Crew Blog | Mark Ellis: Leg 19 (Florida to Virginia) Crew Planning and Preparation
Written by Mark EllisPreparation and planning for a voyage has always been key. Under the leadership of pwo navigator Bruce Blankenfeld, crew members of Leg 19 of the Worldwide Voyage have been actively preparing to take Hōkūle’a into the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) an inland waterway along the Atlantic coast of the continental United States, which includes natural inlets, saltwater rivers, bays and sounds and artificial canals.
Captain Bruce shared with the crew the plan for taking Hōkūle’a and crew safely thru the ICW. Sailing on the ICW will be a little different for Hōkūle’a, among other things we will only traverse the waterway during daylight hours, thus we will be docking or anchoring nightly. As a result Captain Bruce has stressed the importance of knots, line handling and overall good seamanship. During a recent crew training session, crew members practiced throwing line to simulate getting Hōkūle’aʻs line to our escort vessel or docks. We also worked on securing our vessels to various anchor points (cleats, rings, etc.).
One of the scheduled stops for this Leg of the Voyage is Charleston, South Carolina. Hōkūle’a and crew members will participate and present at the Charleston Outdoor Fest https://www.ccprc.com/1542/Charleston-Outdoor-Fest (April 15-17, 2016) hosted by the Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission. The Charleston Outdoor Fest is an annual event for people of all ages to come together to learn and share their knowledge of nature’s playground.
During this Leg of the voyage, Hōkūle’a and her crew will sail along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Please continue to follow us on hokulea.com as we share stories from the deck of the canoe, and communities we visit along the way up the East Coast!
Aloha,
Mark Ellis
More than Adventure
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