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Polynesian Voyaging Canoe Visits San Francisco While Circumnavigating Pacific

Polynesian voyaging canoe Hōkūle'a is visiting the Bay Area for the first time in almost 30 years. It is on a Moananuiākea Voyage to circumnavigate the Pacific, which will take 4 years to complete.
Sarah Mohamad
A large ship with sails in a body of water.
Outriggers return to the Hokule'a during the vessel's visit to San Francisco on Sept. 24, 2023. (Aryk Copley/KQED)

The Polynesian voyaging canoe, Hōkūleʻa, docked in San Francisco waters on Sunday, to the excitement of hundreds of people at Aquatic Park Cove. The last time Hōkūleʻa made an appearance in San Francisco was in 1995, almost 30 years ago.

Hōkūleʻa, which means “Star of Gladness,” is a 62-foot, double-hulled voyaging canoe built and launched in 1975. It has sailed over 140,000 nautical miles across the Pacific. It is currently on a Moananuiākea Voyage, aiming to circumnavigate the Pacific, which will take 4 years to complete and involve 36 countries and archipelagoes. The journey started earlier this year in May from Juneau, Alaska.

Led by the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS), the voyage is a global educational campaign that highlights the importance of oceans and indigenous knowledge through port engagements, education and storytelling.

“We are so grateful for all the communities that have already hosted us and received us and allowed us to share space with them and see their ocean, their land,” said Lucy Lee, a Hōkūleʻa crew member. As a crew member on Hōkūleʻa, Lee is training to be a navigator and learning the traditional wayfinding methods by observing the stars and celestial bodies, as well as all the elements of nature.

You can watch a livestream of Hōkūleʻa here.

People row a boat as others watch.
Six-man outrigger canoes ferry the crew of the Hokule’a to the beach during a welcome ceremony in San Francisco on Sept. 24, 2023. (Aryk Copley/KQED)

Before the compass, sextant and GPS, Pacific Islanders navigated the open sea, relying on the stars, sun, ocean swells and nature’s cues for direction. While this ancient art was used well into the 20th century in areas of Micronesia, modernization and Western influences threatened its survival.

When Hōkūleʻa was launched 48 years ago, not many Hawaiians knew about traditional navigation methods like using the stars and the direction of the wind, said Nainoa Thompson, navigator and CEO of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. “Everything that we do now was taught by extraordinary teachers,” he said. Thompson learned this ancient skill from the legendary Mau Piailug of Satawal, Micronesia.

“Mau is a master because he lives in the realm of magic. His relationship to nature and to the ocean is about oneness. That is what we sail for, the connection to nature,” said Thompson.

People in colorful tunics are surrounded by a crowd beside a body of water.
The crew of the Hokule’a are prepared for their greeting with tribal hosts. (Aryk Copley/KQED)

Thompson also delved into celestial navigation with Will Kyselka at the Bishop Museum planetarium in Honolulu and studied oceanography and meteorology at the University of Hawai’i.

In 1976, Mau guided Hōkūle‘a’s first voyage to Tahiti, and Thompson later served as a wayfinder on Hōkūle‘a’s journeys in 1980 and 1985–87. In 1992, he began training a new generation of navigators from Hawai‘i and the Pacific islands, preserving this rich tradition.

“I don’t believe there will ever be any healthy living system on Earth if the oceans are not healthy,” said Thompson. “I believe, [if] you kill the oceans, you kill our children’s future.”

Since 1973, the Polynesian Voyaging Society has aimed to preserve Polynesian voyaging and exploration while inspiring respect for people, nature and culture. Their educational programs emphasize the significance of oceans, indigenous wisdom, community, education and sustainability, fostering a global commitment to Earth’s well-being.

“I believe we can beat the climate crisis. We can beat the crisis of biodiversity loss, we can win the challenge of sustainability if we come together,” he said.

For Moani Heimuli, a captain of Hōkūleʻa, it’s important for communities to protect their oceans and to continue voyaging. As a fourth-generation voyager, Heimuli would like to see seven generations from now, “our kids still get to live and live off a healthy ocean,” said Heimuli.

People hug and smile at each other beside a body of water.
The crew of the Hokule’a greet tribal hosts, friends and family during their visit in San Francisco. (Aryk Copley/KQED)

“It’s a beautiful thing because it’s a thriving living culture. Now, we’re no longer museum pieces. We’re a living voyaging culture again,” she said.

The Hōkūleʻa has been moved to Hyde Street Pier, where it will be open to free public viewing from 1 to 4 p.m. through Wednesday. The canoe will sail down to Half Moon Bay this Sunday.

KQED’s Katherine Monahan contributed to this story.

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