Polynesian Voyaging Society

THE POLYNESIAN VOYAGING SOCIETY HAS LAUNCHED (THROUGH THE RENOVATION OF OUR VOYAGING CANOE, HOKULE'A) SAIL PLANS FOR HAWAI'I-WIDE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS/VOYAGES AND A SAIL PLAN FOR A WORLDWIDE VOYAGE. THE PURPOSE OF THE WORLDWIDE VOYAGE IS TO BECOME A CATALYST FOR POSITIVE CHANGE IN HAWAI'I BY CONSTANTLY LEARNING FROM AND NUTURING RELATIONSHIPS WORLDWIDE THAT SHARE THE VALUES AND RESPONSIBILITY OF CARING FOR ISLAND EARTH, HER OCEANS AND CHILDREN, WHILE HONORING OUR HERITAGE AND PERPETUATING OUR CULTURE.

THE BEGINNING OF 2021 SAW PVS FOCUSED ON THE REVISION OF MAJOR SYSTEMS ONBOARD OUR SAILING CANOES AS WE PREPARED THEM FOR THEIR NEXT VOYAGE AROUND THE PACIFIC. OF PARTICULAR FOCUS WAS INCREASING THE POWER CAPABILITY OF HIKIANALIA, WHICH SERVES AS EMERGENCY AND SAFETY SUPPORT TO OUR OTHER CANOE HOKULE'A IS STRICTLY SAIL-POWERED. THIS INVOLVED REFITTING THE TWIN HULLS OF THE CANOE WITH A PAIR OF NEW YANMAR DIESEL ENGINES AND TESTING THESE ENGINES WITH THE USE OF CLEAN BIOFUELS THROUGH OUR WORK WITH PACIFIC BIODIESEL. THE PROCESS TO MANY MONTHS TO COMPLETE AND WE USED THE OPPORTUNITY TO FURTHER UPGRADE THE ELECTRICAL, RADIO, AND SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS ONBOARD BOTH VESSELS. NEW DONATED KVH SATELLITE DISHES WERE INSTALLED ON EACH VESSEL TO SUPPORT THE DAILY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING THAT FOLLOWS THE VOYAGES AND SHARED THROUGH OUR WEB PLATFORMS.WE CONDUCTED 2 MAJOR VOYAGING PROGRAMS IN THE YEAR 2021. THE FIRST WAS A PLANNED VOYAGE TO THE DOLDRUMS/ITCZ REGION OF THE EQUATOR BETWEEN HAWAII AND TAHITI. THIS VOYAGE WOULD SERVE AS THE FIRST MAJOR TRAINING SAIL SINCE THE COVID PANDEMIC SHUTDOWN OPERATIONS AND BRING LIGHT TO THE STORY OF SOME OF THE EARTH SYSTEMS THAT GOVERN OUR OCEAN AND WEATHER. PARTICIPANTS IN THE VOYAGE INCLUDED A GROUP OF NEW TRAINING CREW MEMBERS AND NAVIGATORS WHO WOULD BE TESTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THEIR SEAMANSHIP AND NAVIGATION SKILL IN THE OPEN-OCEAN. BOTH OF OUR SAILING CANOES HOKULE'A AND HIKIANALIA WOULD TAKE PART IN THE VOYAGE, WITH HOKULE'A LEADING THE SAILING AND HIKIANALIA PROVIDING LOGISTICAL, SAFETY, AND COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT. A COMBINATION OF COVID-RELATED DELAYS AND HEALTH PRECAUTIONS AS WELL AS INCLEMENT WEATHER PATTERNS DID LEAD TO THE DURATION OF THE VOYAGE BEING SHORTENED THAN THE ORIGINAL DISTANCE, HOWEVER THE EXERCISE WAS CONSIDERED A SUCCESS IN FURTHER PREPARING PVS AND THE CREW FOR THE UPCOMING MOANANUIAKEA VOYAGE. THE VOYAGE WOULD TEST THE RECENTLY INSTALLED PROPULSION EQUIPMENT ONBOARD THE HIKIANALIA AS WELL AS THE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM THAT WOULD PROVIDE REGULAR MEDIA UPDATES TO OUR NEWLY DEVELOPED WEB PLATFORMS.UPON RETURN FROM THE DOLDRUMS VOYAGE IN THE SPRING/SUMMER OF 2021, WE SET OUT ON A VOYAGE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NOAA TO THE PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT (PMNM). AGAIN, THIS WOULD UTILIZE BOTH OUR SAILING CANOES HOKULE'A AND HIKIANALIA. THIS VOYAGE WAS SPECIFICALLY MEANT TO TRAIN A GROUP OF 6 YOUNG NAVIGATORS IN THE BASICS OF NON-INSTRUMENT WAYFINDING BY UTILIZING THE REMOTE NORTHWESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS AS A TRADITIONAL TRAINING COURSE. THEY WOULD WORK AS A TEAM TO LOCATE THE TINY ISLANDS OF NIHOA, MOKU MANANMANA, AND THE FRENCH FRIGATE SHOALS. ACCOMPANYING THIS JOURNEY WAS A LEAD SCIENTIST FROM NOAA WHO WOULD FOCUS ON SURVEYS OF THE ATOLLS AND SURROUNDING REEFS, AS THE FIRST VISUAL REVIEW OF THE SITES SINCE PANDEMIC-RELATED LOCKDOWNS ELIMINATED ACCESS TO PMNM. ONBOARD WE CONDUCTED FURTHER TESTING OF LIVE-VIDEO CAPABILITIES STREAMED THROUGH OUR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS AND DOCUMENTED THE JOURNEY FOR AN UPCOMING PATAGONIA FILM.