‘Hikianalia’ to Reach San Fransisco Sept. 16

“Hikianalia” on her voyage to California, Sept. 2018. PC: Mariah Hugho

Thousands of Northern Californians along with dozens of outrigger canoe paddlers are expected to greet traditional voyaging canoe Hikianalia as it sails under the Golden Gate Bridge and into Aquatic Park for an arrival ceremony and community celebration on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018.

Hikianalia and crewmembers departed Hawaiʻi on Aug. 18, 2018. The canoe and its crew sailed approximately 2,800 miles from Hawaiʻi to California, navigating their way by observing the sun, stars, winds and birds.

The goal of the voyage is to highlight the important relationship between humanity and nature and to inspire action towards a culturally and environmentally thriving world.

The voyage was timed to coincide with the Global Climate Action Summit.

Hikianalia, sister canoe of iconic Hōkūle‘a, is used as a floating classroom blending ancient wisdom with modern solutions for a sustainable world. Values and behavior practiced on the deck of the canoe including how to conserve resources as well as care for oceans and fellow crew members offer a model for how we can live sustainably on islands or anywhere in the world.

On Sept. 17 and 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the public is invited to come aboard Hikianalia for dockside canoe tours at Hyde Street Pier

Along the way, the crew experienced nearly five straight days of overcast weather that put the navigators’ skills to the test as clouds obscured celestial elements used in non-instrument wayfinding.

“This whole journey and our preparation was planned for two major tacks—one headed northbound,
and one headed eastbound,” said Lehua Kamalu, captain and lead navigator of Hikianalia. “That was to get around a high-pressure system that traditionally sits NE of the Hawaiian Islands in the summertime months. This year has been particularly challenging as the high has moved around quite a bit, causing, sometimes, winds where we didn’t expect them to be, or areas that are calm where we originally thought there would be wind.”

The sail plan has taken the crewmembers from Hawai’i directly north as far as 42 degrees latitude, the
upper limit of what the crew had planned.

“As you can see, the canoe itself is pretty exposed, so we don’t like to go too far north into the cold—
this is about as cold as we like to sail,” Kamalu said.

More information can be found at Alahula Kai o Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage.