The Hokule‘a arrived Tuesday night in San Diego, which will be its final stop in the United States leg of the Moananuiakea Voyage, according to a Polynesian Voyaging Society news release.
The canoe will remain in San Diego throughout November at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, where it will also sail alongside the world’s oldest active sailing ship, the Star of India, before making an early return to Hawaii.
“We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to host Hokule‘a’s visit to San Diego,” said Maritime Museum of San Diego President and CEO Raymond Ashley in a written statement. “She arrives at a time when we celebrate San Diego’s iconic Star of India and her 160th birthday as the world’s oldest active sailing ship.”
The Star of India is the last ship still sailing to have once flown the flag of the kingdom of Hawaii, according to the news release. It is scheduled to make its first sail in five years alongside the Hokule‘a on Saturday and Nov. 19.
Those who would like to view the Star of India’s sail can expect it to depart from the Maritime Museum of San Diego at 9 a.m. each morning, sail 2-3 miles west of Point Loma, and weather permitting, under the tow. There, it will perform sail maneuvers until joining the Hokule‘a at the entrance to San Diego Bay at 3 p.m. The ship is scheduled to return to the Maritime Museum each day at 5 p.m.
On Monday, the Hokule‘a’s crew is scheduled to conduct dockside canoe tours to the public. It will also hold its final public event in San Diego on Nov. 28, when voyaging society CEO and master navigator Nainoa Thompson is scheduled to speak at the University of California, San Diego.
A date for the Hokule‘a’s return from San Diego to Hawaii has yet to be determined, however the Maui wildfires and unprecedented weather conditions prompted the decision to deviate from the Hokule‘a’s original sail plan, which would have taken it to Mexico.
“Moananuiakea is not going to be paused,” Thompson said. “It’s going to be basically focused back at home as we pay attention and pay respect to nature and wait for her to cool down.”
With 2023 having been forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as the hottest year on record, Thompson explained that the risks of sailing farther south during December include potential encounters with tropical cyclones, particularly in El Nino seasons.
While the cyclones are generally weaker in speed, they’re about 10 times wider than hurricanes, making them particularly challenging to avoid, he said.
“I had to make a very unpopular call,” Thompson said. “We want to push the edge of exploration and be on the edge of discovery, but my job is to make sure that it’s done safely.”
The Hokule‘a’s first stop upon its return to Hawaii will be Lahaina, which Thompson said has produced top captains and navigators among the state’s voyaging community. The voyaging society is currently coordinating with the community there in order to deliver its support where it is most needed, as well as with the school systems to provide outreach to the local youth.
A revised sail plan following the Hokule‘a’s stop in Lahaina will be determined based on how next year’s weather unfolds, Thompson said.
“We are committed to Moananuiakea, and we will complete it when nature gives us permission to do that,” he said.
Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
