The Northwest-Alaska and West Coast Tours
On May 15, Hawai'iloa and Hokule'a left Hawai'i on board a Matson container ship bound for Seattle. Hawai'iloa planned to visit Ketchikan and Juneau to thank the Tlingit, Haida and Tshimshian tribes of Sealaska for donating the two Sitka spruce logs for t he canoe's hulls and to engage in cultural and educational exchanges with the First Nations of British Columbia and the Hawaiian community and natives of Southeast Alaska. Hokule'a planned to head south to share its rich history with Hawaiians, native Ame ricans, and others along the West Coast. From Seattle to Vancouver, Hawai'iloa was captained by Chad Baybayan; Hokule'a by Gordon Pi'ianai'a.
On May 27-28 the two canoes were welcomed at a festival at Golden Gardens Park, Shilshole Marina, Washington. From May 28-June 1, Hokule'a visited Tacoma as guests of the Puyallup tribe while Hawai'iloa was on display at the Center for Wooden Boats. From June 1 - 6, both crews visited the Suquamish Reservation on Bainbridge Island; the Lummi Reservation near Bellingham; the Swimnosh Reservation Long House. On June 7, the two canoes went to Vancouver, British Columbia, and docked at the Maritime Museum. Fr om June 8-11, they were welcomed by the Musqueam tribe of Vancouver and the Hawaiian community of British Columbia. The two canoes then parted ways, Hawai'iloa going north and Hokule'a going south.
Hawai'iloa's Northwest Journey: Hawai'iloa, under Captain Bruce Blankenfeld, traveled to Vancouver Island, stopping at Campbell River, Alert Bay, and Port Hardy, where the crew was hosted by the Kwagiutl Nation. The escort boat was Mark Alan, a 58- foot seine net boat owned by Hutch Hunt of Fort Rupert. The canoe continued on through the Inland Passage stopping at Bella Bella (Heiltsuk Nation), Bishop Cove (hot springs), Lowe Inlet (Dungeness crab spot!), Prince Rupert (Tshimshian, Haida, and Nisga'a Nations), and Port Simpson (Tshimshian).
Hawai‘iloa, Fort Rupert
On June 25, the canoe crossed the Dixon Entrance into Alaska, guided by Ernie Hillman, a forest manager for Sealaska. It arrived in Ketchikan, where a huge gathering of Tlingits, Tshimshians, and Haidas greeted the crew at a potlatch at the village of Sax man. Hawai'iloa Project Director Nainoa Thomspon formally thanked Sealaska, Tlingit elder Judson Brown, former Sealaska CEO Byron Mallot, and Ernie Hillman for their roles in securing the logs.
Hawai‘iloa Sailing in the Icy Straits, Alaska
The canoe then continued on under Captain Wally Froiseth to Hollis, Wrangell, Petersburg, Kake, Angoon, Sitka, Hoonah, Haines / Klukwan, and Juneau, where events culminated in a dinner and a seminar on a sustainable future. High school students from Hawai 'i joined the crew in Haines. The crew was hosted throughout Alaska by native village corporations and the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood, native dance groups, as well as Sealaska, the regional native corporation for SE Alaska. The two-month long journey was highly successful in bringing together the indigenous groups of B.C. and Alaska, and the Hawaiians.
Hawai'iloa was barged from Juneau to Seattle by Alaska Marine Lines and to Honolulu by Aloha Cargo Transport; both companies donated their services. The Voyaging Society also received generous financial support form the Cooke and Atherton Foundations, Gra ce Pacific, Bank of America, the Skaggs Foundation, native councils and corporations of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska, and private individuals.
Hokule'a's West Coast Journey: While Hawai'iloa made its way to Juneau, Hokule'a went south, with stops in Portland, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Long Beach, and San Diego. The canoe was escorted by the 72-foot Coast Pilot, under Tony Carter. In San Francisco, Hokule'a was greeted by 32 paddling canoes and showered with orchids from the Golden Gate Bridge. A crowd estimated in the thousands gathered to greet the canoe.
Hokule‘a in San Francisco Bay
For Captain Gordon Pi'ianai'a, the most meaningful part of the trip were the connections made with transplated Hawaiians, some of whom had never been to Hawai'i. He also said that he learned a lot about native Americans on the West Coast. "The farther south we went, the fewer cultural and financial resources they had," he pointed out. Crew member Moana Doi reported that excitement and interest was great at each of the stops, with long lines of visitors to the canoe. She said at one stop, the crew was invi ted to a sweat lodge to participate in a native American purification cermony.
