Hōkūleʻa Training at West Hawaiʻi

Oiwi TV (Kawaihae)

While Hōkūleʻa is on her extended stay in West Hawaiʻi, it is a great opportunity for the local voyaging community to get training time aboard Hōkūleʻa.

While Hōkūleʻa is on her extended stay in West Hawaiʻi, it is a great opportunity for the local voyaging community to get training time aboard Hōkūleʻa.

“We invited all of the crewmembers to gather as one crew and practice sailing together.” says Makaliʻi crewmember, Lehua Wilson Ah Sam.

Hōkūleʻa crewmember, Dennis Chun, says that, “bringing together people from different places and different organizations and getting into a situation where we all kind of needed to work with each other, and cohabitate in a sense, was really good; seeing people we haven’t seen in a long time, and rekindling old friendships, and introducing new friends into the circle.”

Pwo Navigator, Shorty Bertleman says “that’s why today it was awesome to sail with them again; with everybody. What we are trying to do is get people ready for what this mission is all about. Coming from the training from us, they get a lot of training on board Makaliʻi…but still we have to learn Hōkūleʻa. And even if we are voyaging people, we have to make sure that we do things right. That we plan right and we train properly before committing responsibility; taking care of that responsibility.”

“A lot of the crewmembers who sail on Makaliʻi, are very familiar to Makaliʻi. And having the ability of having Hōkūleʻa home…it was real specific for us that we wanted all of our crewmembers to get onboard Hōkūleʻa, because, that will be the canoe that will be sailing if they are fortunate enough to be crewmembers chosen for the worldwide voyage. So for a lot of them, none of them have sailed with Hōkūleʻa before; some of us, the older ones of the crewmembers have. But you know, in this training that everyone is trying to do, worldwide voyage, we wanted to be real specific to Hōkūleʻa.” says Pwo Navigator, Chadd Paishon.

The first stop for this ʻohana holokai was the traditional fishing village of Miloliʻi.

“It gave an opportunity for some of our younger Kauaʻi crewmembers to get on Hōkūleʻa, and to go out and sail. It was an opportunity for us as an organization on Kauaʻi to hui with Nā Kālai Waʻa here, as well as to meet wth the Hōkūalakaʻi guys in Hilo side, and all sail together, as ʻohana waʻa.” says Dennis.

“In that sense that whatever way that we can support with Makaliʻi, when Hōkūleʻa leaves Moku o Keawe, we will continue training with Makaliʻi. It’s a great honor to spend time onboard Hōkūleʻa, and for us, that’s really that part that we want the crewmembers all to understand. That whatever time they have, whether they are able to do one leg, or multiple legs, the time that you have is really short, so you have to make that time count.” says Chadd.

For more information, go to hokulea.org

Iā Hōkūleʻa e holo ana ma ka ʻaoʻao Komohana o ka mokupuni o Hawaiʻi, ua hoʻoholo ihola ʻo Makaliʻi mā, me nā kānaka holo kai ma o ka paeʻāina o Hawaiʻi, e hoʻohana i kēia wā e mea e hoʻomākaukau a hoʻomaʻamaʻa i ka holo kai ʻana ma luna o Hōkūleʻa.

“No kēia holo moana ʻana, ua kono nā crewmembers nō hoʻi o ka ʻohana o Nā Kālai Waʻa e hele pū a kau ma luna o kēia waʻa i mea e hoʻokahi ka ʻohana. I hoʻokahi kākou a pau, ʻoiai kēia Worldwide Voyage nō hoʻi, he mea nui no ko kākou kaiaulu, no ka paeʻāina.” wahi a Lehua Wilson Ah Sam, he kanaka holo kai no Makaliʻi.

Wahi a Dennis Chun, he kanaka holo kai no Hōkūleʻa, “ua hua maikaʻi kēia hui ʻana o nā kānaka no nā wahi me nā hui like ʻole, kau ma ka waʻa a komo like i ka hana. Ua launa hou me nā maka kamaʻāina, me nā maka hou kekahi.”

“No laila i maikaʻi ka holo kai ʻana. ʻOiai maʻa mākou i ko mākou mau waʻa ponoʻī, ke ʻimi nei kākou i ka hoʻoikaika ma ka Hōkūleʻa. I loko nō o ko kākou kālena holo kai, mau nō ka pono e hoʻomākaukau a makaʻala i ka hana i mea e ʻauamo maikaʻi ai i ka hana.” wahi a Shorty Bertleman, he kanaka hoʻokele.

“ʻOiai aia ʻo Hōkūleʻa i ʻaneʻi, he makakoho ko kākou holo ʻana me ia no ka mea, ʻoiana ka waʻa e holo puni honua ana. Pono nā kānaka e hele a maʻa i kona ʻano. Ua ʻike mua kekahi o mākou, akā, ʻano ʻokoʻa ʻo Hōkūleʻa i kēia manawa. No laila, pono kākou a pau e aʻo pū.” i ʻōlelo ai kahi kanaka hoʻokele aʻe, ʻo Chadd Paishon.

ʻO kahi mua a kēia mau holokai mai ʻō a ʻō i hele ai, ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo Miloliʻi, ka ʻāina kūʻokoʻa a kaulana no ka hana lawaiʻa kuʻuna.

“He wā ia i hiki ai ko mākou poʻe ʻōpio ke aʻo. He wā pū ia i hiki ai iā mākou a pau ke hui like, launa, a hoʻolauna kekahi i kekahi ma ke ʻano he ʻohana waʻa like.” i ʻōlelo ai ʻo Dennis.

“Me ia manaʻo, e ʻimi ana mākou i ala no mākou e hoʻomau aku i ka hoʻomākāukau ʻana, ke haʻalele ʻo Hōkūleʻa iā Hawaiʻi. He pōmaikaʻi ke kau moku ʻana ma Hōkūleʻa. Makemake mākou i ko mākou e ʻike i kēia waiwai a mālama i nā mea ia aʻo ʻia ma o Hōkūleʻa.” i ʻōlelo pani ai ʻo Chadd.

No nā kūmole a ʻikepili no ka Huakaʻi Holo Puni Honua, ʻo Mālama Honua, ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi!