canoe Clubs that are in Hilo.

Just an overexposed picture I kind of like

 

Related articles

• Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage Public Celebration – Hōkūle’a in Hilo (damontucker.com)
• Hokule’a departs Honolulu set for Hilo (kitv.com)
• Renowned Voyaging Canoe Embarks on its Greatest Journey Yet (newswatch.nationalgeographic.com)
• Malama Honua: Hokulea, Hikianalia Embark On Worldwide Sailing Voyage (civilbeat.com)
• Renowned voyaging crew launches greatest journey yet in Hawaiian canoe: four-year, worldwide voyage (boingboing.net)

Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage Public Celebration – Hōkūle‘a in Hilo

The Polynesian Voyaging Society Canoe “Hōkūle‘a” is currently in Hilo at Palekai, Radio Bay in Keaukaha.

Her sister canoe, the  Hikianalia will depart Kawaihae today at 5 PM and be in Hilo sometime Saturday.  All events are subject to change, of course, mostly due to the weather.

On Sunday, June 9th, a big community event in Hilo will include the Hōkūle‘a launch ceremonies.  Everyone is invited.

It is being hosted by Keaukaha community, ‘Ohana Wa‘a and the canoe clubs there.  There will be guest speakers that include Mayor Kenoi, a couple of the Ocean Elders and others.

The window of opportunity for the actual departure is between June 10-14, but the official ceremonies will take place Sunday.

According to Hawaii News Now:

…There are 22 legs planned for Hokulea’s voyage around the world, but the first and final are both right here at home.  Crew members say it’s about honoring our community and showing Hawaii’s people their gratitude.

Over the next four years, Hokule’a and her escort boat and sister canoe, Hikianalia, will travel to 28 countries and stop at 85 international ports – sailing more than 45,000 nautical miles around the world.

“We want to go. It’s time to go,” said navigator Nainoa Thompson, Hokulea’s Captain.

But before they set sail for international waters, Hokule’a and Hikianalia will spend the first five months of their journey right here at home.

“Around Hawai’i sail is the first leg.  It’s only a thousand miles, probably the shortest of all of them, but it’s the most important,” described Thompson, before adding this portion of the voyage is crucial to making sure all 250 crew members are trained and prepared before heading to the South Pacific next May.

“In many ways we could go to Tahiti right now.  We’re safe enough to do that, but I think this engagement with home is a crucial piece to earning that voyage,” explained Thompson.

“Malama Honua”, or “Care for the Earth”, defines the worldwide voyage’s mission and crew members say that starts here in the islands with “Malama Hawai’i”…

Related articles

• Hokule’a departs Honolulu set for Hilo (kitv.com)
• Renowned voyaging crew launches greatest journey yet in Hawaiian canoe: four-year, worldwide voyage (boingboing.net)
• Renowned Voyaging Canoe Embarks on its Greatest Journey Yet (newswatch.nationalgeographic.com)
• Malama Honua: Hokulea, Hikianalia Embark On Worldwide Sailing Voyage (civilbeat.com)

Worldwide Voyage Receives First Major Sponsorship

Hawaiian Airlines Pledges Crew Travel and Cargo Transportation

In a significant display of support for the mission of the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s Worldwide Voyage, Hawaiian Airlines has pledged to provide air transportation for PVS crew and cargo throughout Hawaiian’s route network for the duration of the four-year voyage.

Hikianalia on its way to Hawaii last year.

Under a sponsorship contract signed this week, Hawaiian Airlines will provide 32 million air miles for crew travel, as well as cargo support for supplies needed as the sailing canoes Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia travel to international ports throughout the Pacific.  The value of the sponsorship is estimated to be $1 million.

Hawaiian will be the lead sponsor of the voyage, which will be known as “The Worldwide Voyage Sponsored by Hawaiian Airlines.”

The Dalai Lama blessed the Hōkūle‘a at Kualoa Park last year. Photo courtesy of Pillars of Peace

“We are deeply appreciative of Hawaiian’s extraordinary commitment to our mission to inspire young people throughout the world to care for and sustain our planet, and to coexist in peace and compassion,” said navigator Nainoa Thompson, PVS president.  “Sailing Hōkūle‘a has taught us the importance of understanding and connecting with our natural resources.  She is a reminder to us all of the need to celebrate and protect the natural and cultural treasures of Island Earth.”

“The Worldwide Voyage honors a legacy of connecting islands throughout the Pacific that Polynesian navigators created centuries ago. It is our privilege as modern-day navigators and beneficiaries of that legacy to support this voyage and its message of sustainability and resource protection,” said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian Airlines’ president and CEO.

