The Polynesian voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia were supposed to leave New Zealand, or Aotearoa, by this month.
But due to El Niño's intense weather, the nonprofit Polynesian Voyaging Society announced on Sunday that the canoes will depart from Aotearoa in the third week of August, marking another delay in the Moananuiākea voyage.
The canoes have been in Aotearoa since November. The plan was to sail to Tonga around May after waiting out the South Pacific's hurricane season.
Now, crew members face another delay in their voyage with El Niño, which can alter trade winds, increase storm instability, create large windless zones in traditional sailing routes, and increase the risk of tropical cyclones in parts of the Pacific Ocean.
PVS CEO and PWO navigator Nainoa Thompson said the nonprofit had to change the sail plan for the safety of the crew members as well as learn to adapt to the changing weather.
“To me, this is not a delay,” Thompson said. “It’s a stepping stone to learning.”
Crew members are continuing to train in winter weather in the Southern Hemisphere to prepare the next generation of voyagers.
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