The voyaging canoes Hokule‘a and Hikianalia departed Hilo at 12:30 p.m. today on their way to Tahiti after a five-day wait for favorable weather conditions.

The sailing vessels will follow Kealaikahiki, the 2,500-mile ancient sea road to Tahiti, while focusing on navigational training and cultural protocol to prepare the crew and test the canoes for the Moananuiakea Voyage, a five-year circumnavigation of the Pacific set to launch in 2023.

The open-ocean leg of the Kealaikahiki Voyage is designed to train crew who will become the captains and navigators who lead the Moananuiakea Voyage, according to a news release from the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

On board the Hokule‘a is Lehua Kamalu, who will become the first woman to lead-captain and lead-navigate a canoe from Hawaii to Tahiti, the release said. On Hikianalia, the captain in training is Kaniela Lyman-Mersereau and the apprentice navigator is Kaleo Wong.

While in French Polynesia, crew leaders will participate in the Blue Climate Summit on ocean protection and climate change, the release said

The two canoes are expected to reach Tahiti in approximately 20 days, weather permitting, and are scheduled to return to Oahu around June 15.

The Hokule‘a and Hikianalia and their crews are accompanied by Waahonua.com, “a virtual addition” to the PVS fleet named after Wa‘a Honua (Canoe for the Earth), the release said. The digital platform will follow the progress of the Kealaikahiki Voyage to Tahiti and back, and join the Moananuiakea Voyage as well.

Created for general audiences and “learners of all ages,” the voyage dashboard will provide daily updates, video stories and educational content produced by PVS and curated from educational and research partners including Kamehameha Schools, Arizona State University, University of Hawaii and Bishop Museum, the release said.

Additional features being developed include virtual expeditions, livestreams and moderated discussions.

For more information, visit hokulea.com.