Principles

The Samoa Voyaging Socety (SVS) works to promote positive Samoan cultural values, respect for the ocean and nature, individual and social responsibility, discipline and integrity.


The SVS considers that the reintroduction of traditional sailing in Samoa will provide opportunities for youth development (sports, leadership), environmental awareness, cultural development and, potentially, tourism opportunities such as whale watching and adventure tours.


SVS is developing hands-on educational and training programmes in traditional sailing and navigation. The programmes will target young Samoan youth including school children, school leavers and other interested groups. The task of learning traditional sailing and navigation skills also develops leadership and discipline among the youth, leading to well-rounded young people capable of contributing positively to the growth of this nation.





Sunday, August 7, 2011

1st August 2011 San Francisco, here we come!



Position: 37°57.2‘ N / 123°00.5’ W (finally made it around Point Reyes)

Speed: 1 knot

Heading: 136° (aiming for San Francisco)

The sky is pitch black, dark low stratus clouds casting a grey tone over the moana sausau, though the weather and outlook of the day doesn’t seem inviting, the Gaualofa crew are still going strong- laughing, jamming, working out, getting tasks done, spirits are still high and everyone is being their usual self J

Since our seal left us we’ve been constantly on the lookout if she’ll come back; every seal we see now, we say it’s her. We couldn’t agree on what to name her, that we’ve each given her a name: a few of agreed to Fran, wonder why???


Jef goes with Aulelei just to egg Fialelei who is against it, too close to his name I guess. And Koleni and John would like to name her something in association with our va’a. We will eventually set a name to our newly adopted crew member.

We finally have passed Point Reyes today. It took about a full day and a lot of patience even though a lot of us became tired of seeing this point; and it became a challenge for the watch teams. When we finally passed it, a sigh of relief went thru the crew: YES!!! Now for Drakes Bay to regroup with the fleet.

We laid anchor and closed our passage for this leg with our ‘custom belief’ led by John. Glancing from each beaming face, the mood that we’ve arrived safe, sound and still in high spirits was just remarkable.

We then had tea courtesy of Evohe (one of our support vessels, such a wonderful crew) who delivered it earlier today: fresh produce and chicken. Lucky thing as Lole was running out what to make with rice. It’s been rice with canned vegetables the last two days; our perishables ran out two days before.

This evening we’re to rest and prep the va’a for our arrival into San Francisco, into the mainland. After 3 weeks out in sea, the majority of us have never seen a city of this magnitude and back to the complexities of life on land - will we be able to handle the skyscrapers, the crowds, the responsibility of delivering our message, the task of representing ourselves to our fullest? We can only hope and give it all we have- Se pingi!!!

Soifua lava, FB

Gaualofa.

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