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Hokule‘a and crew spend time in Florida

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COURTESY POLYNESIAN VOYAGING SOCIETY

Above, the crew bids aloha to Randy Rickard, far right, a Florida resident who piloted the escort boat, Julie’s Cat, from Virginia to Miami.

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COURTESY POLYNESIAN VOYAGING SOCIETY

At top, Keala Kai, left, Snake Ah Hee and Zane Havens stand at the stern of the Hokule‘a as it passes under a bridge on the way to Shake-a-Leg Marina in Florida.

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COURTESY POLYNESIAN VOYAGING SOCIETY

Above, Kawika Crivello, left, Ah Hee, Havens and Lamona Shintani arrived at Miami on Saturday.

The Hokule‘a has arrived for a three-week stay in Miami, where the crew of the traditional voyaging canoe will share its message of caring for Earth with local schools and community groups.

The worldwide voyagers, who made landfall Saturday, will connect with Shake-a-Leg Miami, a nonprofit that gives people a chance to experience water sports and the marine environment. The organization focuses on people with physical, developmental and economic challenges.

“With every person our crew engages with, we get one step closer to growing a global movement of people who share a common passion of malama aina,” said Kalepa Baybayan, navigator and captain for the sail through Florida.

“Miami will be a critical break for our team as we create and engage in conversations with people who nurture and inspire stewardship for our Mother Earth,” he said in a statement released from the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

The Hokule‘a is moored at Shake-a-Leg Marina and will offer free tours, and crew members plan to reach out with educational efforts.

Shake-a-Leg clients will have a chance to meet the crew, learn about its mission and hear inspiring stories of its voyage. The nonprofit offers therapeutic sailing and water sports as well as environmental lessons, so its mission dovetails well with that of the Hokule‘a.

The Hokule‘a crew will also connect with Florida schools and members of the Miccosukee and Seminole Nations. Representatives of those tribes welcomed the Hokule‘a to Everglades National Park in March, before the canoe spent nine months sailing up and down the East Coast.

Miami is the last stop on the 25th leg of the worldwide journey. The leg began in Virginia, where the vessel was in dry dock.

The canoe will load up with provisions in Miami and prepare for the next leg of its journey.

In about three weeks a new crew will sail the Hokule‘a to Key West before heading into the Caribbean and on to the Panama Canal.

To follow the Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage, visit hokulea.com/track-the-voyage.

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