Gale-force winds creating high surf in the 'Alenuihaha Channel between Maui and the Big Island are forcing the crew of Hokule'a to wait at least a few days before beginning its historic trip to Micronesia and Japan, what navigator Nainoa Thompson is calling the most dangerous and challenging journey yet for the storied canoe.

"We are sailing into, in my opinion, the riskiest place that Hokule'a has ever been," Thompson said. "On the one hand, it's the place that has the nicest, calmest sail weather," Thompson said. "And on the other hand, it has the most violent storms."

The risks, however, must be taken because of the significance of the canoe going into Micronesia and Japan, and they have been minimized by years of training and preparation, he said.

The Polynesian Voyaging Society held an emotional departure ceremony dockside at the Marine Education Training Center at Sand Island yesterday that saw Okinawan dancers taking their place alongside Micronesian chanters and a traditional Hawaiian hula halau in sending off the canoe.

Hokule'a will cover more than 7,000 nautical miles and sail into the Western Pacific for the first time. Thompson said the five-month voyage will be the most complex in the 30-year history of the 62-foot double-hulled voyaging canoe that has zigzagged through the Pacific and become a symbol of pride for Polynesians.

Hokule'a has never journeyed into any part of the Pacific during hurricane season, Thompson said. Now it is heading into a region that is vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms all year, he said.

To minimize the risk, Hokule'a and the newly built Alingano Maisu will be traveling between January and June, when the chances of encountering a hurricane or tropical storm are less likely.

"I cannot express how dangerous these storms are," he said. "It's not just the strength of the wind, but it's the nature of how the storm builds the waves — very, very steep and confused seas."

Crew members have trained for the last three years to prepare to meet any dangers, he said.

As for the delay in getting out of Hawai'i, Thompson said he expects the weather to take an upward turn by the end of next week, if not sooner. He described 'Alenuihaha as among the most treacherous channels in the world.

Hokule'a must travel from Honolulu to Kawaihae first to rendezvous with the Alingano Maisu, a canoe built by the organization Na Kalai Wa'a Moku o Hawai'i as a gift for Micronesian master navigator Mau Piailug, who taught Thompson and others the art of celestial navigation.

The new canoe is to be presented to Piailug at his home island of Satawal, expected to be one of the emotional highlights of the journey.

After Micronesia, Hokule'a heads to Japan for a goodwill tour that will, in part, mirror the 1881 voyage of King David Kalakaua to Yokohama that led to the immigration of the first Japanese to Hawai'i.

Thompson said today he expects local weather conditions to improve by early next week so that the two canoes can leave Hawai'i by the end of next week.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.