IMG_1082

Hikianalia Update | Aug 23, 2018: Opala

Hikianalia Update by Hye Jung Kim

Aug 23 | AM Update

We are sending aloha to all of our families and supporters – we are thinking of everybody often and we hope that each of you is doing well.

Here’s our navigation report for the morning:

Our 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. watch headed Haka Koʻolau and with the leeway drift, headed ʻĀkau at 7 knots. We used the sun and venus setting to check heading and then used Hokupaʻa. We checked latitude again with Kamaka/Shaula and Kapoho/Sargas. Kapoho/Sargas was 16 degrees above the horizon so we estimate latitude of 31 degrees.

Our 10 p.m.-2 a.m. watch headed in the same direction as our 6-10 watch at 5 knots average, so they made 20 miles north in our 4 hours. We used Hokupaʻa when they could in between the cloud cover and rain. We also relied a lot on the swells. We were quite cold and changing the head sail to jib 17 made a difference in that time period.

Our 2 a.m.- 6 a.m. watch headed Nā Leo Koʻolau and with the drift was headed to Haka Koʻolau. We used the moon setting to set course at the beginning of our watch. Afterwards, we were lucky to have clears skies for a bit before the clouds and the squalls came through. We were headed in Manu Koʻolau for a little bit before we fell off a bit to average Nā Leo.

The temperature has gotten quite chilly and our crew are beginning to bundle up in their Grundens and Patagonia gear – both companies generously provided PVS crewmembers with gear to help us weather the wet and cold… Mahalo!

Aug 23 | PM Update

We continue to send lots of aloha back home to those who are preparing for the hurricane.

Today we caught yet another two mahimahi. One of them had an empty ōpū, the other one had a malolo and both with no plastic.

It is much colder today, but we tried to all take a shower while the sun was still out. Day by day we think it might be our last shower.

We caught opala today on our fishing line and we took some photos of the opala that we saw in the ocean. They were not close enough or safe enough for us to tag the opala yet but when we are much slower, we can try to look into it.

For our day in navigation:
Our 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. watch were heading Haka Koʻolau and with the leeway, headed ʻĀkau at an average of 6 knots. We used the sunrise and sun’s height to check our heading. After the sun got too high we used the Hikina swell and wind.

Our 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. watch held the same course at 5 knots. They saw many malolo and had clear skies. We changed the sails during this watch and we followed the wind during the watch.

Our 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. watch held the same course at an average of 6 knots. Changed the head sail to jib 21. We checked our heading with the sun getting lower at the end of the watch.

So as of 6pm today, we are at 33.5 degrees in latitude and we will check again during our next few shifts. The weather is getting colder and colder as we are digging out our warmer gear.

“Hikianalia was built by the Okeanos Foundation”

Continue Reading
IMG_1014

Hikianalia Update | Aug 22, 2018: Mahi Burritos in the North Pacific

Hikianalia Update by Hye Jung Kim

Aug 22 | AM Update

We hope that everybody back home is doing well – Kapena Lehua got an update last night from Nainoa about the hurricane Lane. Sending lots of aloha to everybody back home.

Here’s our navigation report: our 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. watch held Haka Koʻolau and with 1 house leeway, we were able to make ʻĀkau course over water. We used the sunset, Venus, Hikianalia and Hokupaʻa to check their heading throughout the night. We were also able to get a latitude check with Kamaka and Shaula and the Kapoho and Sargas pairs. Our estimate of 29 degrees were accurate with our latitude check.

Our 10 a.m. – 2 a.m. watch held Haka Koʻolau as well and with the leeway, ʻĀkau heading. We used Iwakeliʻi, wind and dominant north swell.

Our 2 a.m. – 6 a.m. watch held ʻĀkau average, taking some easting away during our night. We tried to get higher into the wind, but we started luffing each time we attempted. We first used the moon to check our heading along with Hokupaʻa and Ka Heihei o na Keiki rising. We also used the navigator’s triangle‘s humu and keoe setting to check out heading.

