2010 Highlights and Future Plans...

Dear SVS members, supporters and friends,

We would like to update you on activities this year of the Aiga Folau o Samoa or Samoa Voyaging Society (SVS).

2010 Highlights

2010 has been a huge year for our young society; here are some of the highlights:

• Our Samoan crew with Captain Marc Gondard sailed more than 4,000 nautical miles from New Zealand to Tahiti, Cook islands, Samoa and then to Tonga on the va’atele “Hine Moana” from April to July this year. We sailed as part of the Pacific Voyaging Fleet with 4 other traditional va’a and visited five countries The attached photos show the arrival ceremony of the voyaging fleet in Samoa, with our patron His Highness the Head of State of Samoa and the Hine Moana leaving Sinalei

• On this epic journey the Samoan crew were environmental ambassadors- promoting the need for marine conservation and wise stewardship of the oceans.

• In August we had the maiden voyage of our own va’atele “Gaualofa” to Vava’u, Tonga and back a distance of almost 1000 nautical miles

• In September we went to Tokelau and back, a distance of 800 nautical miles return. We took with us Foua Toloa, the former Ulu or Head of Tokelau, who taught the crew star navigation techniques

• Between October and December many school groups and overseas and local visitors have visited the va’a and more than 100 Samoan children have had the opportunity to sail and learn about traditional voyaging and navigation. This has been a hugely successful part of the program as a core goal of our society is to promote pride and knowledge in traditional navigation amongst the youth

• We went on many short voyages to different parts of Samoa, including to Manono island where there was huge interest from the community and where we discovered that the ancient skills of traditional navigation are still alive in Samoa

• We are developing a close partnership with the Samoan Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture whom we hope to be working hand in hand on further outreach activities in 2011 and beyond

• Our young local crew have grown and matured and are now ready to take on the world with confidence in their skills as sailors and with enhanced pride in their culture

Faafetai tele to our sponsors and supporters

We would like to thank all our sponsors for their generous support this year especially the Okeanos Foundation who have provided us our va’a on very favorable terms and continue to fund much of our core running costs.

We also thank the Samoa Tourism Authority for a very generous donation for our official launch a year ago and to cover some running costs and also SPREP who gave us a grant to promote ocean conservation in early 2010. We would also like to thank Stuart Chape of SPREP for taking the most incredible photographs of our va’a and crew, including the ones attached. We thank UNESCO for giving us a grant to develop a strategy to promote traditional navigation and improve out outreach activities in Samoa. Other sponsors include Apia Concrete Products (ACP), the Apia Yacht Club, Big Bear, Samoa Ports Authority, Silva Transport, Tony Hill and Sinalei Reef Resort.

Last but not least we would like to thank the wonderful hosts who fed and hosted our crews on our voyages this year- in particular our hosts in Rarotonga, Tahiti, Tokelau, and Vavau, Tonga. We hope to have the opportunity to reciprocate one day when you visit Samoa.

Planning for 2011 Voyage

We are now in the throes of preparing and training for another epic journey-from Samoa to Fiji, Tahiti, Marquesas, Hawaii and back to Samoa starting in February 2011. Once again we will be joining with va’a from NZ, Fiji, the Cook Islands and Tahiti on the journey which has as its main objective the promotion of ocean conservation and sustainable management, and in particular to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on the oceans. The voyaging fleet will all congregate in Honolulu harbor, Hawaii in early July 2011 where an Ocean Climate conference to raise awareness on these critical issues will be held. We hope that our patron, His Highness the Head of State, will sail with us for part of the voyage.

Crew needed

We are still seeking crew for the voyages in 2011 and will be interviewing for new crew in early January. We will be advertising interview times in the press and on the radio. For more information please call Ame on 7510693

Donations needed

We are in desperate need of more funds to support our va’a’s ongoing running costs, outreach activities and to provide some financial support for our volunteer crew. We also need to raise 200,000 NZD (360,000 tala) before the end of 2012 in order to purchase the va’a outright from the Okeanos Foundation. Please consider a generous donation for this worthy cause- our account details are below:

Bank account details:
Account Name: SAMOA VOYAGING SOCIETY INC main branch Apia
Account N°: 3803142

Membership

The Samoa Voyaging Society exists only because of our members. In particular we need members who are willing to volunteer part time for a few hours a week to assist with a range of activities, including fundraising, marketing and crew training. Membership is currently 10 tala per person and we would like to encourage you to renew your membership as soon as possible. Membership entitles you to discounted sailing trips, participation in ocean voyages (subject to passing basic fitness and other training) and to participation in the Annual General Meeting of the SVS.

You may renew your membership through a direct bank transfer or just contact us and we will provide you with a receipt. We would be grateful if you would also encourage others members of the community to join the SVS!

Please contact the SVS Secretary, James Atherton on 7770787, Captain Marc Gondard on 7720276 or myself on 7773949 if you wish to renew your membership or make a donation.

We look forward to another exciting year of development and adventure for the SVS and thank you all for your engagement and support this year.


Ia manuia le kerisimasi ma le tausaga fou.


Soifua and God Bless,


Tuatagaloa Joe Annandale
Aiga Folau o Samoa President

Manono Expedition

24.11.10

Location: due west of Apia Harbour
Time: Wednesday midmorning
Destination: Manono Island via Mulifanua
Mission: Meeting the Elders of Manono Island and request upon them in teaching and bestowing Gaualofa and her Crew their blessings in reviving the old ways of how our ancestors came to these shores. And taking school children and locals out for a sail.
Present: It’s Wednesday morning and we have just left Apia Harbour. Our first stop is Mulifanua and second is Manono Island, both are due west. We will be spending the night in Mulifanua as our actual destination is Manono Island. It lies between the Main Island, Upolu, and Apolima. We’ve finally dredged up enough courage to call upon people of Manono for aid.
In the History of Samoa during times of constant warring, any district that had the backing of Manono was sure to win. Manono not only had the largest naval fleet that halted any surprise attacks and patrolled the sea trade but it also had strong ties with neighboring islands: Tonga and Fiji. If dire need of assistance was requested by either of the countries the call was always answered. Manono is said among the locals, to be the last place in Samoa to conform to modern-day sea vessels.
The crew is looking forward to this trip as it will also mean possible recruitment from people who know a vast deal more of the canoe culture. We have our traditional rig on: crab claw/ marquises rig; we’ve also constructed new jowls for the traditional booms, as the former design wasn’t quite user friendly for winds of over 15knots. They had completely cracked on the first time we set them on, so with our spanking new boom jowls, our course was set due west. As winds were blowing NE, averaging 14 knots, we were sailing ca. 7 knots having the wind on our starboard quarter. It was a fairly easy run all the way. We caught a good size trivielly just in time for an early dinner. The only thing that marred our sail was the high concentration of trash which was in the ocean. We arrived in Mulifanua lagoon and laid anchor and rested up for the big day tomorrow. This anchorage was chosen as it is the safest and closest anchorage from our appointed meeting with the people of Manono, tomorrow at 09.00. So for now, soifua.
Time: Morning of the BIG DAY
Present: Morning was beautiful and we were joined by two members of our society as well as a local ex-pat and his family (they coincidentally run a sailing venture based in this part of the main island, Samoa Sailing Adventures).Breakfast was quickly inhaled as the hour of our appointment was rapidly approaching; though we still managed to not arrive on time. As we’re based in Samoa and keeping with local customs is of the utmost importance, we arrived just in due time. Local time etiquette: either be very early or very late, it’s rude to be on time. Finer details aside we were still greeted with smiles and not a fleet of paopaos .We quickly laid anchor like so: stern to shore bow to lagoon and a stern line to the beach tied around a niu. Faapau (crew member), bravely sacrificed his dry self to ferry the children on board Gaualofa, with the dinghy as it was too shallow to attach the outboard to it. When everyone was finally onboard, we were soon introduced to the chiefs and orators of Manono Island! And they had brought a minister along! After the service, you could clearly see and hear the relief that was being voiced by the crew. We’ve been accepted by the people of Manono Island, now the second part of the mission- Prove that their blessings are and will be put to good use. A demonstration was required- we were still able to sail around in the lagoon, even though there were slight winds and we were making only 5-6 knots. A couple of the Elders got into explaining the Samoan terminology for the different parts of the Va’a. We soon found out that the main parts of the va’a are used in Samoan idioms! The elders and the children clearly enjoyed their little outing on a double hulled canoe. None of the children seemed to be frightened by the maneuvers the Va’a went through, we had little young uns’ vying to stand by the foe!(note for you safety alarmists, just to touch it!) After a thoroughly satisfying sail we made our way back to Apia harbour. Winds were still blowing NE at the same speed which we then optioned to motor sail back, which we did in 3 ½ hours.
Mission accomplished! Gaualofa and her crew are looking forward to their next adventure to Manono Island, and hopefully will stay longer. Faafetai tele lava. Soifua!

