Kahoʻolawe & Navigation
Kahoʻolawe’s Past • Kahoʻolawe’s Today
Kahoʻolawe is situated at the piko (navel) of the Hawaiian chain; this central location made the island ideally positioned to observe, teach and learn the winds, ocean currents and trajectories of the sun and stars – the essential tools of non-instrument navigation.
Kahoʻolawe's Past
For more than a thousand years, guided by their intimacy with nature, na hoʻokele kahiko (ancient navigators) embarked upon the historic months-long voyages between Hawaiʻi and Tahiti from a traditional launching site – the westernmost point of Kahoʻolawe – known as Laeʻo Kealaikahiki (Point of the Pathway to Tahiti).
By knowing where the sun rises and sets on the horizon, plus the direction and characteristics of winds and currents, the navigator determines the canoe’s position during the day. At night, guided by na hoku paʻa (the fixed stars), which also follow seasonal sky routes, the navigator holds course relative to those trajectories until the sun rises again
Kahoʻolawe's Today
Kahoʻolawe is still recognized as an ideal classroom for new generations of non-instrument navigators.
In October of 2004, the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission, together with the Project Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana, Grand Master Navigator Mau Piailug of Satawal, and the captains and crew members of the eight voyaging canoes of Hawaiʻi, dedicated an observation platform at Lae’o Kealaikahiki for use as a centerpiece for the education and training of novice and future wayfinders from the voyaging ʻohana (family) of Hawaii.
Like their ancestors before them, today’s navigators sail into the vastness of the seas guided solely by the winds, the ocean currents, the sun, and stars.
The Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission manages the island of Kahoʻolawe and its surrounding waters. Support of KIRC’s cultural, environmental, and marine resources restoration programs may be made by tax-deductible donations to the Kahoʻolawe Island Rehabilitation Trust Fund. For more information please contact the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission at (808) 243-5020 or visit www.kahoolawe.hawaii.gov.
Mahalo to Polynesian Voyaging Society and Naʻalehu Anthony/Paliku Documentary Films for the use of the voyaging canoe image. Mahalo to Hoaloha ʻAina, Ho’olawa Farms, and the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority for their support.
Kahoʻolawe's Today
Kahoʻolawe is still recognized as an ideal classroom for new generations of non-instrument navigators.
In October of 2004, the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission, together with the Project Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana, Grand Master Navigator Mau Piailug of Satawal, and the captains and crew members of the eight voyaging canoes of Hawaiʻi, dedicated an observation platform at Laeʻo Kealaikahiki for use as a centerpiece for the education and training of novice and future wayfinders from the voyaging ʻohana (family) of Hawaii.
Like their ancestors before them, today’s navigators sail into the vastness of the seas guided solely by the winds, the ocean currents, the sun, and stars.
The Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission manages the island of Kahoʻolawe and its surrounding waters. Support of KIRC’s cultural, environmental, and marine resources restoration programs may be made by tax-deductible donations to the Kahoʻolawe Island Rehabilitation Trust Fund. For more information please contact the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission at (808) 243-5020 or visit www.kahoolawe.hawaii.gov.
Mahalo to Polynesian Voyaging Society and Naʻalehu Anthony/Paliku Documentary Films for the use of the voyaging canoe image. Mahalo to Hoaloha ʻAina, Hoʻolawa Farms, and the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority for their support.
Maui Sailing Charters
When sailing in Maui, there are many options. Below are some of our favorite Maui Sailing Tour boats.
Kai Kanani
Maalaea Harbor Slip #56
65ft Catamaran
Pacific Whale Foundation
Pacific Whale Foundation Ocean Store, 612 Front Street, Lahaina
Maui Classic Charters
Maalaea Harbor Slip #80 & 55
55ft Catamaran
Trilogy
Maalaea Harbor Slip #99 & #62, and in Lahaina too!
50 ft Catamaran
Fun Sailing Facts
Gybing = turning away from the direction of the wind.
Tacking = turning into and through the wind.
Running = sailing with the wind direction.
Reaching= sailing at a right angle to the wind. This is the fastest way to sail.
Heaving To = is a way of completely stopping for a moment while the sails are full.
More About Maui
The Haleakala Crater sits over 10,000 feet above sea level and above most weather. This, along with the clean clear skies in the Pacific make it one of the 5 most important Astronomical sites in the world.
The access to clear stars has always been important to Hawaii. Before electronic and magnetic instruments, the ancient Hawaiian and Polynesians guided their boats across the ocean by watching the “Fixed Stars.”