Hikianalia and Crew Depart for Hawaiʻi
The crew has departed San Diego for the 2,200-mile voyage back to Honolulu
After a three-month voyage across the Pacific Ocean and down the coast of California, Hikianalia is sailing back to Hawaiʻi. The voyaging canoe departed yesterday at 2:00 p.m. (PST) from the Maritime Museum of San Diego and is expected to arrive back in Honolulu in early to mid-December. Under the guidance of Pwo navigator Bruce Blankenfeld, the crew for the last leg of the Alahula Kai o Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage includes co-captains Kaniela Lyman-Merserea and Jason Patterson alongside lead navigator Haunani Kane.
According to Haunani, the voyage home will be a “straight shot from Point Loma, San Diego to Hilo, Hawaiʻi… approximately 2200 nautical miles heading ʻāina kona, two houses (about 22o degrees) south of west.”
The departure was celebrated with a brief ceremony that included friends from the area’s Hawaiian and Polynesian communities, as well as staff and volunteers at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
Hikianalia departed Honolulu on August 18, 2018 and made landfall at Half Moon Bay, California on Sept. 10, 2018. While in California, the canoe made stops in San Francisco, Sausalito, Ventura County, Redondo Beach, Catalina Island and Orange County before making a final stop in San Diego. Each stop began with an arrival ceremony hosted by the indigenous and local communities of the area. The crew held public presentations, school visits and dockside canoe tours to share the history and legacy of Polynesian voyaging and the mission of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
About Alahula Kai o Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage
The Alahula Kai o Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage is a continuation of the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s Mālama Honua campaign to inspire action toward an environmentally and culturally thriving world. The name of the voyage, Alahula Kai o Maleka, honors the “frequented pathway,” alahula, across the ocean between Hawaiʻi and California, kai o Maleka. Kai o Maleka, literally means “sea of America,” a traditional reference to the Pacific waterway connecting the Hawaiian Islands and the West Coast. Additional purposes of the voyage are to celebrate the Polynesian communities of California; connect, learn and share the Mālama Honua message with schools and communities; continue developing the next generation of voyaging captains, navigators and crewmembers; and to share the story of Hikianalia, a canoe that blends ancient wisdom and modern solutions to address the environmental and cultural issues of today. The major sponsors of the Alahula Kai o Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage are Hawaiian Airlines, OluKai, Kamehameha Schools and Hawaii Tourism Authority.
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