Hikianalia expected to arrive in Honolulu on Tuesday

The Hikianalia, the Hokule‘a’s sister canoe, is expected to arrive in Honolulu on Tuesday, on the final leg of the Alahula Kai o Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage from San Diego back to Hawaii.

Following an approximately 2,300-nautical-mile sail, the solar- and wind-powered Hikianalia and her crew are on track to arrive at the Marine Education and Training Center at Sand Island on Tuesday, depending on weather conditions. In its latest Instagram post, the crew posted a photo of a seabird over the ocean, and said they were “in good spirits and eager to get home.”

This journey, which will use only non-instrument navigation, is being led by co-captains Kaniela Lyman-Mersereau and Jason Patterson, along with lead navigator Haunani Kane. The three are part of the cohort of the Polynesia Voyaging Society’s “next generation” of leaders who trained during the Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage.

The Hikianalia departed Honolulu in mid-August and made landfall at Half Moon Bay, Calif, on Sept. 10. While in California, the canoe made stops in San Francisco, Sausalito, Monterey, Ventura County, Redondo Beach, Catalina Island, Orange County and San Diego. She was greeted at each port with an arrival ceremony hosted by the indigenous and local communities of the area.

The purpose of the California Voyage was to share the culture, history and values of traditional Polynesian voyaging through public presentations, school visits and dockside canoe tours.