Getting Ready to Go
In addition to the navigator and apprentice navigators… each of the other crewmembers carry specific roles on board – there is a captain, watch captains, a safety officer, quarter master and cook just to name a few – all of whom have been training long and hard for this voyage.
“This voyage has, raised the bar a little bit more. And it’s really in that sense of getting everyone to that point to accept that kuleana of being prepared, whether it’s, mentally, spiritually and physically,” says Pwo Navigator, Chadd Paishon.
And in addition to the physical training required onboard the canoe, all holokai must also pass a physical test that includes timed running, swimming and water treading in order to make the crewlist.
“This is the first time that I think it has been this intense in the sense of the physical requirements it’s making sure that when their time comes to be on the canoe, that they will be at their best,” says Paishon.
All those onboard have also gone through classroom instruction, medical screenings, and various safety trainings to ensure they are truly mākaukau, or ready, to be a part of the crew.
Watch Captain, Kealoha Hoe, says that “Everybody has to be accountable, not only for themselves but for the safety of the rest of the crew members.”
For every hard-working crewmember onboard the waʻa, there is a network of ʻohana on land 1,000s strong who help to prep and continually support the voyage.
Logistic Committee Chair, Lita Blankenfeld, says that, “After we pack it all then we inventory, have everybody check every package, then we weigh it, then we manifest it, and then the crew gets ready to load it on the canoes.”
More than 1500 pounds of food, and 300 gallons of water are methodically packed into the hulls of the canoes to prevision these mutli-leg long-distance voyages.
“For us guys on the canoes, on the waʻa, it’s all about balancing. So that when we are sailing you know she stay’s “sea kindly” and she’s not heavy to one side. It’s just part of staying organized. If we can put organization in then, we are heading in the right direction everything will flow really nicely, says Pwo Navigator, Bruce Blankenfeld.
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