Hōkūleʻa is returning to U.S. waters with Seattle as the final destination for the leg five of the Moananuiakea Voyage.
Captain Moani Heimuli led the crew from southeastern Alaska to Vancouver, Canada. She praised everyone onboard for their smooth sailing and professional arrival.
"Our seamanship skills are on point, and it looks good when we come into these communities," she said.
Heimuli is joining leg six of the voyage to Seattle with a couple of veteran crew members, including Gary Yuen, whom she calls "one of the best cooks we've got."
"We also got one of the older uncles, Uncle Terry Hee. Really excited to have him on board because he was with Hawai’iloa when they came up to this part of the world back in '95," Heimuli added.
For this next leg of the voyage, Heimuli will be joining Hee on Hōkūleʻa’s escort vessel, which has a vital kuleana in the success of the voyage.
"We've been towing her through the intercoastal waters. We are the safety vessel for Hōkūleʻa. Whatever Hōkūleʻa needs and the crew, we're just there," she said.
Every crew member plays a role, and perhaps the most appreciated crew member is the chef.
"Uncle Gary Yuen's specialty — andagi all day," Heimuli said. "He makes peach andagi, all kine, different kine. He's the andagi master on board."
On Tuesday, the new crew took over. Hōkūleʻa will be docked at Vancouver's Granville Public Marina until Saturday.
