Crew Training - 8 Day Deep Sea Voyage

Crew training for the Worldwide Voyage (WWV) is at an exciting point.

Well over 100 brand new crewmembers are conducting numerous overnight sails weekly as well as classroom sessions twice a week. Meanwhile, other crews who have been training together for up to two years are beginning to conduct a series of deep-sea sails as the culmination of the required program to qualify for the WWV (at least ten coastal sails, four inter-island crossings and the deep-sea voyage simulation).

Between January 25th and February 1st, the first deep-sea training sail took place. Captain Mike Taylor and watch captains ‘Aukai Cavaco, Ikaika Pestana and Luke Williams completed their leadership training requirements for the WWV and the other crewmembers qualified to crew the WWV.

The eight-day sail took the crew from O‘ahu to the Big Island, up to Moloka‘i and along her spectacular north shore sea cliffs back to O‘ahu. There, after five days at sea, the crew picked up Nainoa Thompson and five navigation students, including Haunani Kane who navigated the last three-day leg of the voyage to Kaua‘i. Haunani was absolutely superb, navigating us directly from Ka‘ena Point to Kaua‘i despite total overcast that denied her any clues from celestial bodies. Using only wind and swells, her navigation was flawless under terrible conditions.

The purpose of adding Kaua‘i to the sail plan, rather than continuing south from Big Island on a simulated voyage to Tahiti, was to enable Hōkūle‘a to participate in a memorial service celebrating the life of Stella Kutaka in her home, Waimea. Stella was Executive Assistant to the Trustees of Kamehameha Schools for more than twenty years and a valued and much beloved friend and supporter of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. The crew was deeply honored to participate in Stella’s ‘ohana’s remembrance of this remarkable lady. Hōkūle‘a had the honor of transporting a beautiful floral kāhili from PVS to the ceremony. Serving as crew on this leg was Chad Taniguchi, Stella’s lifelong friend and classmate from elementary school through university. During the memorial, dolphins frolicked all around Hōkūle‘a and her escort vessel Kama Hele.

With Ni‘ihau looming in the west, Hōkūle‘a and her newly-qualified crew had seen all of the main eight Hawaiian Islands during this valuable and important training milestone.

By Captain Mike Taylor

Music: Hōkūle‘a Hula by Peter Apo