Wedding trip

Log Book Update 13/11/10!
Gaualofa Overnight Sail Apia-Sinalei

Gaualofa has sailed from Apia to Sinalei on the Saturday morning the 13th of November; they reached Sinalei late Saturday night. The Vaá is in the South end of Upolu to host its very first wedding, today Monday the 15th.
The entire crew and members of the Samoan Voyaging Society would like to congratulate Iosefa and Siko Percival on their special day and wish them all the best on their journey through life’s great joys.
yeah just look at the terminator, when he said he'll be back I didn't expect him to come back as a senator. lol

NZ Sailors

Log Book 27/09/10

Torbay Yacht Club Sailors

Gaualofa and her crew took a group from the Apia Yacht Club out for a sail. This group included NZ kids who were on a youth sailing exchange with the yacht club. The kids are from Torbay Yacht Club, New Zealand. This club is renown for hosting the Sir Peter Blake Regatta every year. Marc (Skipper of Gaualofa) set the course to a sandbar (outside the lagoon next to the village of Letogo) 6 nmi north east from Apia, a great swimming spot, anchorage and spot a turtle or two. Winds were blowing north easterly at 15 knots with northern swells, so we were averaging 8 knots. There were a few green faces on the way, until we arrived to our destination. Lunch was served as soon as we had arrived and then the exploring of the sandbar and its surroundings commenced. It was a shorter and less bumper sail back to Apia harbour. Everyone had enjoyed the sail but had especially enjoyed the refreshing swim.

Overnight Sail with Apia Yacht Club

Log Book 06/09/10

Overnight Sail with AYC

Saturday morning was a beautiful day for a sail. Winds were blowing northeast at 10-12 knots, north swells of about 3 meters high. The Gaualofa and her crew were asked to be the support vessel for a sailing trip the Apia Yacht Club had arranged for the weekend. We had a few guests on board as well. There were 4 lasers and two hobie cats, a 14 and 16 which consisted of the fleet. Marc, set the course for a sandbar that we regularly sail to, which is NE from Apia ca. 7 miles from our point of origin, Mulinuu peninsular, so we were all on a beat. It took us about 3 hours to get to the sandbar and by then we were all hungry and overheated. After setting up the smaller boats for moorage a late lunch was made by the Gaualofa crew. Michael and Beniot (hobie sailors from AYC) set up camp on the sandbar to which everyone joined later as the yacht club sailors had arranged to a BBQ. Night was hitting fast and after a few camp stories around the fire we all called it a night and retreated back to Gaualofa for a proper night’s rest. The following morning, Sunday, we were all up and gearing for the sail back. After a great breakfast prepared by all, after sighting a few turtles we all rigged up ready to begin our sailing for the day. As the winds didn’t change much it was a run back to the Apia harbour. It took us less than an hour to sail back all keeping close to each other. The Gaualofa crew is still receiving thank you letters from our guests during the weekend. A big MALO LAVA to all!!!

Discovering Tokelau by the stars.

24 August 10 Since our last trip the crew of Gaualofa set a heading for Tokelau but this trip has a twist. We set sail without the use of a compass, GPS, maps or a watch to tell time. It’s the next step towards personal development for each crew member into the chapter of sailing, traditional navigation.
There was two parts to the training;
The first part was to prepare in chronological order the stars and planets we will be using to arrive into Tokelau. We were fortunate to have on board a traditional navigator from Tokelau but the entire crew required the skills to identify the key stars and planets to have a clear understanding of the navigators choice of heading.
The second part of the training was to determine the va’a speed in order to estimate distance travelled this is called a “speed check”.

We measured a point from the bow of the va’a to astern of the va’a. With that distance we use the white wash from the breaking waves at the bow of the va’a to count how many seconds it take to reach the point astern. With that we broke each second into estimated knots to determine speed, for example a 6 second speed check would establish that we are travelling at an average speed of 8 knots.
Each voyage is broken down in shifts by three watch teams. Each team works three hours with the two remaining teams on six hour rest. Each watch group is lead by a watch captain who is in-charge of performing speed checks every hour of their shift.


We collate the information collected to keep us on our heading to our final destination. How smart were our ancestors aye! It is an important piece of knowledge that is vital to our culture. How cool is that? We didnt use electronic instruments.

In search of the Kingdom.

25 July 2010
Talofa supports (smiles)
It has been a while since our last entry but we are back online full throttle. Following on from our last entry in May the keen crew of the Va’a Gaualofa and the executive committee of the Samoa Voyaging Society decided to sail to Nukualofa, Tonga.

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The opportunity came about through the whale watching training to take place in Tonga. This was organised by Ocean Noise Production (ONP) for the skippers and first mate of each participating va’a from the Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Tahiti, and yours truly Samoa. Being the enthusiastic environmental advocates we thought we would minimise the carbon footprint of two crew members flying into two countries by sailing with a full crew. The trip to Nukualofa also proved a valuable opportunity for training for old crew and new.

The president of the Samoa Voyaging Society, Tuatagaloa Joe Annandale joined the crew as it has been a long life dream for the president and founding member of the society. Tuatagaloa Joe Annandale’s additional purpose was to attend the coronation of the King of Tonga.

Log Book 25/07/10
Crew: Marc, Tuatagaloa Joe, Ewan, John, Waine, Fani, Fa’apau, Koleni, Siaosi, Kalolo, Senio, Tuafale, Ioe, Ieremia, Billi, Fa’aleaga.

Set sail from Apia Marina at 1400hrs west of Upolu pass Apolima Island searing her traditional rig.
Once we passed the convergence current zone in the leeway shore of Upolu we started heading south for Nukualofa.
Only managed to catch half a fish the other half we shared with a shark (dumb shark!).
Day one, a historical trip as it is the first official international voyage for Gaualofa as well as our president Tuatagaloa Joe.
End entry.



Log Book 26/07/10
Crew: Marc, Tuatagaloa Joe, Ewan, John, Waine, Fani, Fa’apau, Koleni, Siaosi, Kalolo, Senio, Tuafale, Ioe, Ieremia, Billi, Fa’aleaga.

It’s day two and the wind has decided to change from East to South South East and just for the fun of it, just to spice things up she decides to change again to blow South straight in front of us. We adapt to the situation and follow the wind taking us towards Vava’u.
We arrive into the Vava’u group at 2100hrs and enter anchorage in front of Neiafu at 2230hr. It’s raining and squalling when we anchor but the crew break out in song lead by Tuatagaloa Joe with his ukulele and guitar till 0100hrs.
End entry. (Yawn)



Log Book 09/08/10 to 12/08/10
Crew: Marc, Ewan, John, Waine, Fani, Fa’apau, Koleni, Siaosi, Kalolo, Senio, Tuafale, Ioe, Ieremia, Billi, Fa’aleaga.

Guest: Iren, Spainish (captain of Newromancer yacht), Tibault, French (first mate of Newromancer).

