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50 Years of Hōkūle‘a
a testament to the vision and determi- nation of those who built and sailed her. “There are so many stories of sailing canoes and sailors that have been in- spired by Tommy, the Hōkūle‘a, Nainoa [Thompson], Herb Kāne, and the Poly- nesian Voyaging Society’s accomplish- ments,” Hope says. “[Tommy] would appreciate the diversity of Pacific crew members sailing together to distant lo- cations and the attention and respect that Hōkūle‘a has brought to the people of Hawai‘i and all the Pacific Islands. And the world.” As part of a family that has support- ed PVS since its inception, longtime Outrigger member Bruce Black is an ocean enthusiast with a passion for canoe surfing, canoe sailing, and big- wave surfing. With a background as an elementary school teacher, his com- bined love for the ocean and education led him to serve as an Education Spe- cialist aboard Hōkūle‘a. Like his fellow crew members, he brought many valu- able skills to contribute on each voy- age, drawing on his sailing expertise as a steersman and lifeguarding skills to assist with water safety. Black’s time at sea aboard Hōkūle‘a led to unforgettable experiences, like celebrating Christmas and New Year's while crossing the Atlantic alongside Pwo Navigator and Captain Bruce Blan- kenfeld and Navigator Kaleo Wong. The crew donned Santa hats for Christmas and later rang in the New Year with a lantern “ball drop” down the mast and Right: Crew members Bruce Black and Darryll Wong reflect on their shared journey of exploration aboard Hōkūle‘a, united in their commitment to its mission of mālama honua.
two years earlier, Outrigger Canoe Club member Tommy Holmes and his co-found- ers Herb Kawainui Kāne and Ben Finney established the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) with the mission of per- petuating the spirit of explo- ration and the art and science of traditional Polynesian voy- aging. Their goal was to repli- cate Hawai‘i’s first traditional voyaging canoe in 600 years, and Hōkūle‘a marked the re- surgence of these ancestral practices. For Outrigger member Dale Hope, a close friend of Holmes, the canoe’s legacy is
CRAFTED BY MASTER CARV- ER Sam Ka‘ai, these wooden figures serve as powerful re- minders of the past and the journey to reclaim forgotten knowledge. Over the past fifty years, Hōkūle‘a has sparked a global movement that revital- ized Hawaiian culture and re- vived traditional Polynesian voyaging. What began as a dream to restore a lost tradition has inspired generations to sail, navigate, and reconnect with their culture. On March 8, 1975, Hōkūle‘a was born the moment it first touched the waters of Kāne’ohe Bay. Just
14 AMA | MAY / JUNE 2025
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