Kimo Lyman, Mike Tongg, and Chad Baybayan served as captains of the canoe. Hokule'a's West Coast Tour was sponsored by the Bishop Museum and the Hawaii Maritime Center. Alexander and Baldwin Foundation / Matson donated the shipping of Hokule'a to the West coast and back; and the shipping of Hawai'iloa to the West Coast. Hawaiian Airlines donated fares for the crews of West Coast Tour; it discounted fares for the crews of the Northwest Tour.
Schedule of stops on Hokule‘a’s Summer 1995 West Coast Tour (from Wikipedia, based in part on a schedule of the West Coast Tour, updated 5/18/1995, at the Kamehameha Schools PVS Archives)
Stops in the Puget Sound and Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca area:
- Pier 57, Seattle, Washington, United States: 19 May 1995 to 26 May 1995. Hōkūle‘a crew participated in National Maritime Week festivities and shared a dinner hosted by the Muckleshoot, Puyallup, Suquamish nations and Wayfinders of the Pacific.
- Golden Gardens, Shilshole Bay: 27 May 1995 to 28 May 1995
A potlatch with First Nations was shared with hoʻolauleʻa (celebration); Hōkūle‘a supported the Polynesian Youth Games hosted by Seattle Parks and Recreation - Chinook Landing Marina, Puyallup Nation, Tacoma: 28 May 1995 to 1 June 1995. As well as sharing educational outreach and cultural exchange, crew shared in a luau.
- Suquamish Reservation: 1 June 1995 to 2 June 1995
- Lummi Nation, Bellingham: 3 June 1995 to 4 June 1995
- Squalicum Harbor, Bellingham: 5 June 1995
- Swinomish Reservation, Skagit, Washington, United States: 6 June 1995
- Vancouver Maritime Museum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: 7 June 1995 to 8 June 1995 Exchange with the Assembly of First Nations
- Makah Nation, Neah Bay, Washington, United States: 9 June 1995 to 11 June 1995
Neah Bay – Portland, Oregon: 12 June 1995 to 15 June 1995; then Hōkūle‘a was towed up the Columbia River to:
- Kalama, Washington where crew shared a dinner with Kalama ʻOhana: 16 June 1995
- Fort Vancouver, Washington public dock where Hōkūle‘a was part of a festival and the rededication of Kanaka Village: 17 June 1995 to 20 June 1995
Portland, Oregon – San Francisco, California: 21 June 1995 to 29 June 1995, to:
- Hyde Street Pier arrival for 1 July 1995 welcoming ceremony and festival at Crissy Field, 2 July 1995 Long Boat Regatta on the bay, Hawaiian music concert and Polynesian festival at Lawrence Hall of Science.
San Francisco – Santa Barbara: 3 July 1995 to 9 July 1995 for:
- Santa Barbara Harbor Marina: 10 July 1995 to 11 July 1995, interchange with the Santa Barbara Outrigger Canoe Club, Cousteau Institute, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Santa Barbara – Long Beach: 11 July 1995 to 12 July 1995, for interchange with:
- Gabrieleño/Tongva Tribal Council, Kalifornia Outrigger Association, Hawaiian Civic Clubs, the Rapa Nui Outrigger Club, and the City of Long Beach, on 12 July 1995;
- A two-day symposium with scholars, scientists, and master artisans called Century of the Pakipika, 13 July 1995 to 14 July 1995;
- A Hawaiian and Pacific Island Festival with teachers' workshops, the annual Long Beach Hoʻolauleʻa Canoe Regatta and a farewell dinner and ceremonies, 13 July 1995 to 19 July 1995
Long Beach – San Diego: 20 July 1995, where at:
- Embarcadero, San Diego, there was a welcoming ceremony, 22 July 1995
- A Hawaiian and Pacific Islands festival, and an exhibition, called:
- Hale Naua, or "Turning Back the Sky," at the San Diego Museum of Man, 23 July 1995 to 25 July 1995
San Diego – San Pedro: 26 July 1995 to 28 July 1995; from San Pedro, Hōkūle‘a returned to Hawaiʻi by ship, courtesy of Alexander & Baldwin Foundation and Matson.
Partial 1995 West Coast Crew List
Captains: Gordon Piʻianaiʻa, "Kimo" Lyman, Michael Tongg, Chad Baybayan; Crew: Gil Ane, Beth Atuatasi (née Saurer), Moana Doi, Laulima Lyman, Leon Sterling, Matthew Tongg