We have been sailing between the Vava’u group islands and it is a sailors paradise. There is always shelter which is open to the wind but protected from deep ocean swell - it is a sailors cherry on the cake. We have been spending our time getting to know the locals of Neiafu, training, and building team sprit within the crew.
We’ve been repetitively practicing manoeuvres such as tacking, man over board, coastal navigation, and anchoring drills.The training has been tough, useful, and well worth it. Definitely a great place for training.
End entry

Log Book 13/08/10
Crew: Marc, James, Ewan, John, Waine, Fani, Fa’apau, Koleni, Siaosi, Kalolo, Senio, Tuafale, Ioe, Ieremia, Billi, Fa’aleaga.

If you are the superstitious type then this entry might feel a little scary because it is Friday the 13th and we are setting sail to return home to Samoa. We are joined by another crew member and secretary of the Samoa Voyaging Society James Atherton on the journey home.
We depart Neiafu leaving behind two crew members of Gaualofa to work on board va’a Hine Moana undertaking whale watching trips to increase training and experience.
It is said that the most important part of the day is breakfast so what better way to start Friday the 13th than a hearty breakfast of crepes, cinnamon buns, and coffee with our Tongan friends and colleagues from Hine Moana. After Breakfast we farewell our friends, then kick them off our va’a, and set sail around Neiafu to farewell everyone before heading towards Afi ava from there we set our heading North North East towards Samoa.
End entry.


Log Book 14/08/10
Crew: Marc, James, Ewan, John, Waine, Fani, Fa’apau, Koleni, Siaosi, Kalolo, Senio, Tuafale, Ioe, Ieremia, Billi, Fa’aleaga.

We arrive into Samoa anchoring in Apia after passing the international dateline experiencing Friday the 13th twice and a 40 hour trip travelling at an average speed of eight knots.
It’s great to be back and we are welcomed back with a warm and delicious dinner prepared by the society, family, and supporters.
Till next time, end entry. (Yummy)

The towing leaves the crews with much time on their hands and we can hear a strain of impatiens in everyone's voices

11 May 2010 7:14 p.m
Voyages - Aotearoa > French Polynesian > Cook Islands 2010

We just switched time zones so here's a 2nd update for the 11th.
The chain in our tow line (shock absorber) sizzled thru the water as it lifted and sunk with surge of the tow. The sun shone down and cooked us until we pulled our awning over our heads and lounged in the shade eating fruit, reading, occasionally throwing buckets of water over our heads and
generally enjoying a very lazy day.
We saw a sailfish briefly carve up the surface and a few smaller fish jumping, but nature wasn't turning on a show today except for a beautiful
sunset of big cumulus reflected on the calm seas.
the only real life was on board the vaka and even that wasn't moving much for the most part.
Current position at 1800 on 11/5:
South 19deg 08.9 West 149deg 06.2
heading 340 at 7.5 knots
As the sun dipped below the horizon we had haka practice and carried on thru with a bit of a jam session.
We're looking at arriving in Moorea tomorrow mid-morning, but hiding out in a bay for the day as we can't go in until the following morn.
While it's a bit frustrating having no wind at least we're traveling in the right direction at good speed.
all the best to everyone,
Dunc
Marumaru Atua


Day 24 100510
Daily run: 147M
We are waking up still attached to the support vessels. No wind shift yet and now the forecasts have pushed the shift even further forward so it no point of disconnecting the tow. Suddenly Te Matau slows down and Hine Moana who are attached to our stern seems to come closer. Our tow line has snapped! An unfortunate lead around a shackle has worn through the 20mm rope. It is easy to repair and we are soon on our way again. The towing is putting a lot of strain on the lines and the canoes we realise. Uto Ni Yalo's towing line breaks as well and a few other issues appear. The towing with two canoes in a line can only be done in very calm conditions. Anything more than our current sea state with one meter swell and 8kn wind on the nose will start to cause damage on equipment.
We are struggling getting through the enormous amount of fruits and coconuts. Constantly someone is handing out bananas and is insisting on a freshly opened coconut to wash it down with. The fleet are steadily moving north.
The towing leaves the crews with much time on their hands and we can hear a strain of impatiens in everyone's voices when we have our round up calls on the vhf. Why doesn't the wind turn around? Do we have to tow? Can't we just drift until it changes? Well, we have to be patient. A different kind of patients than the ancestors had.
They had to drift to wait for the wind to shift. We have the luxury having the support vessels here that can help us getting to the right winds and thus compromise with the modern world time schedules. But on the canoes we have to practice another kind of patients by not being able to sail ourselves. It is not the proudest moment being towed.
At one point we hope that the towing will be obsolete all together. We are trying new technology on Hine Moana and Te Matau. The Solarpower electric drives. These systems will allow the canoes to use the energy from the sun during day time to slowly motor against light winds or when being becalmed. The systems are still on sea trails and Te Matau's has developed issues. Water has dripped into sensitive areas of the electric system and caused a lot of corrosion. A bit of a nightmare on any vessel but on a vaka it seems to be worse.
It is peculiar, on this traditional vessel we find the most cutting edge technology. A true marriage of the ancient and the future! The system is interesting from many perspectives. Without the sun the batteries last for three hours. This means that except for landfall we have to sail wherever we go. We can't defeat the strong winds with these motors but have to find ways around them or wait for good wind directions. This gives good feeling of conne cting to the old ways of travelling. Not fighting he elements but working with them.
Well, when the new system works it is good. None of Te Matau's motors work right now. 48 fine wires need to be re-soldered to remove the corroded terminals. This should take care of the main problems but knowing how saltwater and electrics mix we are bound to encounter more issues. We get a soldering pack from Foftein in a dry bag that were passed along the towing line and we start the tedious job to connect the fine wires. It is a hard job in the small aft compartment, the heat, the constant rocking, the state of the wires. After five hours of near misses two wires are connected. This is going to take some time. It's getting dark so we decide to wait until tomorrow and get some help from one of Foftein's professional engineers. If we can't solve this now we won't have any motors to enter into Moorea.
Nga Mihi
Te Matau a Maui

Vaka Time Position
Te Matau a Maui 0600 20'19S 148'24W
Hine Moana 0600 20'19S 148'24W
Uto Ni Yalo 0600 20'19S 148'35W
Marumaru Atua 0600 20'19S 148'35W
Faafaite 0600 20'25S 148'22W

10 May 2010 6:51 p.m
Voyages - Aotearoa > French Polynesian > Cook Islands 2010

A peaceful day of towing. Not overly stimulating from a sail-the-oceans point of view, but nice to back at sea and sharing the stimulating conversation of our small but diverse whanau.
it's very nice to have Te Aturangi amongst us, he's a welcome addition to the crew.
There's a real sense of the pressure being off now the vast span of the South Pacific is behind us and our passages are reduced to a mere two or three days between islands.
having said that we still took time for Emergency Procedure drills today.
you don't need to be in the middle of an ocean to get in trouble and familiarity with the procedures can save lives.
As the sun set it was head counts, grab bags, and life rafts. "what do you do if..." "how do you issue a Mayday?"
At the end of our drills we finished with an Emergency cup of tea. Most important.
Current position at 1800 on 11/5:
South 21deg 23.1 West 148deg 09.1
Heading 340 at 7 knots
Hoping you all have a peaceful watch and don't need your liferaft tonight,
Dunc
Marumaru Atua

Day 23 090510
Daily run: 60M
Today we decide to leave Raivavae. The wind is still north but very light and will soon be changing to south. We decided that we can let the escort vessels tow us up to the favourable winds. A voyage shouldn't have schedules but we have to compromise with the modern world in Tahiti where they are expecting us.
We will go to Moorea first and then over to Papeete. We decide to leave after lunch when the wind is expected to drop off. And of course we can't leave on empty stomachs. In preparations for the last meal Faafaite went fishing the whole evening yesterday.
At midday another over the top meal is dished out on banana leaves in the shadows of the trees. We haven't been able to avoid the attention of Raivavae yet. A couple of outrigger canoes have come out heavily loaded with more food! We have no idea how to reciprocate all this hospitality.
We have presented gifts from the canoes to the people but it feels nowhere close to what we have received.
During the morning some of the crew went through the lashings of the kiatos on the inside of the canoes. We pulled up the canoes as much as possible on the beach to be able stand and work on the bottom. The small tide was going out after lunch and left Te Matau and Marumaru sitting quite firmly on the bottom. But we had decided to leave so everyone engaged to pull them free.
We wiggled, pulled and pushed and finally the canoes floated free and we started making our way out from the lagoon. Te Matau had still issues with one motor so Marumaru towed her to the outside the channel through the reef.
There all of the canoes connected up to the escort vessels. The little caravan of canoes and boats turned their bow to the north and left Raivavae in the dimming light behind.
Nga Mihi
Te Matau a Maui

