Written by Kālepa Baybayan

Haverstraw Bay  – 41°13’0.24″N     73°58’4.59″W

Hōkūleʻa sits quietly tied to the end of a T-dock in the 1,000 slip Haverstraw Marina on the west bank of the Hudson River. Here we calmly lay at rest at the widest part of the Hudson – 3.4 miles across – 11 nautical miles south of the Tappan Zee Bridge and Bear Mountain, and 22 nautical miles north of the George Washington Bridge. The crew, canoe, and escort vessel have extended our stay at this port while awaiting the passage of Hurricane Matthew, a Category 4 hurricane of immense power whose track is predicted to bring it close to Long Island, New York.

There are many to thank for the tremendous opportunity afforded the members of Leg 23, where we took a circuitous route 853 nautical miles to the northern freshwater lakes of Oneida and Ontario of the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, and transited 61 canal locks to learn about the cold water systems of our planet. We visited the border country of Canada and its two provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and toured upper New York state and Vermont. We were so blessed to be able to come to know our planet in a very intimate way, through the incredible kindness and generosity of the people and communities we were able to meet; of note, a special thanks to the communities of Khanawake and Westport, the lock masters of the Eerie, Chambly, and Champlain locks, and to the many people who brought gifts of food and friendship to the canoe and crew.

It has been a privilege and pleasure to serve as Captain of Leg 23. I send a much heartfelt mahalo to each of our crewmembers:

Mahalo a nui loa,

Kālepa Baybayan
Captain, Hōkūleʻa

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