The Big Island voyaging canoe Hokualaka'i, whose crew converses in the Hawaiian language, will sail Sunday from drydock at the Marine Education Training Center at Sand Island on a two-leg journey via Maui to its Hilo home port.

The 58-foot canoe is operated by 'Aha Punana Leo, an educational organization dedicated to perpetuating Hawaiian language and culture. Its skipper, educator Chad Baybayan, has served as captain on the older voyaging canoes Hokule'a and Hawai'iloa.

Hokualaka'i during its sea trials visited all the main Hawaiian islands except Ni'ihau, plus Nihoa and Mokumanamana in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Next year, the canoe will engage in crew training sails that will include Ni'ihau.

The training program is titled E Poho Na Pe'a, for "let the sails be full."

"We want to visit all the islands and cross all the channels in Hawai'i to honor our islands first, before we travel to other islands," said Kaimana Barcarse, media coordinator for 'Aha Punana Leo.

Crew members from the Hokualaka'i also will participate next year in a voyaging canoe mission into the western Pacific, which will include two canoes: the original Hawaiian voyaging canoe, Hokule'a, and Maisu, a voyaging canoe built by the Hawaiian canoe community for Mau Piailug, the Micronesian navigator who taught traditional noninstrument navigation to Hawaiian navigators.

Hokule'a and Maisu are scheduled to sail from Hawai'i in January on a multileg voyage to Piailug's home island of Satawal, to deliver the canoe to the navigator and his family. Thereafter, Hokule'a is scheduled to sail on to Japan.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.