Posted on: Friday, September 10, 2004

Voyaging canoes back from Moloka'i

Advertiser Staff

Because of changing wind patterns, the voyaging canoes Hokule'a and Hokualaka'i dropped their plans to sail to Nihoa last weekend, and instead sailed a similar distance from Kaua'i to the north shore of Moloka'i.

They sailed out of Hanalei Bay Saturday at sunset and arrived off Moloka'i early Monday. The sail was a crew and navigator training exercise. Hokualaka'i, the newest deep-sea sailing canoe, will be moored at Hilo, Hawai'i, as an education platform for schoolchildren studying Hawaiian language.

The canoes conducted sailing trials around the small islets off Pelekunu and Waikolu Valleys, which were filmed by a crew from National Geographic.

Hokualaka'i crossed the Kaiwi Channel to return to Honolulu Wednesday and Hokule'a got back yesterday afternoon.