Canoe crew finishes 3-year world voyage navigated by nature
Message of caring for earth spread to 19 countries
HONOLULU — No modern navigation instrumentation guided a Polynesian voyaging canoe as it followed the horizon during a three-year journey around the globe.
About a dozen crewmembers for each leg of the voyage relied only on their understanding of nature’s cues — ocean swells, stars, wind,birds—andtheirown naau, or gut, to sail across about 40,000 nautical miles to 19 countries, spreading a message of malama honua: Caring for the earth.
On Saturday, thousands welcomed double-hulled canoe Hokulea home to Hawaii when it entered a channel off the island Oahu and tied up to a floating dock with iconic Diamond Head in the distance.
The voyage perpetuated the traditional wayfinding that brought the first Polynesians several thousand miles to Hawaii hundreds of years ago.
The trip also helped train a new generation of young navigators.
Hokulea means star of gladness. The canoe was built and launched in the 1970s, when there were no Polynesian navigators left.
The epic round-theworld voyage that started in 2014 shows how far Hokulea has gone since its first voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976.
Crewmembers hope the success of the latest journey will inspire other indigenous cultures to rediscover and revive traditions. Polynesian Voyaging Society President Nainoa Thompson said he also hopes indigenous cultures can help with solutions to modern-day problems such as climate change.
Fish they caught for meals never went to waste, even when the crew once landed a 49-pound ahi, crewmember Naalehu Anthony, who participated in about half-a-dozen legs of the voyage, recalled in a blog post.
“The fish was plenty for us for the day,” he wrote. “In fact too much — because we do not have any refrigeration, we either need to consume it, share it or dry it.”
Crewmembers slept in plywood bunks covered with waterproof canvas and bathing was simple, recalled Russell Amimoto, a Hokulea crewmember for two legs.
“We have unlimited supply of nice, ocean-temperature saltwater available,” he said, explaining that crewmembers threw a bucket attached to a rope overboard to scoop up water for bathing.
“We’ll towel-off right away to try to get as much salt off us as possible,” Amimoto said.
Last week the crew spotted the 10,023-foot-high Maui mountain Haleakala looming in the distance, signifying Hokulea’s official return to Hawaii waters.
After returning, Hokulea will embark on an eightmonth trip sailing throughout the Hawaiian islands.
“We will go to as many as 70 communities and 100 schools to thank Hawaii’s people and share what we have learned with their children,” Thompson said. “We are also looking forward to hearing Hawaii stories of malama honua.”