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September 5: Hōkūle‘a on Land for Rest of 2012

Yesterday, about 50 crew members and volunteers showed up at the Marine Education Training Center to help bring Hokule’a out of the water to prepare for drydock.

Under the leadership of Bruce Blankenfeld, Bob Perkins, and Mark Kimura, crew members worked together to place large dolly’s under the hulls of Hokule’a while she was in the water.

Click on the this link for a Quicktime video: IMG_1815

Once the dolly’s were secured, a large truck helped to pull Hokule’a out of the water as the crew guided her on the dolly’s. By 7:00pm, Hokule’a was parked and secured in her drydock location. Mahalo to all of the crew members and volunteers who lended a hand last night to make sure Hokule’a was safely pulled out of the water. Hokule’a will be in drydock for the rest of 2012 to prepare for final sea trials for the Worldwide Voyage.

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September 3: Preparing for Hōkūleʻa Drydock

“Early this morning, Captain Bruce Blankenfeld guided us as we prepared Hokule’a to be hauled out of the water. We removed the sails, both sets of masts and spars, all the rigging and the extra lines. Hokule’a will be lifted out of the water tomorrow evening, and she will go into drydock to prepare for the Worldwide Voyage. There is still a lot of work to be done before Hokule’a is ready for the voyage, and we are very appreciative of our volunteers and their continued support!” —Jenna Ishii

(Click on any image to enlarge it and access a slide show of  images in this post.)

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August 31: Hikianalia – a new sister canoe for Hōkūle‘a

Hikianalia – a new sister canoe for Hōkūle‘a – will be launched this year in Aotearoa (Auckland, New Zealand) and sailed to Hawai‘i to join Hōkūle‘a on her upcoming Worldwide Voyage as a support vessel and an additional educational platform.

The canoe is named for the star Spica, which appears south of Hōkūle‘a (Arcturus) in  the star line known as Iwikuamo‘o (“Backbone”).

Photos courtesy of Paul Hiapomalulani Elderts. (See his page of Hikianalia Photos.)

The new voyaging wa‘a is being built by Dieter Paulmann, founder of Okeanos Foundation. Hikianalia is modeled after the vaka moana of Okeanos Foundation/Pacific Voyagers  that visited Hawai‘i in 2011.


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August 20: UH Leadership Sail

On August 20 , the new UH Mānoa Chancellor Dr. Thomas Apple and leadership of the University of Hawai‘i foundation experienced sailing  on Hōkūleʻa.

The Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) and the University of Hawaii system are partners in educating Hawaiʻi’s youth. The Marine Education Training Center (METC),  the home of Hōkūleʻa and PVS for a decade, this coming January, is part of Honolulu Community College (HCC)  and the UH system. Hōkūleʻa’s crew have taken courses at METC/HCC on small boat fabrication and design as well as traditional non-instrumental navigation. Hōkūleʻa captain Bob Perkins is the Director of METC.

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August 17-24: Hōkūle‘a Training Sails Continue

In anticipation of Hōkūleʻa going back into dry dock on Tuesday, September 4, crew training sails are continuing through the end of August.

August 24

Pwo Navigator Bruce Blankenfeld captained an overnight training sail pairing new comers with experienced crew members.

This sail  was conducted in waters south of Honolulu in moderate trade winds (wind out of the East North East between 10-20 knots).

On this sail the crew practiced steering by moving weight around the canoe, with the dual hulls of the canoe acting as the steering mechanism. The crew moved weight (bodies and equipment) forward or backward. With the bow or stern riding lower in the water, the direction of the canoe changed. With the weight balanced to head the canoe in the direction that the navigator wanted to sail, the steering team didn’t have to man the sweep to hold the course.

(Click on any image to enlarge it and access a slide show of images in this post.)

August 21-22

Captain Bob Perkins conducted two training sails with a mix of experienced and new crew.  Since Hōkūle‘a was put back into the water last March and with greater public knowledge of the upcoming Worldwide Voyage (WWV), new crew candidates have come to the Marine Education Training Center (METC); the mixing of experienced and new crew members speeds up the learning curve of new crew members.

August 17-18

Overnight training sail out of METC  gave new crew a glimpse of life aboard the canoe on a long voyage. On these overnighters, we run our watch systems, cook various meals, fish, run emergency drills such as the Man Over Board drill, and get a feel for the rhythm of life at sea.

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August 24: Voyaging Canoe Iosepa visits METC

On Friday, August 24, PVS welcomed a member of our ʻOhana Waʻa Iosepa. This  57-foot-long voyaging canoe was carved (all wood) in front of the Polynesian Cultural Center as a partnership among the community of Laʻie, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i (BYUH) and the Morman Church.  She is part of a voyaging program taught at BYUH.

The one-night stop to PVS’s home at the Marine Education Center on Sand Island was part of  a 9-day training sail around the island of Oʻahu with a 12-person crew of students from BYUH.

Click Here for a

    Quicktime Video shot by Uncle Chadd while sailing down the west side of Oʻahu.


On August 17, Iosepa was relaunched at Hale‘iwa Harbor on the North Shore.  From there, Iosepa sailed  to Pōkaʻi bay on the Leeward Coast, then to Sand Island on the South Shore, and around Makapuʻu to Hakipuʻu, on the Windward Coast. The crew returned  home to La‘ie on the final leg of their voyage.

Nā Kalai Waʻa/Makaliʻi  captain and pwo navigator  Chadd ʻOnohi Paishon was captain for Iosepa on this training voyage.

(Click on any image to enlarge it and access a slide show of  images.)

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August 14: Testing a New Foresail for Hōkūle‘a

In Māmala Bay off Honolulu last week, Nainoa Thompson and crew tested and practiced deploying a new foresail, or kite, for downwind runs on Hōkūleʻa.

Hokūle‘a, with Kite Deployed, Sailing Past Lē‘ahi (Diamond Head). Cllick on any photo for a larger image and to access a slide show.

More than 80% of the Worldwide Voyage sailing routes have winds, on average, coming from behind the canoe’s beam; the kite will allow the canoe to harness winds coming off of center, from behind.

One corner of the kite is attached to the windward hull; the kite goes around the foreshrouds and stay (lines supporting the front mast), with a sheet, or control line, attached to the leeward hull. The kite is also  attached to a foreshroud to make it safer to raise and lower the kite; it will be stored at the bow for quick deployments.

The kite will make the Worldwide Voyage safer for the crew by increasing Hōkūle‘a’s speed from point A to point B and decreasing the time at sea, especially on the long routes.

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August 12: Moku o Lo‘e—Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (Updated with Photos of Sail)

After an upwind sail around the east end of O‘ahu, Hōkūle‘a crew spent this past weekend on Moku o Lo‘e, in Kāne‘ohe Bay, hosted by the staff of the University of Hawai‘i’s Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology. The HIMB staff welcomed Hōkūle‘a crew with a delicious dinner. The crew enjoyed meeting the staff and learning about the history of Moku o Lo‘e and the island’s present role in marine research.

Moku o Lo‘e is surrounded by 64 acres of coral reef designated for research by the state of Hawai‘i as the Hawai‘i Marine Laboratory Refuge.  Research at HIMB covers many disciplines of tropical marine science such as coral ecology, biogeochemistry, and evolutionary genetics.

Setting up a Plankton Tow on Hōkūle‘a

Polynesian Voyaging Society would like to thank the staff of HIMB for opening their facilities to the crew and sharing their knowledge about marine research and preservation.

Sailing to Kāneʻohe Bay and Moku o Loʻe (August 10):

Click on the photo for a larger image and to access the slide show

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