Hokule'a navigator Bruce Blankenfeld, in a remarkable feat of noninstrument navigation, yesterday sighted Johnston Island — a lone, low island hundreds of miles from the nearest other land.

The canoe, along with voyaging canoe Alingano Maisu and escort boat Kama Hele, sailed along the north reef of the island after it was spotted at 1:45 p.m. Crew member Ka'iulani Murphy in an e-mail described the excitement.

"Bruce is awesome! We first saw the large building on the main island, and then the ironwood trees emerged above the horizon. As we get closer, more of the small islands rise out of the sea and we watch attentively for waves breaking on shallow reef," Murphy wrote.

Johnston Atoll is 50 square miles of mostly reef, with just four small islands — Johnston Island among them. It is a national wildlife refuge and is uninhabited.

Blankenfeld's traditional navigation system was challenged by overcast skies and contrary winds, and he had been sailing well north of a line leading to the island. But he navigated the canoes to the edge of the range of seabirds that fly out from land each day and return each evening. While a low island may only be seen from a few miles away, the seabirds — notably the white tern, known in Hawaiian as manu o Ku — can fly as much as 120 miles from shore each day.

Among the cues navigators then use are the directions in which the birds are flying in the morning when they presumably are leaving the island, and in the evening, when they return home. The sailors aboard the voyaging canoes first spotted white terns over the weekend.

"Even though most of us have been on deep-sea voyages before, we still are amazed at the beauty of wayfinding. Bruce navigated us right to Johnston, despite all the weather challenges we have faced," Murphy wrote.

She also commented on a sensation that many sailors mention after going to sea aboard Hokule'a, the mothership of the Hawaiian canoe voyaging renaissance.

"Along with the skill of our navigator and captain, we all acknowledge the mana of Hokule'a. We are just the hands that help her get to where she needs to go," Murphy wrote.

The finding of Johnston confirms for the canoe voyagers their precise location a third of the way into their voyage from the Big Island to Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Johnston is about 900 miles from the Big Island, and the canoes have about 1,500 miles left to go.

Blankenfeld was the lead navigator for this portion of the trip. At sunset today, Hokule'a will drop back, and Alingano Maisu will take the lead, with its navigator Chadd Paishon taking over as lead navigator for the voyage.

The canoes will make partial crew changes at Majuro, and continue sailing through Micronesia. Their first major goal is to deliver the canoe Alingano Maisu to Satawal, where it will be formally presented as a gift of thanks to master navigator Mau Piailug, who taught noninstrument navigation to Hawaiian sailors.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.