Vaka Time Position
Te Matau a Maui 1800 23'46S 147'40W
Hine Moana 1800 23'46S 147'40W
Uto Ni Yalo 1800 23'47S 147'40W
Marumaru Atua 1800 23'47S 147'40W
Faafaite 1800 23'44S 147'36W

8May 2010 9:40am
Greetings to all,
We have just anchored in the lagoon on the south side of Raivavae to give these beautiful islanders a reprieve from giving as abundantly as they have been and ourselves a break from eating the abundance that they have shared.
As someone said, their generosity has been bigger than their mountain. The welcome we received after 3 weeks at sea was overwhelming.
We were greeted on the dock by the crew of Faafaite and most of Raivavae's 500 inhabitants, palm fronds waving, drums beating and voices raised in song. Men, women and children wearing flowers and plaited grasses and leaves.
As the crews stepped ashore each person had an 'ei' or lei of flowers placed around their necks. We had brief welcoming speeches, wiata from the adults and kids and haka from the crews and then walked 200 meters in a straight line (first time in a while) to the town hall where the island women sang wave after wave of Raivavaen songs, the chorus of voices raised in harmony and celebration was was truly wonderful.
After the official welcome we were ushered around to the back of the hall where drums, guitars, more singers serenaded us as women, singing and dancing, led us to our seats.
After so long living on corned beef it was amazing to have tables piled high with different foods and fruits. The river of their generosity never ran dry although by the time they had fed us for three days and loaded the five vaka with as much fruit and cooked food as they could carry we suspected there probably wasn't a banana left on the island.
Last night we beached the vaka on a little motu in the lagoon to wait for the wind to change from the north before heading to Tahiti. The delay is really a blessing in disguise, it gives us a chance to get the canoes in order and get a little r and r in for the crews. Between official tours, kava 'ceremonies' lasting late into the night and the throng of visitors and children swarming over the vaka it's been fantastic, but hardly restful.
We had a roaring bonfire on the beach, a little shared food and quiet conversations then I slipped away for an early night, ukeleles and guitars following me as I went.
We hope the wind will come around to the East in about 2 days and that we will leave for Tahiti late Sunday or Monday with a good breeze on the beam to shoot us up there.
From a place of Peace and Gratitude (lucky eh)
Dunc

Marumaru Atua


Day19 050510
Raivavae
Just to the west of Raivavae the four vaka's lined up behind Faafaite before entering the passage into Rairua Bay. Faafaite, Marmaru Atua, Te Matau a Maui, Uto Ni Yalo, Hine Moana one line. More than a mile out we hear a thunder. Drums. Drums from the island and fainter soft voices singing.
A brisk breeze pushing us all closer to land and ahead of Faafaite are two outrigger canoes leading us into a chorus of Polynesian voices and the rhythmic drumbeat. This sight sent shivers up our spines, it seemed like the whole island had turned out to greet us, in an array of bright colours, conches blowing, fronds waving in the background. Head gear and garlands of leis sway in time with bodies as they sing out their welcome until each vaka is berthed.
Speeches were short with each vaka crew being called forward and acknowledged, then it was a short procession to the mayor's residence where the mayor-Bruno Flores began the official speeches and gifts were exchanged.
Crews sitting in the hot sun on the concrete path soon dispersed to find cooler spots until the proceedings were finished. Next was the abundant feast that welcomed us in truly sumptuous- island styles, the tables were ladened with local produducts, and to aid the digestion was the accompaniment of continuous singing and dancing. It all went on well into the night!
Our voyage to Raivavae really begins the story of the legendary Hiro-warrior voyager. It got told to us by the local metua- Rahiti-nui-arii Teipoarii and translated by Matahi from Faafataite. Hiro was born and grew up here and as a young man he climbed up the mountain and slept with a woman and for which he was exiled by his father as a test.
Hiro gathered around him young men who built a canoe and sailed 170. Hapai was the navigator that guided Hiro on his voyages to Raiatea, Moorea and outer islands. He left different signs and names and sailed further to Samoa, Rarotonga and Aotearoa. Leaving various wives and siblings along the way he finally settled and died in Maunganui-Aotearoa.
Nga Mihi
Te Matau a Maui
050510
Vaka Time Position
Te Matau a Maui 0600 Rairua Bay, Raivavae
Hine Moana 0600 Rairua Bay, Raivavae
Uto Ni Yalo 0600 Rairua Bay, Raivavae
Marumaru Atua 0600 Rairua Bay, Raivavae
Faafaite 0600 Rairua Bay, Raivavae


Na Te Aranui Tapu O Te Ui Tupuna”
“Along the Sacred Highway of our Ancestors”
Kia Orana CIVS Members & Supporters,
The 5 Vaka have arrived at Raivavae! They tied up at the jetty in Rairua Bay at 10:00am 5th May. It was reported that the crew members on all 5 vaka could here the welcoming drums ‘more than a mile away!’
The first leg of the voyage is completed & all are safe & well & in high spirits.
From Raivavae the fleet will sail to Papeete, on to Moorea, then Raiatea & on to Rarotonga.
Meanwhile preparations for the Fleet arrival here in Rarotonga are proceeding well. The Planning Committee –comprising representatives from: CIVS, Min of Culture, the local pacific communitys –have put together a draft plan comprising preparations leading up to the arrival, the Welcome Ceremony at Avana & Stop-Over Programme, which I will send out to all soon.
The ETA for the arrival is 31st May & the Planning Committee has scheduled the welcome ceremony to begin at 3:00pm. The Fleet are determined to adhere to the ETA however it is subject to weather conditions & we will be able to confirm the arrival time closer to the date.
Our Vaka, Marumaru Atua once home will be staying home & the other 4 Vaka are scheduled to stop-over for 4 days before leaving for their home destinations. The fleet will moor at Avana on arrival but will then move to Avatiu Harbour - probably the following day.
CIVS members - the Executive will be calling a meeting shortly where we will discuss & organize our part in the arrival & stop-over .
Meanwhile everyone please keep following the amazing voyage on our CIVS website: www.voyaging.co.ck
Kia Manuia,

Eva Nepia-Clamp

General Secretary
Cook Islands Voyaging Society


Kia ora,
At 1000 local time Wednesday 5th May 5 vaka tied up at at the jetty in
Rairua Bay in Raivavae.
We could here the drums from the welcoming crowed for more than a mile away.

