Palmyra Training Sail

On or about March 1, 2009, a new crew of Polynesian wayfinders aboard the Hōkūle‘a – the iconic traditional Hawaiian open-ocean voyaging canoe – will set sail for the first time to Palmyra Atoll in the central Pacific. This month-long sail will train young navigators, captains and crew members as well as educators and scientists who will explore the open ocean, coral reefs and land of this remote and magnificent place. Using the Internet, they will interact with students while on the atoll and bring knowledge and lessons learned back home to Hawai‘i to help all of us navigate our own future.

Palmyra Atoll, located 1,000 miles south of Hawai‘i in the Line Islands, is one of the most spectacular marine wilderness areas on Earth. Its lagoons, coral reefs, and submerged lands support a complex web of life – everything from sharks, sea turtles, manta rays, and giant clams, thousands of exotic fish, to a million nesting seabirds. Palmyra is a National Wildlife Refuge – and recently included in a new National Marine Monument – protected cooperatively by The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The training voyage to Palmyra is the first step in preparation for the most challenging and difficult journey yet of Hōkūle‘a – charting a course circumnavigating the globe. This unprecedented worldwide voyage will include ‘Ohana wa‘a, an intertwined community of traditional voyagers in Hawai‘i, joined by people in all walks of life on sea and land in more than 20 countries.

Mālama Island Earth

The main message to be carried by Hōkūle‘a is Mālama (care for) Island Earth – its natural environment, children, and all humankind. Education is core to the mission of the worldwide voyage, inspiring and giving strength to the voices of our youth who will inherit our Earth.

Upon return from Palmyra Atoll, crew members will share their experiences and knowledge gained about human impact on islands and the resiliency of reefs to recover with a variety of audiences throughout Hawai‘i. And they will continue training along with many more future crew members as they embark on perhaps the most significant voyage of their lives.

PHOTO CREDITS: Elit Witt, TNC