FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Pat Duarte, executive director of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, stood at the yard of the Friends of Hokule'a and Hawaii Loa near Keehi Lagoon earlier this month.
Volunteers, experts The canoe that sailed into history and into the hearts of people across Polynesia now sits sail-less at Honolulu Harbor Pier 60.
tackle extensive
Hokule‘a repairs
People have labored since
December to fix the historic canoeBy Keiko Kiele Akana-Gooch
kakana-gooch@starbulletin.comHokule'a, the double-hulled canoe fashioned after ancient Polynesian vessels, is undergoing its most extensive repair since its maiden voyage in 1975.
Twenty regular volunteers and a handful of canoe experts have been working since December to rid the vessel of wood soiled by water that seeped past the fiberglass and varnish into the hull and other parts.
Hokule'a requires at least another 2,000 hours of work and $50,000 for labor and parts.
"In terms of the work, we're halfway through," said Pat Duarte, Polynesian Voyaging Society executive director. "Cost-wise, we're not quite halfway through."
Hokule'a has racked up 90,000 nautical miles and six major pan-Pacific and continental voyages.
It also has accumulated water.
At the Friends of Hokule'a and Hawaii Loa workshop near Keehi Lagoon, volunteers help cut and replace rotten wood, sand and varnish good wood, and lash the ropes that hold the canoe together.
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
The double-hulled voyaging canoe Hokule'a is in dry dock for a complete refurbishing at the Friends of Hokule'a and Hawaii Loa workshop near Keehi Lagoon. Master boat builder Jerry Ongies, left, who does the woodwork on Hokule'a, and his grandson, Timmy Makuakane, were at the workshop Monday.
Lashing together the repaired canoe parts "is an incredible job," said Bruce Blankenfeld, project coordinator and navigator. "To do the lashing correctly, it has to be rock-solid."
A professional fiberglass worker will replace the fiberglass that was removed to get to the dry rot. A boat canvas expert will cut and sew the heavy canvas for the new sails and canoe coverings. A master shipwright consults the repair team on carpentry and woodwork.
Coordinating dry dock manager Russell Amimoto said most of the port hull has been repaired, but the starboard hull is halfway done, with lashing, sanding and painting still left.
"We're potentially looking at eight more weeks just on lashings," Blankenfeld said.
Once the canoe is lashed together, miscellaneous parts will be added and the canoe's electrical system will be redone to run its lights, required for visibility, and radio equipment, for emergency and educational use.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
But donations cover only half of the $100,000 needed for professional fiberglass workers and canoe parts. More is being sought to pay for the rest of the labor and parts, including new sails, canvas coverings, radio equipment, fiberglass and rigging material, and other items.
Zippy's Restaurants and several of its vendors, Tyson Foods and Simplot, began a special promotion earlier this month, donating money from the sale of certain menu items to the restoration and educational initiatives of the Hokule'a. The Zippy's promotion will continue through the end of this month. Tyson and Simplot's promotions will continue through the end of October.
The Polynesian Voyaging Society, a private nonprofit organization, was founded in 1973 to disprove the widespread notion that Polynesians drifted onto islands in the Pacific Ocean by chance.
The Hokule'a was the vessel that helped prove Polynesians knew how to navigate the open ocean without instruments, relying simply on their vast knowledge of the elements -- wind and wave patterns, the rising and setting of stars and planets, and bird migration.
The voyages evoked a cultural renaissance across the Pacific.
"It (Hokule'a) really encouraged the native peoples to have a sense of pride in their culture," Duarte said. "Hokule'a has really become an icon."
With community support through volunteers and donations, the society hopes to sail Hokule'a another 100,000 miles for a new purpose: cultivating awareness of the natural environment and the need to conserve it.
"It's not just building a canoe to sail a canoe," Duarte said. "(Hokule'a) has the mana (power) I think is needed to fulfill this role."
For donations or to volunteer, call
Polynesian Voyaging Society at 536-8405.
