(Note: My interest in Polynesian Voyaging was sparked in Florida a few years back, when I got into kayaking, paddling (with camcorder) to sub-tropical islands in the Gulf of Mexico (map, video), which led to an interest in Polynesian canoe traditions & discovery of the Polynesian Voyaging Society & their legendary, “Polynesian Renaissance launching”, flagship canoe Hōkūleʻa. This interest resulted in a 2010 trip to O’ahu & Hawai’i islands my wife Toni & I took to visit as many Polynesian Voyaging Canoes & resources as I then knew of. There we did manage to track down & visit the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS), located at the Marine Education Training Center (METC) &, as well as even spend a few hours aboard Hōkūle‘a getting a construction tour from Captain Mike Taylor (photo), while Hōkūle'a was still berthed just prior to dry-docking for the Mālama Wa‘a 2010-2012 work, which restoration seemed quite timely, Hōkūle‘a looking well worn (photos). I was also able, through the METC Voyaging classroom, to order & pickup a copy of their Polynesian Voyaging Society Voyaging Manual, as well as, down the road, visit the Friends of Hōkūle‘a & Hawai‘iloa, getting a tour from VP Jay Dowsett. Between the 2 islands, we managed to visit an additional 4 canoes, Hawai‘iloa, Iosepa, Hōkūalaka‘i & Makali’i, all variously moored, canoe-housed, dry-docked or disassembled. I wrote up the excursion in a report for my alumni blog Travel section “Sailing” & laid out the points of interest in a Voyaging-oriented custom Google Map. The interest was followed by a 2012 journey to Maui, where we visited their Voyaging Society Hui O Wa’a Kaulua (formed in 1975 (the year Hōkūleʻa was built & launched) as the sister organization to the Polynesian Voyaging Society) & their Voyaging Canoe project, the under-construction, Hōkūleʻa-class (built using Hōkūleʻa's plan), 62-foot sister canoe Mo'okiha O Pi'ilani (photos). The visit culminated in my garnering a several hour sail aboard Mo'okiha's "little brother", the Society’s 1975-built, 42’ double hull canoe Mo’olele (photo, clip, pics & video)).
My wife Toni & I recently returned from 3 weeks (during May 2012) in Maui. Just before leaving for the trip I learned an NGO there was constructing a full-scale replica of an ancient Polynesian double-hulled deep ocean voyaging canoe, as used in ancient times to settle Polynesia. Upon arrival in Maui we were able to locate & visit the 62-foot Polynesian Voyaging Canoe Mo'okiha O Pi'ilani, under construction at Kamehameha Iki Park in Lahaina by Maui's Polynesian Voyaging Society, NGO Hui O Wa’a Kaulua. Also at the park was the NGO’s 42' double hulled canoe Mo'olele (built 1975, "the first of several new voyaging canoes inspired by Hokule'a", as pictured in, & according to, "A Canoe Helps Hawaii Recapture Her Past", Hōkūleʻa creator Herb Kane’s article in National Geographic, Apr. '76 (photo)). Both of the NGO’s canoes are pictured in a web album of Toni’s photos. During the visit we met NGO Principle Kimokeo ("Kimo") Kapahulehua, subject of the documentary "Family of the Wa'a" & whose uncle was Hōkūle‘a 1976 Inaugural Voyage Captain Elia David Kuʻualoha "Kawika" Kapahulehua. Kimo introduced us to Mo'okiha construction lead Captain Timothy Gilliom, who captains Hōkūle‘a on Maui-environs voyages. Captain Gilliom gave us a progress report & tour of Mo'okiha, mentioning she’s being built based on Hōkūle‘a’s construction plan & needs only about a final $41,000 to cover the remaining costs of a short list of various nautical sundries, to wrap up construction & get her launched to begin sea trials and crew training. Tim added that, in 2013, Mo'okiha will join the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s historic project to circumnavigate the Earth (a journey comprised of 16 captains, 32 legs (2 per crew) over 54 months) and promote a message of global sustainability, known as the “Hōkūle‘a Worldwide Voyage” (map).
To raise these final Mo'okiha funds, Toni suggested she & I post a "Mo'okiha O Pi'ilani construction completion" project proposal to "Kickstarter…the world's largest funding platform for creative projects”, a "crowd funding" website for creative projects that she’s seen a lot of NGOs in general & Silicon Valley startups in particular use to garner funds, any number of which “worthy projects” she herself has learned of & donated to on several occasions. This suggestion was well received, leading to Kimo opening up the NGO’s resources to us for the project, starting with introductions to other NGO Principles & Board members including Anela Benson, who is also a Hōkūle'a captain/navigator, crew trainer & teacher who teaches voyaging canoe celestial navigation & is executive-level involved with Hōkūle'a Worldwide Voyage 2013, as well as Byron Washom, a renewable energy engineer who was also then headed to the Solomon Islands for his executive-level involvement with Pacific Voyagers at the Pacific Arts Festival. We next attended numerous meetings with Kimo, a cultural icon who seems to know everybody on the islands - everywhere we went folks came out of the woodwork to well-wish us & offer support & resources. During & between Mo'okiha fundraiser meetings we worked with NGO staff & "Friends of” folk on the fundraiser & its project webpage, which was submitted to Kickstarter for review. Unexpectedly, Kickstarter replied “project declined… does not meet our guidelines”, so we moved the project page to the Hui website, launching it there on Monday, July 9, 2012 on the webpage “Building a Hawaiian Voyaging Canoe”.