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Polynesian Migrations

Nov. 01--Woke up early to find the wind had died and we were being towed into Pape'ete harbor. It was a beautiful sight and a wonderful feeling to think that in a few hours we would be setting foot in Tahiti. Pape'ete was bustling with its rush hou r morning traffic and the curious locals coming to see the unannounced canoe in their harbor. The sun is really beating down on us as we give Hokule'a a thorough cleaning. It felt great to rinse down with fresh water. My skin feels like its drying out and I can't forget to use some kind of moisturizer and sun screen.

After the canoe was done I walked around the town in search of a pay phone to call home. Most of the phones were credit cards or you needed cash which I didn't have neither. Luckily I stopped in at the Royal Pape'ete where Kareem's mother worked and she l et me use the hotel phone. I called Malia to let her know where we were and that everything was fine. I miss her and sorry that I left her home alone. I'm just glad that I was able to participate in this voyage.

Tonight Kareem made dinner for us at his home which consisted of barbecue chicken over a coconut husk fire which I'm going to try when I get back.

Nov. 02--Pape'ete, Tahiti; what a wonderful place. Terry said that this is a bonus stop for us and I fully agree. This is one of the places I've always wanted to visit and I finally got here. I want to get to the Gauguin museum before I leave here just to see his famous artwork.

We spent most of the day walking around the shops and not having any money was pretty hard. So I spent another part of the day trying to find a way to get some money sent over here just to get a snack or a little gift. Everything is so expensive here but beautiful.

We began giving tours of the Hokule'a to students in Tahiti to help promote the education program that we have going on throughout the Pacific . We later moved the Hokule'a to a better spot down the harbor where we had front row seats to the morning and a fternoon rush hour traffic.

We had a wonderful dinner at the Mai's home and I thoroughly stuffed myself. Later we continued our dinner celebration on the Hokule'a with our ukuleles, guitars and hinano's.

Nov. 03--Woke up to all the Pape'ete rush hour traffic. Our canoe is right on the main drive and about a mile from the Royal Pape'ete Hotel and all that means is a long walk to the bathroom.

Mike let me borrow 10,000 francs and I bought a few shirts and snacks with it. Money goes quickly here and its better to try to bargain for a lower price.

I sent post cards home today as we waited for our ride to Tautira. Tautira is at the south eastern end of the island and its where Puaniho lives. He's one of the local paddlers / canoe builders that also helps build canoes in Hawai'i. It was a long drive, but we made a few stops to enjoy some of the scenery. We collected water at a spring alongside the road and we also went swimming in a freshwater cave which was invigorating.

Tautira is a beautiful and tranquil area which really helped us to relax. We were able to borrow a canoe and paddle around the bay. Everyone seemed to really be enjoying themselves as we watched the sun set. We had a wonderful dinner and we spent the nigh t in Tautira. The news for us today was that Bill Clinton was going to president and that the winds were beginning to look more favorable.

Nov. 04--After a great breakfast in Tautira, we rushed back to Pape'ete to prepare for leaving. Everyone was rushing around and tying up loose ends, while Nainoa and Mike were making a final decision to leave or not to leave. Nainoa needed to make calls to different weather agencies as well as drive out to Venus point to visually see the wind patterns. They both decided to put off until tomorrow. Everyone was able to relax a little and slow the pace down on the final preparations. I was helping mik e run errands to the canoe and to immigrations to get the official part of our voyage done. The canoe seems to be ready and all we have to do is wait for a favorable wind.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at Puaniho's friends house at the top of a hill overlooking the airport and the northern island of Mo'orea. Bruce and Puaniho got their hair trimmed as we enjoyed a lazy afternoon.

We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant and invited all the different families that helped us with our stay here to thank them for their hospitality.

Nov. 05--I spent the night in the hotel because I was going to be on the canoe for a month.

We departed Tahiti about 8:00 am and Kareem and his family, the Mais and Puaniho were there to send us off. It was sad to say good-bye but we are all looking forward to getting home. Once we were in the wind line, the canoe picked up and shot out of there like a jet. There was also a jet that took off and I swear it flew between the sails. The wind was full and the seas were moving. Our night watch had squalls after squalls but nothing major. Everything went well the first night out and Gary cooked curry chicken for dinner which reminded me of Malia's specialty.

Nov. 06--Throughout the day and night we were in and out of squalls. During the day I'd let the squall rinse me off but during the night I kept my foul weather gear on. The wind at one point went calm on us right outside of a small atoll. It began to pick up later as we slowly began to pull away from that atoll. That was one of the last atolls we'd see. The first one was right out of Tahiti. It was Marlon Brando's island.

I've learned a lot about the weather and wind patterns here out at sea. Out here you can feel the cool rush of a down draft before a squall is about to hit you. The down draft is the reason squalls can be so dangerous when sailing. You can also see squall s building up on the horizon and moving around.

Some stars came peeking out tonight, but not enough to steer by so we just used the wind on our shift.

Nov. 07--After a squally night it was hood to wake up to a beautiful morning. We had a terrific breakfast and we settled in for a long hot day. It's interesting to watch the clouds from off on the horizon and way up in the stratosphere. A keen eye like Nainoa's can tune into wind and weather changes. Today the wind is pretty mild, but it keeps us moving and that's all that matters. Everyone is looking forward to a record crossing so we can get home to our families and loved ones.

The sky opened up this evening on our watch and you could see the constellations rising. The moon was full and I hope Malia sees it too.

