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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Saturday, June 4, 2005

New canoe to travel with Hokule'a

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Hawaiian voyaging canoes Hokule'a and Hokualaka'i are scheduled to sail from Hanalei into the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands starting June 17, for visits to Nihoa and Mokumanamana islands.

Hokualaka'i crew members Josh Lhote, left, and John Gamble worked the steering sweep on the year-old voyaging canoe's trip last week from Hilo to Kona.

Kaimana Barcarse

The mission combines cultural and crew training components for both vessels and voyaging sea trials for the one-year-old Hokualaka'i.

"Our main mission will be to support the cultural access to those islands," said Nainoa Thompson, who will serve as skipper on Hokule'a during the voyage. He said Ka'iulani Murphy, whose first major training passage as a navigator was a successful sailing from Kaua'i to Nihoa last year, will once again navigate.

Hokualaka'i captain and navigator Chad Kalepa Baybayan said the voyage will complete nearly a year of sailing and work aboard the newer canoe.

"It was always our plan for our first year of sea trials that we take the canoe to Mokumanamana," Baybayan said. "We'll be working with a new cohort of sailors that we're training on the Big Island."

The canoe sailed last week from Hilo to Kona on a series of island hops to Hanalei, where it will meet Hokule'a. He said most of the 48 sailors in training will participate in one leg of the series of sails. It is 160 miles from Hanalei to Nihoa, and 180 miles from there to Mokumanamana.

The 62-foot, twin-masted Hokule'a is owned by Bishop Museum and operated by the Polynesian Voyaging Society, which Thompson heads. Half of its crew will be made up of members of the Kupu'ea Pae Moku Hawaiian cultural group.

The 56-foot, single-masted Hokualaka'i is owned and operated by the 'Aha Punana Leo Hawaiian language education program and serves as a floating classroom.

Halealoha Ayau of Kupu'ea Pae Moku said Hawaiian cultural practitioners, some of whom will be on Hokule'a and some on an escort boat, will land on Nihoa and Mokumanamana if weather permits.

He said this year's voyage is a continuation of one in 2003, when members of the group spent the night on Nihoa as Hokule'a lay at anchor.

The canoes are scheduled to return to Kaua'i on June 26 and then travel to O'ahu. In early July, Hokualaka'i is to receive repairs and adjustments to address issues identified during the trials. The canoe will be back in the water in October to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Hokule'a's launching.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.