Blog | Mary Anna Enriquez: Collective Navigation

Posted on 26 Sep 2014
In Crew Blogs

Written by Mary Anna Enriquez.

Flying fish skim the surface. Starlight and moonlight are reflected in their beings. Emitting light, with their heads down, they write in their notebooks the mysteries of wayfinding facts and figures to get us to our destination.

Hokule’a and Hikianalia depart after seven days in Apia and a heartfelt farewell from His Highness, King of Samoa. Saki, Kula, Linda, Nikki are the navigators. They are so purposeful, so steadfast in their roles, with only their past training to rely on. Standing erect on deck with arms outstretched, they use their hands in a shaka sign to measure the height of the sun; at night, ‘A’a (Sirius), Ke ka o Makali’i (star line), Ke Ali’i o kona I ka lewa (Canopus), and ‘Iwa Ke Ali’i (Cassiopeia) to guide them.

Making sure the dominant swell is on the east side of the canoe, they gain confidence in their direction. Between Apia to Tokelau, our destination, tiny Swains Island is somewhere to starboard. Flying fish skim the surface. Starlight and moonlight are reflected in their beings. Emitting light, with their heads down, they write in their notebooks the mysteries of wayfinding facts and figures to get us to our destination.

Nainoa told the navigators in our last crew meeting in Apia that this trip is the most difficult as the cone is so small, and the error can be huge. They radiate skill as the ancestral knowledge pours from them. On this full moon illuminated night, we are blessed.