TWELVE DAYS OUT IN A DOUBLE-HULLED CANOE

PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT

Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i

Feature

The following entry is from the journal of an unidentified member of a fleet of four "vaka" – double-hulled voyaging canoes launched from Auckland and bound for Raivavae in the Austral Islands south of Tahiti. The canoes, to be met by a traditional canoe from Tahiti, are retracing the paths of the early Polynesian explorers.

TWELVE DAYS OUT IN A DOUBLE-HULLED CANOE

APIA, Samoa (Samoa Observer, May 2, 2010) - On Day 12 of the historic Pacific voyage of the vaka [canoe] fleet, crews at last felt the weather warming.

After 1600M slowly climbing from almost 38 to 33 degrees and some 12 days at sea the fleet is turning to the north.

A big high pressure system to the east is giving us easterlies and later northerlies. We have a radio meeting and decide that we should try to get above the system to avoid winds in the wrong direction.

The new course brings a morale boost to the crews in the fleet.

Finally we are travelling to warmer latitudes! All four vaka are still sailing close together. As we bring the vaka around to have the setting sun on the port beam we all hoist the genoa and charge north and sometimes reaching 12kn surfing down the long south swell.

[PIR editor’s note: Seven Pacific Island crews are sailing across the Pacific in double-hulled canoes initiated and funded by the German philanthropic organization Okeanos. The traditional sailing canoes are carrying an environmental message as they sail to different Islands in the Pacific.]

Perfect conditions. 18kn wind on the beam and the big swell from the stern.

In the early evening we spot a light to port. It seems to be a long liner in the middle of nowhere! The fleet passes the vessel within a few miles.

It must have been a strange sight in the moonlight to see all the vaka flying by. Like a delayed Polynesian invasion. When we see the four vaka on the open ocean it tickles the mind to imagine what sights there must have been in the past when fleets of canoes were travelling between the islands.

As the time passes 0200 in the morning crew members of the watch are singing waiata with the guitar in hand. They may not know the entire song but their spirits are high.

The new direction has given us a sense of pride, it fuels our wairua but not our ego, as we know there will be more hardships to come and the biggest hardship of all is missing our loved ones.

Nga Mihi Te Matau a Maui 300410 Time Postion Te Matau a Maui 0600 32’07S 152’52W Hine Moana 0600 32’07S 153’05W Uto Ni Yalo 0600 32’02S 152’59W Marumaru Atua 0600 31’59S 152’51W

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