Aug 22 | PM Update

Today for breakfast, chef anakala Gary made mahi burritos – his salsa was the BEST! We are very thankful for anakala Gary for finding creative ways to serve the mahi that we caught. We have dried mahi for snacks and it almost immediately dissappears as soon as it gets dried.

We caught two mahis today and one of them had an empty ōpū. We trained more crew members to carry out the stomach content/fin/science portion and so we have many more on the citizen science team.

Here are our navigation observations for this segment of the voyage:

The wind picked up today so we are going 6-7 knots on average today.

Our 6 a.m. -10 a.m. watch held Haka Koʻolau to have ʻĀkau course over water. We estimate that we went above 30 degrees north in latitude today. We will do another check tonight if we have clear skies to see the stars.

Our 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. watch held the same course as well. We were averaging 7 knots in speed so we made a lot of progress during this watch. There were opala in the ocean every minute. Most of the opala were small pieces of plastic, but we did see a bigger bundle on our port side today. We estimate that we will be seeing more and more as we make our way not only north but also when we travel east.

Our 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. watch held Haka Koʻolau for the duration of the watch. We went through some squalls and sped up for some time before coming back to about 6.5 knots. Towards the end of the watch, with the sunset, we were heading Nā Lani Koʻolau! We saw at least two pieces of opala every minute of the watch.

“Hikianalia was built by the Okeanos Foundation”

Continue Reading
IMG_0954

Hikianalia Update | Aug 21, 2018: Mahimahi for Days

Hikianalia Update by Hye Jung Kim

4 A.M. Update

We had another great night of sailing and continued to experiment with trimming sails and shifting weight instead of putting the hoe down.

Our 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. watch held the star house Na Leo heading for 4 hours at 7 knots. So we were able to make 28 nautical miles (nm) in total distance and added about 10nm to our easting.

Our 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. watch held ʻĀkau for 4 hours at 6 knots covering 24 nm due north. They used Jupiter, Iwakeliʻi, Kapuahi, and Hōkūleʻa and the winds shifted a bit during our watch.

Our 2 a.m. – 6 a.m. watch held Haka Hoʻolua for 4 hours. We tried to head closer into the wind in order to do some more easting, but the wind direction has changed so when we tried to point higher, our sails started luffing. We took about 4 nm easting, but we still have a lot our easting that we can take advantage of as the wind direction changes.

Our crew has been working together very well and Lehua has been offering navigation classes to everyone onboard! Anakala Gary is hosting activities and each of us will have a necklace that will hold the whale bone that he has gifted us with!

Mahalo for everybody back home who is working hard to keep us going.

4 P.M. Update

A day of mahimahi! We caught a total of four fish today, all of them mahimahi. One had nothing in its ōpū, while the rest carried small fish and crustaceans. We had three females and one male. Anakala Gary has been drying some of the mahi so that we can have it for snacks. We did dorsal fin clippings for each and I will bring the samples with me when I return to Hawaiʻi.

Our 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. watch held the course of ʻĀkau over the water at 6 knots and used the sunrise to check our heading.

Our 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.  watch held Haka Hoʻolua at 5 knots so we lost 4 miles of easting that we have accumulated over the past few days. The winds are coming from ʻĀina Koʻolau.

Our 2 p.m. – 6p.m. watch held Haka Hoʻolua at 6 knots. The swells shifted significantly today and we now have our most dominant waves from the northeast.

Our crewmembers have worked on their arts and crafts project that anakala Gary is leading. We have learned a lot of whipping and braiding through it and by the end of our voyage, we will each have one that we’ve made.

“Hikianalia was built by the Okeanos Foundation”

Continue Reading
IMG_1730-crop

Crew Blog August | Hye Jung Kim: The Gear-Up

Aloha, I’m Hye Jung Kim. For the Alahula Kai o Maleka voyage to California, I’ve been trained and selected to be the communications officer and media documenter. While at sea, I’m honored and excited to be reporting to you all a daily account of our journey. I’d  like to share with you today my account of the lead-up to our voyage. Mahalo!