The Worldwide Voyage Sponsored by Hawaiian Airlines will begin in June 2013 with a series of voyages throughout the Hawaiian archipelago, and continue through 2017 with visits to more than 60 ports in more than 20 countries.

The Hōkūle‘a being worked on. Picture courtesy of Pillars of Peace

The 48-month voyage involves more than 400 crewmembers from 16 countries.  This includes educators and scientists who will be using the voyage to research ocean wellness, using Native Hawaiian and western science research methods, and to create voyaging-based curriculum to be disseminated in as many Hawai‘i schools as possible, including Mālama Honua, a newly created charter school affiliated with the voyage.  Hikianalia, the solar- and wind-powered support and sister vessel to Hōkūle‘a, will be a platform for marine science, documentation, education outreach, communication and teacher training, while Hōkūle‘a will continue to be a platform for indigenous knowledge, experiential learning and sustainability.

PVS expects to have approximately 5,000 of Hawai‘i’s school children physically on the canoes during the first year of the Worldwide Voyage, and more than 100,000 Hawai’i students and teachers on board PVS’s third canoe, the website http://hokulea.org, throughout the four-year voyage as part of their curriculum.  Students from several public and private schools in Hawai‘i have already been involved in preparing for the voyage by assisting in dry docks (restoration and repair work) for Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia, studying the sail plan, and participating in crew training and classroom work on the wa‘a.

The blessing of the Hokulea. Photo courtesy of Pillars of Peace

“The involvement of our youth has been one of the most powerful aspects of planning for this voyage,” remarked Thompson.  “We can count on this next generation of voyagers to perpetuate the values and practices that will guide our planet toward good health.”

Commented Dunkerley: “The students who will be touched by this voyage, either by participating in it or by learning from the science-based curriculum it will produce, are the future workforce of Hawaiian Airlines.  So it is fitting that Hawai‘i-based companies such as ours support this journey.”

Hikanalia Expected to Reach Home This Afternoon on Oahu

Hikianalia, Polynesian Voyaging Society’s new state-of-the-art voyaging canoe, is expected to reach Mokauea (Sand Island) mid-afternoon, Sunday, November 25. The latest estimated time of arrival is 2 PM to Marine Education Training Center.

Hikianalia is on its way home

Master navigator Bruce Blankenfeld and a crew of 18—including master navigator Chad Kālepa Baybayan, and several veteran as well as new crewmembers—left Friday night, anticipating a voyage with little-to-no wind.  This morning she could be seen from Kalaupapa Lookout; at 9 AM this morning, she was seen off Mo‘omomi Coastline, Moloka‘i.

Kalepa gives a pule for the safe passage of Faafaite on her voyage from Hawai’i to Tahiti in Nov. 2011. Crédits photo: Danee Hazama

Hikianalia reached Hawai‘i last week and has spent the week in Hilo.  She left Auckland, where she was launched in late September, and set sail on October 9.  The crew changed in Tahiti and again in Hilo.

Hikianalia will accompany Hōkūle‘a during the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s 2013-2016 Worldwide Voyage as her sister vessel, providing a second floating classroom, and the main platform for communication and technology.  Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia are Hawaiian star names for Arcturus and Spica, which break the horizon together in Hawaiian skies.  Neither uses fossil fuels; both rely on the wind in their sails and photovoltaics for their lights, communication and – in Hikianalia’s case – engines.

Hikianalia is scheduled to arrive on Sand Island on Oahu this afternoon

To review Hikianalia’s launch and journey from Aotearoa, and to learn more about the upcoming Worldwide Voyage, visit our website http://hokulea.org.

Related articles

• Hikianalia Arrives Home in Hawaii – Welcoming in Hilo Bay Tomorrow (damontucker.com)
• Hikianalia Sets Sail for Hawaii – Hōkūle’a’s Sister Vessel Will Be Important Part of Worldwide Voyage (damontucker.com)

 

Hikianalia Arrives Home in Hawaii – Welcoming in Hilo Bay Tomorrow

Hikianalia, a new state-of-the-art voyaging canoe, is expected to be in Hilo Harbor by dawn tomorrow morning, Sunday, November 18.  She will have traveled more than 4,000 miles to come home to Hawai‘i since her launch in early October.

Hikianalia is scheduled to arrive on the Big Island tomorrow.

It has taken Hikianalia 17 days to sail from Papeete, Tahiti (French Polynesia) to Hawai‘i, and it took 16 days to sail her from her launch site in Auckland, New Zealand, to Papeete.

