Question: Whatever happened to that Hawaiian voyaging canoe at Kamehameha Iki Park in Lahaina that has been under construction for more than a decade?
Answer: The double-hulled sailing canoe Mo‘okiha O Pi‘ilani, designed for long-distance sailing, is scheduled to launch in June in celebration of Kamehameha Day, said its builder, Tim Gilliom.
Late at night, sometime before Kamehameha Day, the canoe will be put on a trailer and wheeled for a little more than a mile down Front Street through Lahaina town to Mala for launching, Gilliom said.
The canoe — 62 feet 5 inches long and about 19 feet wide — is designed to carry 12 crew members on transoceanic voyages.
It is part of a growing renaissance in Hawaiian canoes, on which crew members learn traditional wayfinding using natural signs — including the stars, wind and birds — as navigational tools.
Using these methods, the double-hulled voyaging canoe Hokule‘a sailed from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976, demonstrating that Polynesians were capable of making long-distance voyages centuries before Europeans crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
The hull of the Mo‘okiha O Pi‘ilani is similar in structure to the Hokule‘a, with cold-molded plywood and Fiberglas.
Gilliom, also the captain, said volunteers have finished varnishing the decks and that the canoe has masts and main sails.
He said solar panels and electrical wiring still need to be installed to generate power for lights and the communications system.
Gilliom, a fisherman, was on the voyages of the Hokule‘a through Micronesia and Japan in 2007.
The group heading the project, Hui Wa‘a Kaulua, has a wish list of items for those able to contribute to the project, including safety harnesses and foul-weather gear for the crew, and a stern jib as well as a medium and large jib.
Donations may be sent to the nonprofit Hui O Wa‘a Kaulua, 525 Front St., Lahaina, HI 96761.
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This update was written by Gary T. Kubota. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To…” by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.