Te Matau a Maui
Position 23'52S 147'41W


3 May 2010 7:17 p.m
And so we tow.
Overnight the wind left us and although still moving it was decided that with such a short distance to go we would get a helping hand from the escort
vessels and cover the last hundred or so miles under tow.
We expect to arrive on raivavae on wednesday morning.
current position at 1800 on 3/5:
South 24deg 58.5 West 149deg 27.3
heading 060 at about 8 knots
the whole day has stayed clear and flat. we had a beautiful sunset and successful cake recovery mission.
Our towing vessel, 'Evohe' baked a couple of cakes,sealed them in tins and floated them back to us on a boogie board.
We in turn eased them back to Uto ni Yalo (we are towing 2 vaka behind each support boat).
About half way back to Uto things took an interesting turn when the boogie board disappeared below the surface and didn't come back up. After a good 10 minutes and complete reduction in speed it re-surfaced in just about the right place and the cake was rescued. Unbelievably it was not as moist as we imagined and was pronounced a successful and adventurous cake after it's 5 meter descent into the depths. A testament to the wrapping and sealing skills of the bakers.
all good here despite some frustration at the lack of wind and need to be towed.
Dunc


Day 16 040510
Daily run: 128M
The report is delayed today. We spend the morning setting up towing bridles. After midnight last night the wind disappeared all together and Te Matau and sister Hine Moana sat bobbing together moving only a few miles with the currents. Uto Ni Yalo motored towards us from the west most of the night and the same for Marumaru Atua.
In the morning the decision was taken to ask the escort vessels to tow us north east in the direction of Raivavae and hopefully some wind. Now Te Matau and Hine Moana are being towed one after each other by Foftein. Marumaru are hooked on to Evohe and Uto is still motoring under her own steam.
Yesterday Hine Moana and Te Matau sailed well in the light winds and were steadily doing 5-6kn. Hine is faster than Te Matau but when they were coming close they took down their genoa so we could stay together. For some reason Uto and Marumaru couldn't catch up with us. They actually lost ground.
We can't really figure out which canoes are the fastest, the lighter ones or the heavier ones. Well, Uto seems to be hard to catch up on! Te Matau and Hine might just have managed to hang on to the right clouds and got some more wind than the others.
It was another relaxing day. A little bit of rain but just enough to rinse the deck. Then sun. Nice warm and drying sun. Now when we spend more time on the deck we take the opportunity to have a daily korero about what will be expected of us when we arrive to the various islands, the history of different vaka and Tahi takes us through some of the navigators history.
We are practicing haka and waiata that we think are appropriate for Raivavae. The powhiri there is going to be an important event for us on the canoes as well as for the people of Raivavae.
In the lazy hours between the watches we lay on the deck. Liam more often with the ukulele or guitar in his hands than not. Small details submerge during the small talk on the deck. Stolen socks get returned. Different perspective of situations and the rough days is shared. We had a suspicion that we were getting faster during the trip. The other canoes didn't get so far ahead of us anymore. Of course we are getting lighter since we are getting through our provision and water. But so are the other canoes.
When we were all sitting on the deck behind the whare talking and laughing and looking around amongst us someone commented that our clothes were all kind of flapping in the light winds. For all of us! We have become thinner! We have probably shaved of 70kg all together!
Thankfully we haven't that far to go to Raivavae. There awaits the beaches, the solid ground, the feasts and just a few hours of tranquil rest for our souls.
Nga Mihi
Te Matau a Maui
040510
(before the tow)
Vaka Time Position
Te Matau a Maui 0600 25'30S 150'24W
Hine Moana 0600 25'30S 150'28W
Uto Ni Yalo 0600 25'25S 150'24W
Marumaru Atua 0600 25'38S 150'38W


New day
The day began for me with a tavake, the red tailed bird that can fly backwards, dancing around the half moon in the pale blue sky of early morning.

A few moments later the water beside the vaka burst with a whoosh as a humpback surfaced for air ten metres away, almost immediately another appeared right beside close enough to jump on to. for the next ten minutes four or five whales cruised along with us at six or seven knots before finally dropping from sight and presumably continuing their easterly course. It was a magnificent start to the day and although the winds have been very light for the afternoon and evening we are nearing our goal.
Current position at 1800 on 2/5:
South 25deg 44.0 West 151deg29.9 heading 080 (ENE-ish) at 4-5 knots
Everyone is looking forward to land and the talk ranges from fresh greens and roast pork to sand between the toes and a cold beer. Strangely no one has voiced the desire for more corned beef.
Look forward to seeing everyone already on Raivavae when we arrive and hope everyone else is well and happy and enjoying a varied diet.
Dunc

Day 15 030510
Daily run: 130M
We have the rising sun on starboard bow and are pointing just below Raivavae. The wind has dropped right off to 10kn from a WNW direction. After turning east we had a couple of more squalls. The last one was of course the worst with again horizontal rain and severe gusts.
A few miles south of Te Matau Marumaru Atua estimated 50kn gusts! When the squall had passed Marumaru she called us on the vhf to warn us. We didn't realise that we had passed through the same one.
On Te Matau, we desperately started to prepare for the next hit and were straining our eyes to locate the new squall. After a moment we sigh of relief when we understood that it was already gone. Since then the weather has been calm.

It is nice to see the crew enjoying the deck again. The deck is the living space on a vaka. The stormy weather the last weeks made it almost impossible to use for anything else than working, besides occasional moments, because it has been awash most of the time in the big seas. In contrast to many other canoes, Te Matau and her sisters have the luxury of having bunks below to sleep in. When you are off watch you catch up on your sleep and try to get dry. But now we are on the deck together. Everyone is up, enjoying the sun, drying their clothes, having bucket showers, it was actually a cue to the port stern corner that we use for washing ourselves. Tahi and Liam is jamming with the guitars. The calm weather is soothing our souls.

When everyone is on deck we have a Korero about the past days and also what we can look forward to. It is good, everyone in the crew is ventilating their thoughts, some smaller issues are resolved. It is a little bit like a fog has lifted. We can sud denly see clear again, morale is high and we feel that we easily can take another week of bad weather! But we don't really want to.

Te Matau and Hine Moana are sailing close together again. Both vaka are covered in clothes, towels and wet weather gear that is hanging out to dry in the breeze. The crews are spread out on the decks basking in the sun. We have a happy moment of "vaka life".

On "Radio Vaka" last night we discovered that Uto Ni Yalo had ended up west of Marumaru, Te Matau and Hine Moana who are within a couple of miles of each other. We all got the light winds at about the same time and she hasn't been able to catch up with the rest. She is now 25M west of the fleet and is doing the same course and speed, 060T and about 5kn in the light air. We are moving slow but for the moment we have no need of going faster!

We have dinner before sunset. It is the first proper meal together for 12 days on Te Matau. It is beautiful and we don't really want it to end.

Nga Mihi

Te Matau a Matau a Maui

030510
Vaka Time Position
Te Matau a Maui 0600 26'00S 152'22W
Hine Moana 0600 26'01S 152'25W
Uto Ni Yalo 0644 25'45S 153'03W
Marumaru Atua 0600 26'02S 152'32W


May 1st, 6pm.
A week or more of strong breezes and a night of heavy rain culminated this morning with a 50 knot gust that landed without warning, rattled the rigging and then disappeared taking all wind with it.
thankfully it also took the rain and cloudy skies with it leaving us to bob around in the sunshine for a couple of hours sponging water out of the hulls and drying clothes and bodies washed in the last of the downpours.
the breeze then filled in to gentle 10 knots and we cruised thru the afternoon. The guitar came out just before a beautiful sunset and all in all things are looking good.
Current position at 1800 1/5:
South 26deg 23.6 West 153deg 37.0 heading 050deg, NE at 6-8 knots.
350 miles to go to Raivavae. Light winds for a couple of days could make it slow going but we're very close.

all the best to everyone,

Dunc

Samoa Voyaging Society crew faces mountains of waves on Day 13 of their Pacific Oceans Journey.

Samoa Voyaging Society crew faces mountains of waves on Day 13 of their Pacific Oceans Journey.

