The Polynesian voyaging canoes Hokule‘a and Hikianalia departed from Sand Island at about 11:15 a.m. Monday on the first leg of their sail to Tahiti. The Kealaikahiki Voyage is focused on preparing the next generation of crew members for the momentous Moananuiakea Voyage, a five-year circumnavigation of the Pacific set to launch in 2023.
Aboard the Hokule‘a is Lehua Kamalu, the first woman to serve as both lead captain and navigator on the vessel for a Hawaii-to- Tahiti trip. Two other captains, Kaniela Lyman-Mersereau and Kaleo Wong, will be trained on the Hikianalia by master navigator Bruce Blankenfeld.
Kamalu said her voyaging experiences have come full circle for her. Growing up, she looked up to many female navigators and ocean leaders, and now she sees young girls looking to her as a role model. Kamalu said that when she traveled on the Hikianalia to California in 2018, the first people she met were two girls who were both excited to see her.
“To see that happen … it starts to sink in a little more,” she said. “It’s a blessing, an opportunity and a challenge. It is an important role.”
The voyaging canoes’ departure was postponed three times due to weather-related issues and a positive COVID-19 test in a member on a training voyage who is not part of the current sail. The crew members who departed from Sand Island on Monday all tested negative, according to the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
The canoes are scheduled to arrive in Hilo on Wednesday before departing for Tahiti as soon as Thursday. Depending on the weather, the voyage from Hilo to Tahiti will take about 20 days. Hokule‘a and Hikianalia are expected to return to Oahu in mid-June.
Once in Tahiti, crew members will participate in the Blue Climate Summit, a global convening of more than 250 Pacific leaders to discuss solutions to climate change and other ocean-related challenges and issues.
The Hawaii crews also will sail to the sacred navigational heiau of Taputapuatea in Raiatea, where elders will perform ceremonies to consecrate the two voyaging canoes in preparation for the Moananuiakea Voyage.
Nainoa Thompson, Polynesian Voyaging Society CEO, said it’s time for the next generation to step up and lead. He added that the voyaging society has been preparing for the Moananuiakea Voyage for a long time and plans to train more than 200 new crew members from the end of this voyage through 2023, depending on the pandemic situation.
The Moananuiakea Voyage is planned to launch in 2023 and will cover 41,000 miles, 345 ports, 46 countries and archipelagos, and 100 Indigenous territories over five years. The goal is to inspire and educate a new generation of navigators, which Thompson said is crucial to continuing the legacy of Polynesian voyaging.
“If young people don’t care, then Hokule‘a isn’t relevant,” he said. “We’ve been training hard. And this crew has hung in there. It’s a testament to this amazing community that believes in something important.”
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Jayna Omaye covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
