“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
-Louisa May Alcott and Uncle Bruce
Knowing how to handle kaula (rope) is crucial to being a part of any voyaging crew. Rope and the use of knots is ancient technology thousands of years old that continues to be used today. Great knots are easy to tie, secure, simple and easy to untie. There are around 4,000 different types of knots.
Below are a few of the main knots and rope techniques that have helped Hōkūleʻa crews safely voyage around the planet for over 40 years. Animatedknots.com has many more with some good descriptions for their uses:
Kanehunamoku Voyaging Academy also put together this page about knots on the waʻa.
Sailing dynamics, canoe handling, and more
Download The Complete Sailor.pdf
-This is an excellent read about the basics of sailing and seamanship
-Wind Sense The Complete Sailor.pdf
Download -Wind Sense The Complete Sailor.pdf
-Excerpt about wind sense
PVS Crew Safety Handbook.pdf. -
Download PVS Crew Safety Handbook.pdf. -
Safety manual used by PVS crew members for the World Wide Voyage
PVS Canoe Capabilities and operation.pdf
Download PVS Canoe Capabilities and operation.pdf
. -Excerpt from PVS crew training manual
PVS Hawaiian Canoes.pdf. -Canoe culture, dynamics and performance