Hiva Oa to Mangareva

Report on 08/15/99

Source of Information: Chad Baybayan's Journal (Chad's Birthday)

I watched the sunrise this morning and as the sun creeped above the surface of the horizon the sky was transformed into a pallet of golden hues with radiating patches of brilliant oranges. It was a quiet and simple way of heralding in the 43rd year of my life. I thank the creator for granting me a birthday present of such natural beauty and splendor. A very special and intimate way to celebrate the many experiences of my life. Once again I find myself on Hokule'a, traveling along the ancient sea roads of my ancestors. Although I am much older now and on a new and different voyage I find my spirit once again strong and very much alive. The crew, a scattering of experienced sailors mixed in with a large contingent of new crew members will provide Hokule'a with a generation of voyagers to skillfully sail her into the next millenium.

The whole voyage has been and continues to be incredibly exciting for me. Although I miss having Nainoa, Bruce, and Snake on board. I have found the experience of leading this segment of the voyage to Rapa Nui to be energinzing to my spirit and soul. I find myself confident in my decisions, fair in my judgements, positive in the beliefs that drive me, and I continue to grow stronger each day.

This crew inspires me. I remind myself that although I selected every individual aboard, I can no longer call this "my" crew, it has now become "our" crew. Including myself, this crew of 15; 11 men and 4 women, has honored me through their loyalty and support. They have been tireless in their work to prepare Hokule'a for this voyage. There is no will stronger than that of people of common belief who focus those energies in making their shared dream a reality. I love this group of strangers who are now a family. Starting with Nuku Hiva, we have visited all six of the inhabited Marquesan islands. Polyesian hospitality is alive and thriving on Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou, Ua Huka, Tahuata, Fatu Hiva, and Hiva Oa. The crew has been hosted to feasts on every island and the Marquesan community has been unselfish in sharing the local bounty of vegetables, fruits, poultry, and fish. We have been entertained with traditional Marquesan dancing. On Fatu Hiva, many of the dancers came by fishing boat from a neighboring village so that there would be a suffecient amount of dancers to entertain us. We have made countless friends in the Marquesas and the family of the canoe continues to grow.

On this voyage I am doing something I never considered doing on any previous trip. I have asked our escort boat, Kamahele and her Captain Alex Jakubenko to assist Hokule'a by towing us east and away from the dangerous reefs of the eastern Tuamotu Archipelago. It was not a decision easily arrived at. In these light winds we could attempt to tack east but it would require an enormous amount of time at sea, time which i feel would be better spent in Mangareva preparing Hokule'a for her big push to Rapa Nui. When I feel we are far enough east to safely clear the dangerous reefs of the Tuamotu's we will release the tow and begin sailing hard on the wind. Although it pains me to tow Hokule'a, I am comforted by the though that my decision is one based upon concern for the safety of crew and canoe, as well as the major objectives of the voyage. We have not compromised the ancient polynesian tradition of navigating without instruments, we issue all instructions to the escort boat as to the direction we wish to travel in.

Mangareva is our destination but Pitcairn is our target. In my planning, the tiny island of Pitcairn, 2 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide, became atplace I felt important for Hokule'a to visit on this voyage. Much Like Tapa Nui, Pitcairn is very much isolated. At the end of the Tuamotu Archipelago, Pitcairn is governed by New Zealand and is a British dependent. The local community are descendants of Fletcher Christian, mutineers of the Bounty, and the polynesians who accompanied them into exile. Pitcairn is out of the way of major shipping lines and is only occasionally visited by passing yachts. How special it would be for these historic inhabitants to have the opportunity to meet the canoe and crew of Hokule'a and recognize that we share a common past linked to events in our distant maritime history. I am hoping to use our shared seafaring heritage to bridge an d build a friendship between people who are new to each other.

Sailing to Pitcairn will take us 280 miles upwind of our destination. We should be able to make a landfall on Mangareva 56hrs after departing Pitcairn.

The voyage to Rapa Nui is about honoring our common ancestors, of training a new generation of seafarers and wayfinders, and about maintaining the spirit of exploration that allowed the polynesian people to make the discoveries that its' descendants today now call home. So we sail for Pitcairn to share the canoe and ourselves with new friends and to create the richest experience tha 15 people on board the open deck of a voyaging canoe can have.

For more information on the leg to Mangareva, go to the Hiva Oa to Mangareva Page.

For more information on the quest for Rapa Nui, go to the PVS Homepage.