It’s Thursday, July 5, the phone rings and it’s master navigator Nainoa Thompson asking if I would consider being a crew member on a yet-to-be-announced deep sea voyage. He tells me he is putting together a crew of 14  to sail Hikianalia on a 2,800-mile journey from Honolulu, HI to San Francisco, CA. With a fast beating heart, I tell Nainoa that I am honored and excited to be considered.

After hanging up, I create a list in my mind of people that I need to check with and seek permission from. I call my family members one by one to share the news and to ask for their support in allowing me to be out in the ocean for about a month. They are incredibly excited and honored that I have been asked again to sail. So thankful to have a job with Education Incubator with my boss saying “You have to go, we will figure out the details of the work that we need to do”.

It’s a go! I am so overwhelmed with the love and support that I receive from my family and my work

From that point forward, I set my top priority to getting Hikianalia ready for the voyage. My work is flexible and I decided to quit my outrigger canoe paddling early in the season to prepare for the California voyage that has been named Alahula Kai o Maleka. There was a lot to shift in my day to day, but it was something that I needed to do in order for me to earn the time out at sea.

I learned so much in the weeks following July 5. Aunty Lita and her crew of logistics people had organized to help prepare and pack 40 days of food; the communications teams from PVS and ʻŌiwi TV met with me to teach me all that I need to know to carry on the kuleana of media specialist on this voyage.

There has been immense support for this voyage over the past month: crewmembers and volunteers helping with hauling out Hikianalia and making sure that she is ready for the voyage; science specialist team getting together to talk about the citizen science projects that we could participate in on the voyage; PVS education team creating a schedule of connections and conversations to be had while on the voyage; and so many more hands in preparation for this voyage.

Fast forward a few weeks and we are now at August 2, 2018. Our crew under the leadership of kapena Lehua have been on standby for many days. We are monitoring weather to make sure that it is safe for us to depart Honolulu and make sure that we can make way to San Francisco. We have trained as a crew in a short period of time to know and feel ready to depart. Nainoa said yesterday on our training sail that his father, Uncle Pinky Thompson, said “95% of the voyage is in preparation, and the other 5% is in nature”. We do not get to make the calls when it comes to nature. We learn to observe and be as prepared as we can be and be as safe as we can be. I know that a lot is weighing on our leadership as I speak…there are so many things to consider, but first and foremost is the crew’s safely in this Pacific ocean crossing.

Our crew carries a great balance of serious and fun. We know how to be vulnerable and connect deeply, but we also do come up for air with jokes that we as a crew can all laugh at together. Each individual who are a part of this ʻohana of the leg 1 of Alahula Kai o Maleka help balance each other. We collectively have learned so much together with all the safety training and the training sails and I feel so deeply connected to them already not having left the dock for our voyage yet. I know in my naʻau that these are people who will be part of my life forever and I do not say that lightly. As I fade away tonight I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn, thankful for the support that I have, and extremely honored that I get to learn from the best.

Standby 72,
Hye Jung

Continue Reading
IMG_0942

Hikianalia Update | Aug 20, 2018:

Hikianalia Update by Hye Jung Kim

Hikianalia 3 a.m. Update

Since our last update, we have traveled Nā Leo on average at 6 knots. So we have made about 66 miles north while doing about 27 miles of easting. We had an awesome dinner last night of curry and fried mahimahi from our cooks Gary and Keli. We had a few squalls come through during  night – the temperature took a noticeable drop and the dominant east swell became a bit weaker. This morning, we have cloud coverage all around closer to the horizon, but clear above us.

We hope that everybody back home is doing well!

Hikianalia 3 p.m. Update

Anakala Gary made andagi! It was so delicious, and the crew loved the pick-me up. Our crew have been gifted some bone carvings from Gary and so we spent some time creating necklaces to hold the carvings. We sailed today with the hoe (steering paddle) down on all three of our day watches, which gave a bit more of free time.

