More Questions & Answers from Hōkūle‘a

Aloha kākou,

Mahalo for all your well wishes and questions. Itʻs heart warming to know that youʻre thinking of us. Here are todayʻs questions and answers. Keep ʻem coming.

Mahalo

From where you are now, Hōkūle‘a crew, if all the horizon is sea meeting sky, do you have a different appreciation of the earth?

• Angela - A 360 degree horizon is pretty cool.  How often does this happen?
• Kaina - Can't put this into words.  Some connection between two worlds.
• Eli - Out here in the open ocean, the world seems right.   From my vantage point at this very moment – with only a canoe, its crew, the sea and sky, birds, wind and rain, and without being raised and departing on this sail from a populous and developed land of the main Hawaiian islands – I would not know a modern global civilization existed.  While at the same time there exists not so subtle signs of a scarred earth.  With two skilled fisherman onboard Hōkūle‘a, we have not caught one fish in four days. Is such a statistic significant?  Fishery surveys show that 9 of 10 large fish are gone from our oceans. Itʻs hard to believe that the immensly vast deep blue contains measurable and significant elements, many with negative effects, from humankind's "progressive" world.
• Keala - It pushes you to dare to dream beyond the horizon.
• Monte - This perspective enriches my understanding and connection with the natural world.  Also to see the vastness of the ocean and the sky… a horizon that appears endless.
• Kamaki - Sanity is out here.
• Jenna - the 360 horizon is bliss, like a dream. 

Thereʻs a big storm in Hawai‘i, can you see the effects so far away?
Yes, we are currently sailing in light south easterlies rather than north east trades, additionally we are riding a beautiful northerly swell courtesy of the storm. The rain and squalls for the last day and a half spun of the storm, but it was nothing like the main islands got.

When thereʻs 100% cloud cover, how do you tell where youʻre going?
It is harder, we spent yesterday steering by the wind direction which works until there is a wind shift. Swell direction is also helpful and sometimes you can catch a glimpse of the sun or moon through the cloud cover.

How does garlic help you overcome seasickness?
The food that reduces seasickness is ginger. It appears to have a local effect on the stomach.

Can you see more fish/birds where you are vs. Hawai‘i?
There are fewer birds here because they are far from nesting grounds and the deep waters are less fertile. We did however see birds that are not often seen on the main islands like black footed albatross.

How long can you stay on the canoe?
The  longest trip so far was the first voyage which took 31 days to get from Hawai‘i to Tahiti.

How do you use geometry to navigate?
Divide the horizon into 32 segments, then figure out your heading by which segment the stars rise and set in.

Why did you choose to become a sailor?
Jenna says "we were called."

Whatʻs the most exciting thing thats happened on this voyage?
Watching the old stars and the new ones rise = getting south.