Day 13 010510
Daily run: 201M
The day began smooth and we had hope that we would be able to dry out the waka (vaa). But the wind and swell pick up around eleven. Everything is wet from the last days. Wet weather gear, clothes down to the underwear and our bunks. All the hatches down into the hulls where we sleep are leaking from the locking mechanism. During the heavy weather when most of the deck was covered in foot deep water now and again, it pours down into the hatchway and occasionally, when the waka is on an angle it targets a the sleeping faces of the off watch crew. Worst is of course when we open a hatch to
climb out and start our watch, especially on the windward side. More often than not you are welcomed with a wave breaking over just when you peak out to see if the coast is clear and you start your watch by being wet and to bail out the hatch way. The air vents in the hatch ways below we use for drying wet gear and boots. Unfortunately the rough seas finds gaps in the air vents and water drips down and creat puddles in the bottom of boots. It does not bring a smile to your face by starting your watch with wet feet in the cold weather. All the waka seems to have problem with leaks in the bow. Every day we pump out three buckets of water from each sail locker in the bow. On Hine Moana they bailed out eight buckets! We haven't been able to find the leaks so far.
Humor aboard Te Matau a Maui is however drier than ever. Pranks and hilarious stories entertain us into the small hours of the night, not to mention lightening the intensity after a high pressure situation. Laughter has certainly been abundant. After a few days of eating crackers the mention of fry bread snuck into conversation. The thought lingered and this morning Mama Liz decided to make it a reality, by enlisting the assistance of the entire watch at different points; one to help find ingredients, another to help mix and another yet to fry, all whilst still managing to maintain a perfect course and a reasonable speed. We managed to make enough for the entire crew. Word got out that fry bread and porridge were hot and ready. Some of the off watch crew turned up on deck in singlet and shorts in the rough weather in fear of missing out. Mama Liz had to put on more porridge for hungry crew and served herself last. You could hear her say, 'it is good to have a happy crew!'.
All four canoes have steadily tracked north fairly close together. 20-25kn ENE gives us a good push but the sea in very confused with a two meter chop from the east and south swell we inevitably drift to the west. But for now we have decided that we can loose a little ground to the west for gaining north. The canoes are doing 8-9kn and more in the gusts. It is a very bumpy ride with most of the canoe airborne some of the time. Not good for the sleep but good for the milage and we are keen to get north to getmore favorable winds. Raivavae is only 425M away. But almost right in the direction of the wind!
Nga Mihi
Te Matau a Maui
010510 Time Postion
Te Matau a Maui 0600 28'56S 153'20W
Hine Moana 0600 28'54S 153'18W
Uto Ni Yalo 0600 28'54S 152'35W
Marumaru Atua 0600 28'57S 152'12W




Friday, April 30, 2010 7:16 PM
News from the South for Samoa Voyaging Society’s crew.
Last week I spoke of rolling waves and wind and rain and yada yada yada
blah blah blah blah. This week we have actually learned what rolling
waves and wind and rain are. We've pretty much been battered, beaten up and smashed by mother nature for the past week. We've been through her washing machine, and so far we haven't seen much of a gentle cycle.
As I sit in our tiny galley writing this, the occasional splash of water coming over the roof and into this not-so-waterproof space I hear our Skipper, Marc, explaining to one of our watch captains, John, to expect the occasional squall for the next 24hrs. Hooray! More fun. "It might be a bit hard during the night" was one of the latest comments overheard on the VHF radio between the boats we're with. Again- Hooray! While the next 24hrs might not be full of sunshine and lollipops, I'm sure they will not compare to some of the fun we had 3 or 4 days ago. For pretty much all of our crew (except our captain), the seas experienced during this week were the largest we'd been in. It's quite impressive (and occasionally quite unnerving) to see the giant mountains of water some of these weather systems can generate. To see the blue rise up high above the person your talking to, and to feel your boat slowly climbing the face of this water is quite something. It's reassuring to realize how well our boat (which at times begins to feel like not much more than a raft) can handle them. With a couple of repairs amongst the fleet, some minor bailing and our deck developing a rather unsettling slide between the two hulls, all va'as remain floating and moving (slowly at times) towards Raivave and Tahiti. Ok... so it sucks to be wet for a week, it sucks to be pounded and slammed around for a week (I have bruises in places which have never been bruised before), and it sucks to not be able to have a fresh water shower for a week (or more). All that being said, I certainly wouldn't change this experience for the world.
Our crews spirits remain high, and pretty much every time we're unexpectedly doused by some surprise slap of water, you hear laughter rather than cries. All in, everyone is still getting along well, and having a pretty good time too.
On another note, did you know that over 100,000 albatross's are killed each year by fishing boats? The only reason I mention this is as I have a confession to make as last week we made this 100,001 Albatross killed. Hungrily this beautiful bird went for one of our fishing lures. We tried our best to save it, but had no luck. This isn't the real confession though, the real confession is that we made Albatross stew.
Perhaps this is one of those things I am supposed to take to my grave, but I just had to let it out. The worst part- it was kind of good. If a chicken and a cow were to have a baby it may taste like Albatross. We voted on what to do with the bird, and figured in the end that it would be best to eat it. I'm sure we crossed a whole bunch of lines by eating this beautiful bird, but- what our ancestors would have done?
All of that being said, we're all still well (if not a little soggy) out here on the sea. Still learning heaps, with much more on our horizon.
Picturing warm Tahiti (in our hopefully not to distant future), sand
between our toes and sun on our face makes everything all right!
Brynne gives you a perfect picture. “it is a very very very hard sailing i'm impressed by my brothers and sisters on the va'a, they doing rely good. i want to get out of this storm but there is no stop button... according to the weather forecast we still have to handle it for at list 48 hrs. All the best from
Hine moana crew

3:10pm

Day 11 290410
Daily run: 150M
A nice sight met us in the morning. It is less wind and swells. Slightly
to the north of Te Matau we can make out Hine Moana, Uto Ni Yalo and
Marumaru Atua in one line. We rendezvoused during the evening after being
scattered by the gale force winds. All the vaka took a pounding in the
high winds and the mountainous breaking swell. Hine Moana got some issues
with her kiatos and wanted to slow down to reduce the stress on the hulls.
Yesterday morning Te Matau slowed right down to meet up with her. Hine
Moana came charging from the south in good speed and spray around the bow
and passed close to our stern. We could see happy smiles on the crew.
Hine's problem is not serious but she needs to be cautious. Marumaru and
Uto had met up during the night before and were waiting for us 26M north.
While Te Matau and Hine made their way down wind towards them they looked
after their canoes and repaired some of the damage the previous day had
caused. We are lucky enough to have some excellent support vessels
following the vaka. They are here to assist if the vaka run into trouble.
To have them close when the bad weather hits is very comforting. This
morning after the 0600 morning vaka FM, as some calls our morning round up
of positions on the vhf, we shook out the reefs and speeded up to 10kn
under full sails. Now all four vaka are flying along in a very bumpy ride
only a few miles apart. Beautiful sight! I have to hold on to the
computer so it doesn't fall of the little chart table in the whare. Ups, a
big wave crashed over and almost through me over the table! So please excuse some spelling errors! Nga Mihi

Te Matau a Maui

290410 Time Postion
Te Matau a Maui 0600 34'26S 154'19W
Hine Moana 0600 34'24S 154'18W
Uto Ni Yalo 0600 34'24S 154'18W
Marumaru Atua 0600 34'25S 154'20W

Va’a Hinemoana: day eight of Pacific Voyage
Wednesday, 28 April 2010 12:10


Talofa all, we are doing well here the sailing routine is coming slowly.
We may bring back some sailors at home... our international crew is coming along very well and we are learning from each other more and more every day.

We are catching a lot of fish. 15 minutes fishing for 10 to 20 kg of tuna... our Pacific ocean is still full of life
We met a huge group of dolphins this morning with the sun rising in front of us.

So far we are very lucky with the weather our average daily mileage is about 150... in the last five days we did a third of the southern latitude, trip and a quarter of the total trip to Rivave.

A mere 19 days have passed since leaving our tiny tropical island, and yet the multitude and variation of experiences our team of 9 have had are more than most of us experience in a year.

Our time in New Zealand was full of preparing both our boat and crew for the voyage that lay ahead. From the huge quantity of food to purchase (perhaps 500 kilograms in total) to the ton of water stored under our bunks it was a logistics problem to even just load our va’a. Van load upon van load, and check list after check list ensuring that the va’a “Hine Moana” with her crew of 15 (9 from Samoa, 5 from Vanuatu and 1 from Tonga) would have everything needed for up to one month.

We’ve now been at sea for a week (and haven’t forgotten too many things). Miles of ocean have flowed passed our hulls, and land has not been seen for days. We’ve had remarkably lucky weather for our passage so far, and were very fortunate young and

experience crew that the first few days were smooth sailing.