Kapena and lead navigator Lehua spent time throughout the day to train all of us with some details on the directions that the stars will travel throughout the night.

Our 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. watch averaged 6.5 knots with the heading of Haka Koʻolau – ʻĀkau. The crew adjusted the stowed water to see if Hikianalia would sail further into the wind, but the direction of the wind shifted, so we are adjusting as well. In the past few days, we have covered some easting so we have a little bit of wiggle room (read Tamiko’s crew blog about the the sail plan here).

Our 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. watch was holding Haka/ʻĀkau today due to the wind shift. They were averaging 6 knots and sighted a few plastic items passing by the hulls of the waʻa. In the middle of the ocean, we find all the remnants of what humans do to the earth. Keeps us grounded in the fact that what we do matters and we have to do better!

Our 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. watch saw some new swells from the northwest mixed in with our dominant east swell. During our watch, we fell off of the wind so we adjusted by putting more weight up towards our bow. Our overall heading was Haka Koʻolau – ʻĀkau at 5.5-6 knots on average. Good thing we banked some of our easting!

So after today, we are around 26 degrees in latitude and approximately 110nm east of the reference course. Kapena and lead navigator Lehua will help us all get a latitude fix using Manaiakalani’s Ka Maka and the horizon.

“Hikianalia was built by the Okeanos Foundation”

Continue Reading
IMG_0901

Hikianalia Update | Aug 19, 2018: Mahimahi Catch

Hikianalia Update by Hye Jung Kim

Our 6-10 p.m. watch held the Nā Leo heading at 6 knots on average. They did at one point head Noio Koʻolau and then they brought our waʻa back to Nā Leo due to luffing of the sails. We have our dominant swells coming from Lā Koʻolau and after the sunrise, the crew held the course by paying attention to the swells.

At noon Timi caught a mahimahi and we did a dorsal fin sampling and stomach content. Our fish was starving as it had no food in its ōpū. There were two rows of eggs that we documented.

Our 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. watch held Haka Koʻolau averaging about 5 knots. The winds became lighter during this watch today. There are clouds at our horizon, but otherwise looks very clear. They also saw a koaʻe kea during their watch.

On our 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. watch, we changed from Jib 21 to Genoa 33A. We have picked up the speed to average 5.5 knots. Our heading is Nā Leo Koʻolau. We just picked up speed to about 7 knots.

All the watches had the hoe (steering paddle) down and just trimmed the sails. We have all been having so much fun being out in the ocean!

“Hikianalia was built by the Okeanos Foundation”

Continue Reading
2018 Hikianalia CA Letterhead - C

Hikianalia Departs for California

Aug 18  MORNING UPDATE: HIKIANALIA DEPARTS FOR CALIFORNIA

After a nearly three-week weather delay, Polynesian voyaging canoe Hikianalia departed Sand Island, Honolulu at 7:00 a.m. this morning for San Francisco, California. The departure officially launches the Alahula Kai O Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage. A crowd of about 100 family members and supporters were at the dock of the Marine Education Training Center this morning to see the canoe and her 13 crew members off as they embarked on the 2,800-mile deep sea ocean crossing, which will take approximately 30 days.

The voyage will continue the Mālama Honua campaign to inspire action toward an environmentally and culturally thriving world. The wind and solar-powered canoe, which will be captained and navigated by Lehua Kamalu, is scheduled to arrive at the coast of Northern California by mid-September 2018. The timing of the arrival of Hikianalia is planned to coincide with the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco among other California events. Weather-permitting, a welcome ceremony and celebration will take place on Sunday, September 16, at Aquatic Park in San Francisco. After engagements in San Francisco, Hikianalia will sail down the coast of California to San Diego and connect with communities along the way. The canoe is expected to return to Hawaii in December 2018.

Hikianalia California Voyage Launch | Aug 18, 2018

Continue Reading