After a two-day delay due to weather conditions, the Polynesian voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia set sail Monday morning from Oʻahu to Hilo, navigating some of the most dangerous channels in Hawaiʻi.
“Coming out of Honolulu Harbor, it is a battle upwind and across some pretty rough channels,” said Lehua Kamalu, one of the captains and navigators for the two canoes. In 2022, she became the first female captain and navigator of Hōkūleʻa.
The canoes will sail through the Kaiwi, Pailolo and ʻAlenuihāhā channels, which are known for their strong winds and high seas.
Navigators anticipate arriving in Hilo by Wednesday to engage with the community for the first time in several years. The last time Hōkūleʻa was in the northeastern part of the Big Island was in 2022. But due to COVID-19 restrictions, there was no community engagement.
Kamalu said seeing how the community will celebrate the canoes is exciting.
Hawai‘i Island is the stopping point before crew members and navigators embark on a three-year Pacific-wide voyage called Moananuiākea, which was paused two years ago after the Maui wildfires.
The canoes will first sail to Tahiti, with an anticipated departure date of May 29 or 30.
“The crew themselves, we hope they’re getting focus, getting grounded, and thinking what is to be a few weeks on the high seas,” Kamalu said.
Not alone
Before the compass and GPS were invented, Pacific Islanders embarked on sea voyages using only signs from nature, such as the stars, currents and trade winds.
The double-hulled canoe Hōkūleʻa was first launched in 1975 and voyaged successfully to Tahiti the following year.
Hōkūleʻa was the lone sailing canoe for years, but its family has grown since that first deep-sea journey.
For the upcoming Pacific voyage, Hōkūleʻa will sail with Hikianalia, a double-hulled canoe built in 2012 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Kamalu said that Hōkūleʻa has sailed with a safety vessel for years.
“Hikianalia is this elegant, beautiful canoe that can provide that safety and communication,” Kamalu said, adding that the Hikianalia will also provide videos and images of Hōkūleʻa for its entire voyage.
Planning
Last Thursday, nonprofit Polynesian Voyaging Society members were preparing for their trip to Hilo.
Some crew members were cleaning and filling their dozens of water containers, some were checking on the canoes’ ropes, and others were prepping the food. Many crew members were making pages of checklists.
Bruce Blankenfeld, a PWO navigator and crew training coordinator, said the preparations for the deep-sea voyage are different than when he first started.
“Back then, we were just as safe,” he said. “Everybody came home. It’s good how everything has evolved.”
He said his favorite part of the preparation is watching the next generation of navigators step up.
“They’re down here working hard every day,” he said. “For our generations, Nainoa (Thompson) and myself, we step back. We step in enough to have a presence and talk story. Then we step back and let them take the lead.”
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