Traditional voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa, Hikianalia sail for new training ground

The crews of traditional voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia are sailing to a new training ground, toward the North Pacific Gyre, as part of continual preparations for the Moananuiākea circumnavigation of the Pacific.

The canoes departed at about 3 p.m. Wednesday from the Marine Education Training Center at Sand Island off O‘ahu.

“This trip is a different way to explore and it’s a shift to something new, and I think that’s what exploration is all about,” said Polynesian Voyaging Society CEO and navigator Nainoa Thompson. “We’ve been focusing on the climate significance of the convergence zone on the equator and now we will explore and learn about its relationship to the north.”

The deep sea training voyage will take about one week round trip.

The hope was to reach the gyre at about 31 degrees north. It is an area where warm air from the equator is cooled and descends, playing a vital role in the systems that allow Earth to be liveable.

The main goal, however, is to train and graduate the next generation of navigators.

“We have been focusing, over many of the last 49 years of learning and training, on knowledge, performance and skill, but navigation is more than that,” Thompson added. “It’s spiritual, and as Mau taught us, there is a code of conduct that includes respect, humility, being quiet.”

Sixteen crew members are part of this new training voyage.

A low pressure system is forming to the north of where the canoes are heading, and the National Weather Service forecast calls for the possibility of thunderstorms this weekend. So the canoes likely will have to adjust their sail plan and turn back south sooner than expected.

Audiences can follow the voyage on Facebook, Instagram and the Polynesian Voyaging Society website.

Educational resources are also available online.