Sails Into

Hawaiian Canoe

Distant Past

A 60 ft double hull canoe, the Hokule’a, in May was between Hawaii and Tahiti on the first leg of a round trip aimed at proving Polynesians navigated between the two groups. The crew has been using traditional sources of in formation for navigation the sun, moon, stars, winds, currents and ocean swells.

The chief navigator is Piailug, a traditional Pacific navigator from Satawal Atoll in the Yap District of the Trust Territory. He has made two 500-mile trips from Satawal to Saipan in an outrigger canoe in four days using traditional methods to chart the course.

The Hokule’a carried a crew of 1 5, plus two photographers from the National Geographic magazine. The 3,000 miles on the first leg were expected to take about 30 days. The canoe built for the

Polynesian Voyaging Society has sails

made from pandanus matting woven by the women of Kapingamarangi Atoll, southernmost atoll in the US Trust

Territory.

The assistant navigator is Dr David Lewis, a New Zealand physician, noted for his sailing feats in the Ice Bird, a world authority on non-instrument navigation. He said before leaving Honolulu that Piailug was one of the 12 outstanding natural navigators left in the world.

He said that during the night about nine stars would be used to steer by as they rose in the horizon. During daylight they would steer by the sun. Day and night, and when the skies were obscured, the lines of sea swells would be noted. Even if they were disguised by surface waves, Piailug would feel them.

“Big waves are no hazard unless they’re breaking in storms”, Dr Lewis said. “In that case, we lower the sails and the canoe just drifts sideways very happily. Going in summer, we should miss the hurricane season down south, and Hokule’a is safer than a lot of boats people cross the ocean on”.