Feb. 24, 2016

Contributed by Shaundor Chillingworth

On Friday, February 12, 2016, Hōkūlea departed Natal, Brazil and set sail for St. John U.S. Virgin Islands. During the 10-day stop in Natal, a new crew arrived from Honolulu to relieve the 12 crew members who just completed the longest leg of the voyage, a 3,000 nautical-mile journey from Cape Town, South Africa to Brazil. 

While in Natal, Hōkūleʻa crew members focused on provisioning the vessel with food, water, and equipment for the 2,400 mile voyage to St. John.

Weather permitting, Hōkūleʻa is expected to arrive at St. John, US Virgin Islands on March 1, and is also expected to visit the British Virgin Islands. While in the Caribbean, Hōkūleʻa crew hope to learn more about how the Caribbean islands are working together to find solutions for a healthier planet. After the Caribbean, Hōkūleʻa will sail north and visit cities along the East Coast of the United States. She is scheduled to arrive in New York City by June 8, 2016 to participate in World Oceans Day.

Since departing Hawaiian waters in May 2014, Hōkūleʻa has sailed more than 20,000 nautical miles and made stops in 11 countries and 46 ports, weaving a "Lei of Hope" around the world. Along the way, more than 160 volunteer crewmembers have helped to sail Hōkūleʻa accompanied by escort vessel Gershon II to spread the message of mālama honua (or taking care of Island Earth) by promoting sustainability and environmental consciousness, as well as exchanging ideas with the countries she has visited. So far, crew members have connected with over 45,000 people in communities across the South Pacific, Tasman Sea and Indian Ocean including Samoa, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Australia, Indonesia, Mauritius and South Africa.

For a midway recap of the Worldwide Voyage, please view http://www.hokulea.com/2015-worldwide-voyage-recap/.

For more information about the Polynesian Voyaging Society and the Worldwide Voyage, visit www.hokulea.com or find the society on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Google+. To see more Wa‘a Wednesday stories and much more about the Mālama Honua Voyage, go to the KS Online Mālama Honua page.

The Hōkūleʻa departed Natal, Brazil on Feb. 12 on the way to the Caribbean for the first time in history.

Live track the voyage at www.hokulea.com. The crew is expected to arrive in St. John on March 1.

Leg 16 and 17 crews together in Brazil before making the exchange.