Hokule‘a sails from Prince Rupert to Hartley Bay in British Columbia on July 20. The journey was delayed by fog, and crew members had to be wary of floating obstacles in the water once they set out. Polynesian Voyaging Society / KANAKO UCHINO photo

The Maui News

Hokule’a contended with fog and heavy squalls as it made four more stops in British Columbia in recent days, sharing meals, stories and cultural traditions with local communities.

The voyaging canoe and crew sailed to Hartley Bay, Klemtu, Bella Bella and Hakai, where they arrived at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday.

The waters and climate of the Pacific Northwest have posed unique challenges that differ vastly from the canoe’s home port in the Hawaiian Islands.

On July 20, departure from Prince Rupert from Hartley Bay was delayed by a few hours due to dense fog, according to the Pacific Voyaging Society. Even after the weather cleared and the canoe departed, crew members still had to pay close attention to floating obstacles as the fog continued to limit visibility. Sunny skies returned and the canoe arrived at Hartley Bay at about 9:30 p.m. after a 12-hour transit.

“The success and smoothness of our journey to Hartley Bay is proof that one of the most important decisions that can be made related to voyaging is whether the time is right to go; based on history, experience, and na’au,” apprentice navigator Lucy Lee said in a news release Thursday.

A small group of members from the Gitga’at community, with a population of about 125, welcomed Hokule’a, and the crew spent two days exchanging stories and dances with elders and “elders in training,” and offering tours of the canoe.

On July 23, the canoe departed Hartley Bay for Klemtu, sailing through weather ranging from heavy squalls, cold rain and lightning to bright sunshine. As the canoe was about 20 miles from their destination, community boats came out to guide them and keep them company for the remainder of their trip to Klemtu, where the crew was greeted by the community of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais territory with drumming, songs and a dinner where they exchanged stories.

A day later, the crew left for Bella Bella on a journey that proved a good lesson in planning, as it required about 13 miles of sailing through an area exposed to the open ocean, rather than the protected inland passage, the voyaging society said. When the crew arrived several hours later in the Heiltsuk village on the east coast of Campbell Island, they were welcomed in the Big House, which opened in 2019 as the community’s first Big House in 120 years, after the government banned them along with potlaches, traditional ceremonial feasts that were held in them, according to the news release. That ban was lifted in 1951, but it took decades to raise funds and more than a year to build with local cedar logs.

After experiencing Heiltsuk hospitality, song, dance and wisdom, the crew on Wednesday sailed 30 miles south to Hakai, on the northwest end of Calvert Island, where they planned to explore the area and learn from local scientists and researchers.

As of Monday, the canoe had made it to Alert Bay, British Columbia.

To track the canoe’s Moananuiakea Voyage around the Pacific, visit hokulea.com.