Not all days have been sunshine however. We’ve had a couple windy and rainy nights and days which have put both our sailing skills and sweaters to the test.
In the wee hours of this morning, after a few slightly stressful hours, our crew was greeted by a pod of dolphins swimming by.

Perhaps 100 in all crossed our path; a sight which more than makes up for any stress, cold weather or rainy days. Multiple Albatross have gracefully swooped in our skies, and one small land bird even made some of the trek with us (unfortunately this bird died sometime last night on the Fijian Va’a).
Everyday we’ve been fortunate to feast of freshly caught tuna (now if only we could catch a chicken out here somewhere, or some bananas). With varying sailing experience and skills amongst the crew, we have much to learn.

We are learning that everyday activities like bathing, chopping onions and even getting dressed are made much more difficult with rolling waves and wind and rain. We are learning that it’s not always easy to wake up at 1 am for your next shift only to head out into the rolling waves and wind and rain. We are learning that this journey will not always be easy.
We are, however, learning to better function as a team and as a family.
We are learning to sail. We are learning! and in this process we will learn more about ourselves.

It is the sunrises and the sunsets, the Dolphins and the birds, the laughter and the growing sense of communion between our crew that remind us why we’ve all come. Our Skipper Marc asked us all a fundamental question the other day “Why did we decide to Sail?”. It is a question. While every response is sure to be different, I am sure our response to this pivotal question at the beginning of this project, our answer today, and our answer after arriving safely home to Samoan shores will be (like us) sure to change. Sincerely Hine Moana crew.

Web Link for Daily Position Updates:

http://www.voyaging.co.ck/

Hinemoana's Day 8 on her Pacific Voyage

Following is the latest Report from the Vaa Hinemoana, where 9 of the crew members are Sailors from Samoa.

Talofa all,
We are doing well here the sailing routine is coming slowly.
We may bring back some sailors at home... our international crew is coming along very well and we learning from each other more and more every day.
We are catching a lot of fish 15 minutes fishing for 10 to 20 kg of tuna... our pacific ocean is still full of life
We met a huge group of dolphins this morning with the sun rising in front of us.
So far we are very lucky with the weather our average daily millage is
about 150... in the last 5 days we did a third of the southern latitude
trip and a quarter of the total trip to Rivave.

A mere 19 days have passed since leaving our tiny tropical island, and yet the multitude and variation of experiences our team of 9 have had are more than most of us experience in a year.
Our time in New Zealand was full of preparing both our boat and crew for the voyage that lay ahead. From the huge quantity of food to purchase (perhaps 500 kilograms in total) to the ton of water stored under our bunks it was a logistics problem to even just load our va'a. Van load upon van load, and check list after check list ensuring that the va'a "Hine Moana" with her crew of 15 (9 from Samoa, 5 from Vanuatu and 1 from Tonga) would have everything needed for up to one month.
We've now been at sea for a week (and haven't forgotten too many things). Miles of ocean have flowed passed our hulls, and land has not been seen for days. We've had remarkably lucky weather for our passage so far, and were very fortunate young and experience crew that the first few days were smooth sailing. Not all days have been
sunshine however. We've had a couple windy and rainy nights and days
which have put both our sailing skills and sweaters to the test.
In the wee hours of this morning, after a few slightly stressful hours,
our crew was greeted by a pod of dolphins swimming by. Perhaps 100 in all crossed our path; a sight which more than makes up for any stress, cold weather or rainy days. Multiple Albatross have gracefully swooped in our skies, and one small land bird even made some of the trek with us (unfortunately this bird died sometime last night on the Fijian Va'a). Everyday we've been fortunate to feast of freshly caught tuna (now if only we could catch a chicken out here somewhere, or some bananas). With varying sailing experience and skills amongst the crew, we have much to learn. We are learning that everyday activities like bathing, chopping onions and even getting dressed are made much more difficult with rolling waves and wind and rain. We are learning that it's not always easy to wake up at 1 am for your next shift only to head out into the rolling waves and wind and rain. We are learning that this journey will not always be easy.
We are, however, learning to better function as a team and as a family.
We are learning to sail. We are learning! and in this process we will
learn more about ourselves.
It is the sunrises and the sunsets, the Dolphins and the birds, the
laughter and the growing sense of communion between our crew that remind us why we've all come. Our Skipper Marc asked us all a fundamental question the other day "Why did we decide to Sail?". It is a question. While every response is sure to be different, I am sure our response to this pivotal question at the beginning of this project, our answer today, and our answer after arriving safely home to Samoan shores will be (like us) sure to change. Sincerely Hine Moana crew.
Day 8 260410
Daily run: 176M
The wind is here now. At noon yesterday Te Matau and Hine Moana got
overtaken by a southerly front. Like a grey wall it came thundering onto us with 25-30kn SSE winds and rain. A dramatic wind shift from the light W winds in split seconds. We quickly reduced sails and called Marumaru Atua and Uto Ni Yalo who were 10M north to warn them of what was coming their way. The two groups of vaka are still sailing parallel to each other about 10M apart. In the strong SSE winds we can't keep our due east course but are slipping slowly to the north. The morning had been very nice with sun and lighter winds. Many of us on Te Matau had taken the opportunity to do our laundry which still hadn't dried when the first squall hit. Now the bunks where we sleep are full of wet clothes that won't dry for days. This weather is good training for the crews. Not too much wind and the sails
are still easy to manage. The forecast shows that we might get up to gale force winds in the next days. The conditions now already make life hard on the vaka. Nothing is dry and everything upside down. Even typing this is a challenge. Sitting squeezed into the whare in the morning light, Mama Liz, Murray and Ema trying to make an omelette; Murray and Ema steadying the pans and Mama Liz stirring. Even the simplest task becomes a mission. Now it is important to get the crew together, encourage everyone and work as one team. We are only just halfway to Raivavae. Nga Mihi Te Matau a Maui
260410 Time (UTC -11) Postion
Te Matau a Maui 0600 36'20S 162'44W
Hine Moana 0600 36'22S 162'46W
Uto Ni Yalo 0600 36'08S 162'47W
Marumaru Atua 0600 36'08S 162'42W

The crew about to depart Auckland!

The countdown if officially on, and we're off in two nights-waahhhooooooooo!!!

They last couple of days have flown by as we continue to prepare the boat and crew for the upcoming voyage. We've had fascinating discussions on navigation, and the route we'll be taking from this land mass to some little green dot out in the pacific. It will be inspiring to work with (and learn from!) the navigators going with the crew from the cook islands and the Tahitian navigator travelling with the NZ crew.

We'll primarily be relying on the stars and the sea to tell us where are va'a lies, and the direction we must take. It will be a great excersize (and for some of us a great stretch) to tell the time by our bodies clock and the position of the stars (including the sun), and to measure our speed by the time it takes a bubble to travel from one point on the boat to the next.

Must jet now... there is so much more to say, but the time is getting late, and there is much to do. Check out the link below for a little more info

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3560420/Traditional-vaka-to-make-Pacific-journey/
http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2010/04/the-pacific%E2%80%99s-challenge/
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10636979

Manuia Le po

It is hard to believe that only one week ago we were enjoying breakfast out at Sinalei, sweating in the sun, and swimming in the pristine turquoise waters of Samoa. While it's not nearly as warm, and the waters aren't even a fraction as blue as home, it has been great to be here amongst many of our brothers and sisters from around the South Pacific

Miraculously, all of the Samoan team managed to make it (in one piece even) to the Auckland airport where we were greeted by our Skipper. After a few laughs, and a couple of hugs from various other family members that had come to meet some at the airport, we were off to a little holiday park in Takapuna, our new home for the next week or so.

Not used to these cold temperatures (you can even see your breath at night), we loaded up with all of the blankets we could, and bundled up (thanks for the Jackets Joe!!!).

We stopped at the grocery store to pick up some breakfast items, and for many this was their first trip to one of those giant, huge, ridiculous, open all the time- supermarkets. Not quite like our little Samoa, and the selection here can be overwhelming at times.

