BackVoyaging Readiness
How do today's voyagers train for sailing?
Do you know what can be done to ensure a safe voyage? The Polynesians had the answer: carry out your leaders' commands, and be physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared for the voyage.
The crew for the Hokulea used "man over board" drills, rough water swims and learning basic water safety. When the navigator trained, he had to do a lot of observing and memorization of the stars.
The crew has to train their bodies and their eyes. They have to train their eyes because they are supposed to do a lot of observing.
How did they use the bathroom?
The crew would fasten themselves to the safety rope and throw themselves over the canoe.
How did they get water?
They brought along four hundred gallons of water, depending on the length of the trip. If they ran out of water, they would collect rain water and use iodine to clean it.
How do they maintain the canoe?
The Hokulea's crew did repairs at sea: fixed broken masts, tears in the sail, leaks, cracks in the platform, tears in the hale (house) and redistributed weight to make the vessel seaworthy.
How many people voyaged at a time?
On the Hokulea there were approximately twelve to fifteen people but in ancient times they took thirty or more people.
