Advertiser staff writer Jan TenBruggencate served as a crewmember aboard Hokule'a during the voyaging canoe's trip through the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. He took questions from readers during the journey and answered them here.

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Q. How do you get picked to be on the crew for Hokule'a?

A. Specialists like me are selected for their ability to contribute to the canoe's mission, but they must also be able to handle the physical stresses of an open ocean voyage. Every crewmember, regardless of other duties, is expected to take turns steering, hauling lines, raising sails, scrubbing decks and the many other chores involved in keeping the canoe going.

Also, see a response to an earlier question about how regular crew are selected.

Q. Why do they called the Laysan duck a duck if it is not in the water?

A. Laysan has a lake, so there's water for this duck.

Q. How do you keep your modern technology dry on the canoe?

A. That's very challenging. I brought two laptops along, and one is already non-functional due to an encounter with a rogue wave that washed over the boat while I was working in my covered bunk. One of the three cameras I brought — a supposedly waterproof model — has also failed. Most electronics gear is kept in waterproof cases — Pelican cases seem to be the most popular make — while not in actual use. Many crew members also use dry bags. The radio box, which contains the heart of the canoe's elelctrical system, has a top with deep sides, and is kept closed whenever not being worked with. In heavy weather, that is supplemented by a canvas cover that protects top and sides.

Q. Why are Hokule'a's sails red and in the shape of a triangle?

A. Sailing master Bruce Blankenfeld said the canoe switched to the latest sail form for its 2000 trip to Rapa Nui, when the crew expected a great deal of upwind sailing. These sails are more efficient than traditional crabclaw sails when sailing close to the wind.

They have no booms as a safety precaution, to prevent a swinging boom from injuring someone. Captain Nainoa Thompson said the canoe's main mission is education, and it takes a lot of school children out, and safety is a paramount concern.

As for color, the red sails are easier on the eyes on a hot sunny day than white sails, and Blankenfeld said the canoe has traditionally used darker sails.

Q. Were there any clues that Mokumanamana is a navigational island like it said in the newspaper?

A. Because of rough weather and high seas, we were unable to get very close to Mokumanamana, so crewmembers were unable to make any independent observations.

Q. Out of all the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands you have been to, which has the most marine life?

A. As I write this, the only ones on which the canoe crew has been able to closely inspect are Tern Island and La Perouse Pinnacle at French Frigate Shoals. Tern is hands down the most densely populated with seabirds of any we've seen. And in the less than an hour during which we were diving there, we were very impressed by the marine life around the pinnacle. The limu on the volcanic rock was dense and colorful, and we saw many varieties of fish — many quite large, including some sharks — as well as a seal and a big turtle. We look forward to checking out Laysan Island and its lagoon in a couple of days.

Q. What is the most difficult time in the day for the crew?

A. Many people feel that among the watches distributed through the day, the 2 to 6 a.m. watch is the most difficult, because it's hard to stay awake during those hours. But some prefer that watch. It's quiet, and you get to see the sun rise.

Q. Have you ever seen an iwa bird steal fish in flight?

A. I've seen it at the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Kaua'i. But we haven't seen that on this voyage. We saw hundreds of nesting iwas, sitting on eggs or with little chicks, while at Tern Island in French Frigate Shoals. At Nihoa, great flocks of iwa came out to greet us, swirling overhead.

Q. How do you feel when you spot an island for the first time?

A. It is a wonderful feeling, as Nainoa Thompson quotes the late Eddie Aikau, to "pull an island out of the sea." I happened to be steering the canoe when Russell Amimoto spotted Mokumanamana. There were cheers on board for that one.

Q. Could you please discribe the condition of Sand Island, buildings, infrastructure, etc, in relationship to its condition two years ago?

A. We're not there yet, but I hope to write about Midway, depending on how much time we have there.

Q. My dad helped build the Tern Island runway in World War II. I have heard that the retaining wall is deteriorating and a contractor is bringing rocks from a Kaua'i canefield in on a barge — can you tell me what's happening? How deep is it off the immediate edge of Tern? And don't go in the water — plenty mano!

A. The contracting firm Healy Tibbitts, with subcontractor Goodfellow Bros., is finishing up a contract with the Fish and Wildlife Service to repair a portion of the old seawall at Tern. The contract is for nearly $8 million, company officials there told me.  The old sheet metal walls are badly rusted, in some places collapsing, and have become a hazard for wildlife. The Hokule'a crew helped to lay new steel plate over some bad sections, so chicks wouldn't fall in.

The rock for the new revetments came from old McBryde Sugar Company canefield rock piles — the heaps of boulders the plantation pushed into piles as they appeared during plowing. The rocks were broken to uniform size and then pressure washed to ensure no alien insects or other organisms would infest Tern.

We didn't go over the edge of the barrier reef, so I can't address the depth issue. We did dive at La Perouse Pinnacle, and sure enough, we saw sharks. We also watched a Fish and Wildlife Service video of tiger sharks at Tern Island eating albatross chicks that landed on the water before getting out to sea on their first flights.

Q. Where do you get your fresh drinking water and how much can you store?

A. Our water is carried in plastic jugs. There are 15 five-gallon and 23 six-gallon jugs spread among the holds to balance the canoe. Our crew of 12 normally goes through about a single jug daily, for cooking and drinking, sometimes a little more. We use ocean water for bathing, dishwashing, toothbrushing and clothes washing.

At our stop at Tern Island, which has a desalination plant, we were able to refill six empty jugs. Crewman Keoni Kuoha experimented with catching water flowing off the main sail during a squall, but that particular squall didn't last long. He said the system, however, seemed to work.

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