Hōkūle‘a has Departed on the Most Challenging Leg to Date: South Africa

The crew of the Hōkūle‘a set sail for South Africa, the most ambitious leg of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage yet. This leg of the voyage—navigating the unpredictable and sometimes dangerous Indian Ocean—is a historic first for the Polynesian Voyaging Society. Hōkūle‘a departed Port Louis at 4:20pm October 4, 2015, Mauritius local time (2:20am HST).

Nainoa Thompson, president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, is the captain and pwo (master) navigator for this leg of the journey. He and his crew made preparations while docked in Mauritius over the past two weeks, hosted by Hawai‘i-based Outrigger Resorts—a key sponsor of the Worldwide Voyage.

Hōkūle‘a’s crew spent the day of departure dockside at Port Louis, making the final preparations. When all was ready, Nainoa’s direction to the crew was succinct and powerful:

“Let’s go find Africa. Time to go.”

Continuing to navigate using only traditional Polynesian non-instrument wayfinding techniques, Nainoa is guiding Hōkūle‘a to the continent of Africa for the first time in the history of Polynesian voyaging. The sail plan for this leg of the journey includes the possibility for stops in small ports of call along the coast of Africa to ensure the safety of the crew, Nainoa’s first priority. At press time, the plan to dock at Fort Dauphin, Madagascar was canceled due to bad weather. The current plan is to reach Cape Town in mid-November.