Getting ready to leave Hanalei Bay

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Science Writer

Most of the crew arrived at Lihu'e Airport in the late morning, piling into two rental cars, my truck and that of watch commander Dennis Chun. Several stopped at Hamura Saimin for a snack before heading out to Hanalei. There was last minute shopping for a sleeping bag for Keoni Kuoha and batteries for navigator Ka'iulani Murphy.

At the shore, Cathy Ham Young and her family hosted the crew with a big tent and a pig in the imu.

Most of the crew was aboard by 3:30 p.m., loading personal gear into their bunks, organizing on-deck gear, and making idle chatter. Capt. Nainoa Thompson swam out to the canoe, which was roughly a quarter mile from shore, and walked the deck wordlessly, chatting quietly with individual crew members.

Students from Chun's Kaua'i Community College Hawaiian studies classes paddled out, chanting. Clouds hung heavy over Namolokama, the mountain that forms Hanalei's backdrop.