Nov. 08--The rain came down hard this morning and I dreaded to wake up. I had left my foul weather gear on deck and I didn't feel like getting into wet gear. Luckily the rain cleared a bit so I could dry it out.

Today we are changing our tack and it seems we're heading right into a big dark cloud. The wind just doesn't want to cooperate as it keeps moving around on us. I guess it's better that no wind. There were groups of birds feeding around us and we were able to bring in a mahimahi which was served up saut?ed with rice. Last night there were two sea birds trying to land on the canoe. One made it to the boom for awhile but couldn't hold its balance. We changed the back sail to smaller size. I hope we can get i nto better sailing weather.

Nov. 09--It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining right in back of a dark squall on the horizon that was far off and of no threat. The wind is coming at us right out of the north which is giving us a north easterly route. Nainoa says we may even end up in Nukuhiwa in the Marquesas islands. As long as everything keeps moving around smoothly its no problem. They pulled in a 200 pound marlin this morning and the lines came in after that because that was more than enough fish. We even sent some to the Kamahele [the escort boat], but the rest we cooked up for dinner. Whatever was left we began drying.

Pilot whales swam around the canoe today and we were having just as much fun watching them as they had watching us. Hopefully the winds will become more favorable and get us up north. Though I am enjoying myself I miss my family and Malia.

The evening sky looks promising and it should be clear sailing tonight. Terry and Gary are doing a great job cooking things up for the crew.

Nov. 10--The winds are not at our favor. Its coming straight out of the north which means that we're making more mileage on our tacks to the east and west and only a few miles to the north. A major concern is the time it will take to get us back to Kualoa. The goal is the students and their interest in the program as well as the crews best interest. We need to be back by December 5 to accomplish all goals. We may consider towing if the winds don't change. I'm getting tired of tacking and going nowh ere. I can't wait to get back to Hawai'i and I hope the wind starts to change.

Nov. 11--The wind is strong out of the northeast and we seem to be making good ground. Lots of bird activity around us and we can chalk up another ono and an aku. Both went fast; one for lunch and one for dinner. During the day the sun was out and in full force but the night was awesome. The moon came out full, but a little later so we were able to check out all the evening stars. What a sight. It's nights like this that make up for all the squally nights. During mid shift there was a flash of ligh t. We couldn't determine if it was lighting (with no clouds), a flare flash or an exploding meteorite entering the atmosphere.

Nov. 12--It's amazing that there is so much to see out at sea. Not only is there miles of ocean, but different cloud formations, bird life, sea life as well as modern trash. The ocean varies with its wave patterns produced by prevalent winds or sto rms. Clouds vary from cirrus to cumulus to the ever present squall cloud which is dark and has a burst of wind before the rain falls. The birds are everywhere searching for food. Most of the birds we see now are pelagic and live at sea for months before m ating. Today we brought in an ono and a aku: the aku was caught on a bone hook made by Scott. I was pretty skeptical about that hook until it caught that aku.

Just before sunset a pod of porpoises converged and played around the canoe for awhile until they got bored with us and left for more amusing things to do.

Trash needs to be a concern for us because of the types of foods that we have provisioned. All non biodegradable items need to be stored and dumped on land and not at sea.

Nov. 13--Friday the thirteenth has really been a great day. The wind is strong and pulling us along. We had two marlin strikes but lost them both. I was glad we lost them because I was getting tired of eating fish. During the day it gets pretty unb earable with the sun beating down on you. Trying to sleep on the shaded side can get a bit chilly, so you really can't win. The best part of the whole trip is at night. Night is what I had envisioned Hokule'a to be all about. A blanket of stars to steer b y; a good wind to fill our sails and a friendly ocean to ride on. All the seminars and all those nights gazing at stars falls into perspective when your out here at sea.

A special event happened tonight while we were on watch. A meteorite broke up right near us. We first noticed a flash of light then watched the meteor move across the sky until it was out of sight over the horizon.

Nov. 14--Today was Naia's birthday and there was a party at Bruce's house. Bruce called to wish him well and everyone was there including Malia. I wish I was there too. (nah)

Everyday I scuttle for shade. The heat and having to take a bath are about the two things I really haven't gotten used to yet. The sun is so hot and it's hard to get wet when your wet most of the time.

We've made a lot of progress north and I hope it's a short stay in the doldrums. Nainoa has been teaching us a lot on the canoe compass and the stars to help us become better steers persons to help the navigators feel more confident on their decision to t urn.

I'm still waiting for my turn to talk on the radio. I keep practicing on the things that I would like to say.

We caught a nice size tuna today.

Nov. 15--The winds and seas were strong this morning, but it began to mellow down in the afternoon. I spent most of the day lying in one spot trying not to get fried by the sun. I should go below but I can't stand the smell. I also am losing my app etite. I don't really feel like eating fish or anything fried. I like soup, saimin, crackers or fruit. The bottled water taste funny so I either force myself to drink it or try to drink a lot of tea.

We caught a sailfish today and as usual it will be devoured up by all aboard.

The hole where I sleep and store my clothes has a leak. Its a leak where a wave hits the side of the canoe and splashes between the canvas on my clothes. My sleeping bag has been catching most of the water until I moved it. Now my clothes are wet. I'll dr y it and store it in my cooler from now on.

I don't know what my purpose is on this canoe. Since I'm really not cooking I do the most that I can as a crew member. Maybe I'll be able to help the program on shore.