After dining on fish and chip takeaway, we snuggled into our little caravans for our first nights sleep away from home.

Wednesday morning (April 7th), we headed to Salthouse Boat builders to launch the beautiful va'a "Hine Moana". As our boat "gaualofa" is still in Samoa this newly launched boat will be the craft that takes us around the South Pacific. It was fantastic to be at the place that crafted and created the 7 va'a (boats) dedicated to this project.

With a moving Maori ceremony and blessing, the Hine Moana finally touched the water, and good news- it floats! With large solar panels driving electric motors and wind at the sails, Hine Moana is completely free from reliance on fossil fuels to drive her through the water- how fantastic!

The Samoan crew of nine will be joined by five members from Vanuatu and one from Tonga. While these are the three main countries represented, when you look at the number of passports on board, one realizes that our crew is truly a united nations boat. Hopefully we'll see flags flown from all ten countries represented on board- Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, France, Ecuador, Canada and Tokelau.

A regatta was held on Sunday, April 11th, and it really was a treat to see all four va'a from NZ, Fiji, the Cook Islands and the Hine Moana, sailing with traditional sails around Auckland Harbour. While the wind made for a relatively slow sail (we ended up having to motor), it was awesome to pull up onto Mission Bay beach. The beach was packed with onlookers waiting for the airshow as well, so we had quite the audience.

We had better wind for our sail back to Bayswater Marina, and our hard day was made complete with a Kava ceremony put on by the Fijians, and a BBQ... mmmmmmm.

The rest of our time here has been full of preparing the boat for her voyage. With pots and pans to buy, decks to paint and safety equipment to mount, the list of things to prepare just keeps growing. With all hands on deck however, this list will be complete in no time.

Fesoasoani le Vaafaila o le Gaualofa, a le Aiga Folau o Samoa, I galuega a le SPREP.

O le mataituina o faafitauli o loo afaina ai ‘amu ma aau I le atu Fagaloa.
O se galuega faaauau lea o loo feagai ai nei ma le faalapotoptoga e gafa ma le vaaia o le Siosiomaga o le Pasefika, le SPREP I Vailima.
Pei ona faatautauia ai se isi siaki I le faaiuga o le vaiaso ua tuana’I, lea ua faaaoga ai nei le vaafaila o le Gaualofa, a le faalapotopotoga o le Aiga Folau o Samoa.
E tausaga atoa lava lea ua galulue faatasi ai le SPREP ma le Matagaluega o Faiga Faiva, ma le Malo o Samoa e mata’itu le faafitauli o feagai ai nei ma le gataifale o le afioaga o Fagaloa.
O le poloketi lenei, o loo tilotilo ai I aafiaga o le gataifale mai le vai I Afulilo lea o loo faaola ai le afi vai mo le eletise.
O le vai lea o lo o masaa atu I le aloalo poo le gataifale o FAgaloa, ma o loo faatupeina e le faletupe o Asia lenei poloketi.
Na afua ona faia suesuega tulituliloa nei a le SPREP I ‘amu ma a’au o lenei gataifale, ina ua faasea le tele o aiga I lea vai aai I aafiaga o le gataifale ua leai ni figota ma taumafa sa masani ona latou maua ona o le afi eletise o faaoga ai le vai o loo I totonu o le nuu. O le masina o Me 2009, sa amata ai su’esu’ega a le SPREP.
Na taua e le sui o le SPREP , Caroline Vieux, lea e gafa ma le pulega o amu ma aau, sa latou suesue’a uma lava amu o lo o ola ai I le aloalo lenei e oo lava I le ituaiga o I’a o ola ai, talu mai Iulai 2009. ma sa amata mai ai lava ona alu a latou suesuega ta’i tolu masina e faitau le aofa’I o amu fou o loo tutupu a’e
Na taua foi e Caroline, “o loo manino lava le faafitauli o feagai nei ma Fagaloa, I le pepe o amu ona o mea o loo to’a ane iai, lea ua vaai foi latou iai I taimi e faia ai a latou suesuega.
O le mafuaaga tonu o lenei faafitauli e le’o iloa lava e oo mai I le taimi nei, ona e iai nisi itu faalenatura, pei o afa, o le suiga I le malulu o le suavai, ae o aafiaga foi mai tagata pei o le tafega o le suavai mai Afulilo lea o loo vili ai le afi vai eletise ma faaalu agai I le sami, lea e ao foi ona faia iai se fuafuaga.
O le suesuega lata mai nei lea na faia ai I le vaiaso talu ai, o le masina o Mati 2010 I le faiga paaga ma le Aiga Folau o Samoa, ma le Vaka Gaualofa.
O isi suesuega ua tuana’I sa faaaoga ai se tama’I vaa, sa toso ese taavale I Fagaloa. Ona o le taumamao o FAgaloa, sa masani ai lava ona lua aso e faia ai lenei galuega.
O le fesoasoani a le Vaka Gaualofa pei ona ta’ua e Caroline, ua faigofie ai foi I le au suesue ona faatino lenei galuega I le aso e tasi.
Talu ai, le faigata tele o auala e faataunuu ai ia ituaiga o suesuega, ua maitauina ai, o le faaaogaina o le vaafaila e folau atu I le atu Fagaloa, e le gata ose tasi lea o auala ua molimauina le faigofie ae ua sili atu lea mo le siosiomaga.
Na saunoa foi le pulega o galuega tau I le siosiomaga o amu ma aau, a le SPREP, o se tasi foi lea o auala e faaali atu ai le lagolago a le SPREP I le Aiga Folau o Samoa, ae ose avanoa foi mo le mamalu o le atu Fagaloa e maimoaina ai le Vaka Gaualofa.
E toafitu le auvaa sa fesoaoani tele I le folauga I lea aso mo le ogasami tonu na faatino ai suesuega a le aufaigaluega a le SPREP.
Ua tuufaatasia ai nei se lipoti o ia suesuega uma talu mai le masina o Me 2009, mo le agai I luma o fuafuaga I le faafitauli pei ona molimauina.

Vaa Gaualofa assists Coral Survey team
Vaa Gaualofa has helped ensure smooth sailing of the coral survey undertaken in Fagaloa Bay, Samoa.
Since May last year, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has worked with the Ministry of Fisheries of the Government of Samoa to carry out a year long coral reef monitoring project at Fagaloa Bay.
The project is to assess the impact of the fresh water discharge into the Bay and is funded by the Asian Development Bank in response to complaints from residents in the area who allege that coral health and marine resources have been declining due to a power plant in the area.
“We did an extensive survey to assess the live coral cover and the fish population in Fagaloa Bay in July 2009 and since then, we have been doing more targeted surveys every 3 months to count the baby corals,“ said Caroline Vieux, SPREP’s Coral Reef Management Officer.
“There’s clearly a problem of coral dying in Fagaloa Bay due to sedimentation in which we experience when we carry out the monitoring but the exact causes for it are still under examination as both natural factors such as cyclones and high water temperature as well as the human factors such as the freshwater discharge from the power plant have to be considered”.
The most recent surveying carried out in March worked in partnership with the Samoa Voyaging Society and Vaa Gaualofa.
Past surveys have included a car towing a dinghy, due to the geographical situation of Fagaloa Bay; this would normally take two full days of work. Vaka Gaualofa has helped the survey team overcome complicated logistics enabling the survey to take place over a period of one day
“The logistics of reaching Fagaloa Bay to carry out the survey are quite difficult, however with Vaka Gaualofa we have been able to work much more effectively and in a more eco-friendly way as we sailed to Fagaloa,” said Vieux.
“This has also been a positive way to support the Samoa Voyaging Society and an opportunity for the residents of the Fagaloa Bay area to see Vaka Gaualofa.”
A crew of seven helped sail the team to the survey area for which three SPREP staff carried out the coral reef monitoring.
Recommendations are currently being prepared in a report based upon the findings of the different surveys which began in May last year.