If the Hawaiian Hokulea is in town, it’s a big deal! We were excited when we found out she was moored in San Francisco and immediately decided to visit this ocean voyager, and take advantage of the great weather.
Boat shop students and staff took our Hawaiian kanoe, Wa’a Hanai, to the small beach at SF Maritime Museum, Hyde Street Pier. There, we lashed the kanoe together; attaching the four principal parts of the kanoe with rope. For one student, it was his first time helping with this special process.
We paddled around the Hyde Street Pier inner harbor and made our way to the Hokulea, bringing a couple of gifts for her crew. They gave us a wonderful tour and discussed various details of the Hokulea history, construction, handling, navigation, too much to mention here.
One of the co-captains and navigator gave us an aside, in-depth talk about the Hokulea. To paraphrase a highlight of his talk: she is not just a voyaging double kanoe, but also a message, an example; navigation is about observation, and making decisions off those observations… with observing the world around you, how can we as individuals and as a community navigate ourselves in the best way, make the best decisions.
It was a message I sincerely believe we all took to heart. It was a beautiful day!