After clearing customs at Hilo Harbor, Hikianalia will make her way to Radio Bay, where Hikianalia and the entire crew will be formally welcomed by the Keaukaha Community Association.

“We expected them in the afternoon, but now that they are arriving in the morning, it will be a quiet welcome,” explained master navigator Chad Kālepa Baybayan, who has co-organized the Hilo reception.  “Still, we know the community will come out to see her.”

Baybayan navigated Pacific Voyager canoe Faafaite from Auckland to Tahiti, escorting Hikianalia during the latter’s maiden voyage.  Master navigator Bruce Blankenfeld captained Hikianalia during that first leg of her voyage home to Hawaiʻi.

Most of the Hikianalia crew changed in Papeete.  Captain Bob Perkins and master navigator Chadd ‘Ōnohi Paishon are part of a crew of 15 bringing the canoe to Hawai‘i in a portion of the voyage that included crossing the equator.  Overall, for the course between Tahiti and Hawai‘i, the skies have been clear and the winds fair, except for a brief passage through the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, where they experienced quirky weather.

Hikianalia will accompany Hōkūle‘a during the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s 2013-2016 Worldwide Voyage as her sister vessel, providing a second floating classroom, and the main platform for communication and technology.  The two wa‘a will partner in messages of sustainability.  Neither uses fossil fuels; both rely on the wind in their sails and solar energy for their lights, communication and – in Hikianalia’s case – engines.

Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia are Hawaiian names for stars Arcturus and Spica, respectively, which break the horizon together in Hawaiian skies.

“It’s been a privilege to bring Hikianalia home to Hawai‘i,” says Perkins.  “She will finally meet her sister Hōkūle‘a.”

Hikianalia is expected to sail directly from Hawai‘i Island to O‘ahu next weekend.

To track Hikianalia, or to learn more about the upcoming Worldwide Voyage, visit our website http://hokulea.org.

To follow the educational objectives of navigator and Makali‘i senior captain Chadd ‘Ōnohi Paishon, go to http://www.nakalaiwaa.org/student-qa-hikianalia.

The Polynesian Voyaging Society was founded in 1975 on a legacy of Pacific Ocean exploration, seeking to perpetuate the art and science of traditional Polynesian voyaging and the spirit of exploration through experiential educational programs that inspire students and their communities to respect and care for themselves, one other, and their natural and cultural environments.

Related articles

• Hikianalia Sets Sail for Hawaii – Hōkūle’a’s Sister Vessel Will Be Important Part of Worldwide Voyage (damontucker.com)

Hikianalia Sets Sail for Hawaii – Hōkūle‘a’s Sister Vessel Will Be Important Part of Worldwide Voyage

Hikianalia, a new state of the art voyaging canoe, has departed Auckland and is headed for Hawai‘i by way of Tahiti.  Hikianalia will sail alongside Hōkūle‘a as part of the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s 2013 Worldwide Voyage and will be a vital component in the WWV’s educational endeavors.

Hikianalia is on its way to Hawaii

Like Hōkūle‘a, Hikianalia carries a Hawaiian star name. Spica rises together with Arcturus (Hōkūle‘a) in Hawai‘i. “They are sister stars because they break the horizon together, and Hikianalia will be the first wa‘a, or traditional double-hulled canoe, to accompany Hōkūle‘a as an escort vessel,” explains master navigator Bruce Blankenfeld.

Bruce Blankenfeld

Hikianalia is a high-tech, eco-friendly double-hulled canoe constructed by master boat builders in Auckland, New Zealand.  Made in the same mold of the Pacific Voyager waka moana that gathered in Hawai‘i in 2011 < >, Hikinanalia has electric rather than diesel motors, and in-board propellers. She is 72 feet long, 23 feet wide, and weighs 30,000 gross tons.  Each of Hikianalia’s hulls contains an electric motor powered by onboard photovoltaic panels that convert sunlight to electric propulsive energy.

Hikianalia was launched in Auckland on September 15^th.  Since then, crewmembers have put her through extensive sea trials.

“She has great balance and sails beautifully,” says Blankenfeld, who will captain Hikianalia from Aotearoa to Tahiti. “Like all canoes, she’s definitely a living entity and will be a faithful companion to Hōkūle‘a during the Worldwide Voyage.”

The “Vaka Sails” can be seen here

Hikianalia is expected to reach Pape‘ete in 3 weeks, accompanied by the Tahitian canoe Fa‘afaite.  A new crew will sail Hikianalia to Hawai‘i from Tahiti and will make landfall in Hilo.

To track the Hikianalia from Aotearoa to Tahiti and then to Hawai‘i, visit our website http://hokulea.org.