Hokulea and Hikianalia report | Final leg of Worldwide Voyage
(Honolulu, HI) — Legendary voyaging canoe Hokulea is nearing completion of her unprecedented Worldwide Voyage. Together with sister canoe Hikianalia, the crews departed Tahiti on May 17 to make their way home to Hawaiian waters, and are encountering exciting sailing conditions for this final international leg of the Malama Honua sail plan.
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On May 17, 2017, Hokulea and Hikianalia were joined by two more deep-sea voyaging canoes for this historic sail: Faafaite from Tahiti and Okeanos — a new addition the Pacific voyaging ohana recently constructed in New Zealand. Okeanos will be based in the Marshall Islands after this voyage is concluded.
Together, the four canoes and escort vessel Gershon II have experienced a range of weather conditions including extended periods of rain, winds, and strong ocean swells. Just after sunset yesterday, a pod of dolphins joined the canoes as a playful escort for the second evening in a row. Yesterday’s report from the crew indicated that navigators steered by the setting stars in the western sky early in the evening; later, the eastern horizon opened and manaiakalani and pimoe were used to set their course for home.
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This last, historic stretch of Hokulea’s international sail plan is expected to take 3-4 weeks (pending weather). The canoes will make a celebratory return to Honolulu on Saturday, June 17 at Magic Island for a cultural welcoming ceremony followed by a grand celebration open to the entire community.
The week-long celebration will continue with the Malama Honua Fair and Summit, a three-day event at the Hawaii Convention Center, which will highlight the voyaging, cultural, environmental, educational, and health and well-being missions of the Worldwide Voyage by sharing malama honua “stories of hope” and voyage-inspired initiatives and activities with the public. The event’s inspirational speaker series will feature local and global speakers who have engaged with the Voyage including: Megan Smith, 3rd chief technology officer of the United States; Dieter Paulmann, founder of Okeanos Foundation for the Sea; and Ocean Elders Sylvia Earle, Jean-Michel Cousteau, and Don Walsh. Registration for these events is now open at www.hokulea.com/summit.
To follow the Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage, visit http://hokulea.com/track-the- voyage
The online press kit is available at www.hokulea.com/press
About the Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage presented by Hawaiian Airlines:
The Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage will cover over 60,000 nautical miles, 150 ports, and 23 countries and territories, including 12 of UNESCO’s Marine World Heritage sites. Voyaging from Hawaii in 2013 with an estimated sail conclusion date of June 2017, the Worldwide Voyage is taking the iconic sailing vessel, Hokulea, around Island Earth and her sister canoe, Hikianalia, around the Hawaiian Islands to grow a global movement toward a more sustainable world. The voyage seeks to engage all of Island Earth – practicing how to live sustainably while sharing Polynesian culture, learning from the past and from each other, creating global relationships, and discovering the wonders of the precious place we call home.
Since departing Hawaiian waters in May 2014, Hokulea has sailed more than 31,000 nautical miles and made stops in 16 countries, weaving a “Lei of Hope” around the world. Along the way, more than 200 volunteer crewmembers have helped to sail Hokulea to spread the message of Malama Honua (or taking care of Island Earth) by promoting sustainability and environmental consciousness, as well as exchanging ideas with the countries she has visited. So far, crewmembers have connected with more than 100,000 people in communities across the South Pacific, Tasman Sea, Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean including Samoa, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Australia, Indonesia, Mauritius, South Africa, Brazil, U.S. Virgin Islands and Cuba. The Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage reached the East Coast of the United States in March 2016, stopping in Florida, South Carolina, and Virginia before continuing north to Washington D.C., New York City (where it celebrated World Oceans Day at the United Nations on June 8) and New England.
To learn more about Hokulea and this historic voyage, view: https://youtu.be/ tRHtu8rCAC0.
For a midway recap of the Worldwide Voyage, visit http://www.hokulea.com/2015- worldwide-voyage-recap/.
About Hokulea:
A symbol of cultural revival, the history of Hokulea is also being shared on this journey to inspire other indigenous cultures. This replica of an ancient Polynesian voyaging canoe was built 40 years ago and revitalized voyaging and navigation traditions throughout the Pacific. The canoe’s twin hulls allow her to handle large ocean swells and recover easily in the troughs of waves, and her triangular canvas sails can harness winds up to 20 knots. Hokulea first set out on the Pacific Ocean in 1975. Through the revival of the traditional art and science of wayfinding-navigating the sea guided by nature using the ocean swells, stars, and wind-Hokulea sparked a Hawaiian cultural renaissance and has reawakened the world’s sense of pride and strength as voyagers charting a course for our Island Earth.
A symbol of cultural revival, the history of Hokulea is also being shared on this journey to inspire other indigenous cultures. This replica of an ancient Polynesian voyaging canoe was built 40 years ago and revitalized voyaging and navigation traditions throughout the Pacific. The canoe’s twin hulls allow her to handle large ocean swells and recover easily in the troughs of waves, and her triangular canvas sails can harness winds up to 20 knots. Hokulea first set out on the Pacific Ocean in 1975. Through the revival of the traditional art and science of wayfinding-navigating the sea guided by nature using the ocean swells, stars, and wind-Hokulea sparked a Hawaiian cultural renaissance and has reawakened the world’s sense of pride and strength as voyagers charting a course for our Island Earth.
About the Polynesian Voyaging Society:
The Polynesian Voyaging Society was founded in 1973 on a legacy of Pacific Ocean exploration, seeking to perpetuate the art and science of traditional Polynesian voyaging and the spirit of exploration through experiential educational programs that inspire students and their communities to respect and care for themselves, one other, and their natural and cultural environments.
Hōkūle‘a Homecoming:
Event registration is live!
Join thousands of supporters and fans to welcome Hōkūleʻa home to Hawaiʻi in June 2017! Register now for the Mālama Honua Summit, reserve your tour aboard Hōkūleʻa, and RSVP for the Polynesian Voyaging Society benefit dinner.
