13th August 2011

Position: Del Monte Beach, Monterey Bay; California

Talofa lava Samoa o au o Faapau Feliuai o lea fai atu sau tala e uiga I le folauga mai NZ sei paia San Francisco .Amata mai NZ ile malulu ae faaiu foi ile malulu Samoa ele faigofie folauga a tuaa iaso anamua o le taimi lenei mafana le mafutaga a tagata ole pasefika e ala I folauga.E faaali ait u ma aga faa-Samoa.O lo’o faatafafao tagata I luga le vaa ma faamatala iai tu ma aga faa-Samoa .Ia alofa le Atua vaelua tutusa so tatou manuia ma nofo tapuai mai pea ao alofaiva au tama fanau ile manava ole moana

SOIFUA.
Faapau Faliuai

Reflections from the Crew - Taleni

Date: 10th August 2011
Position: Treasure Island, San Francisco

Talofa Samoa,

E muaumua ona viia le alofa o le Atua ma lona agalelei na mafai ai e matou ona tulaueleele i laufanua o San Francisco nei. Faafetai i lana puipuiga ma lana leoleoga i ai matou a'o matou folau mai ai i luga o le vasa. E lagona lava le faagaeetia o le loto ma le mimita o le agaga, ona o se taimi muamua lenei ua mafai e au ona tu laueleele i San Francisco i totonu o le malo tele o Amerika nei. E momoli le faafetai i tama ma tina, o uso, ma tuafafine olo'o alala ma papa'a'ao i San Francisco nei, i le tausiga o i matou i mea taumafa, o lavalava ma isi lava mea e le mafai ona laulau ina atu. Ae pau lava lona lave o S.F. o le malulu. Ae sa mafanafana lava aua sa matotou moemoe i le Hotel, Mariott. O lo'o sologa lelei lava mea uma na matou sauni nei e folau atu i Monterrey.

Soifua,
Taleni Aiolupotea

Gaualofa

9th August 2011

Position: Treasure Island, San Francisco

Talofa,

It's been a hectic schedule since we arrived one week ago, with daily sails in giving back to our wonderful and gracious hosts but also in spreading the interest and message of why the Te Mana o Te Moana fleet is in San Francisco. Today, the fleet will sail to Pier 29 and beach in small protected area right next to the Maritime Museum. This is to give those who haven't yet had a chance to look and tour the va'a while we’re still in San Francisco and give the voyagers a treat of seeing the Fisherman's Wharf and the Maritime museum. Last evening the crew of Gaualofa and Marumaru Atua were guests in the home of Sose Papali'i and her family for a BBQ dinner - it was a great turn out. Dinner was a sumptuous event. The festivities happened out on the veranda with everyone taking a turn on the ukulele jamming and singing away. The drive back to our quarters was also an event: we had Heaven, Jasmine and Andrew (our hosts) drive us back to Treasure Island and Emeryville, where a few were staying at the hotel from Pacifica (quite a drive), faafetai tele lava.

Kalolo and a few others from the fleet have been invited to participate in a tour to the Marine Mammal Sanctuary, a place where marine life are able to rehabilitate peacefully before being returned to the wild. Later they will do a few footage shots with Mike and the crew in the city, showing how the voyagers are managing the modern big city.

Stay tune for more...
Soifua,

FB
Gaualofa

8th August 2011

Position: San Francisco

Talofa lava,

It's another day of seeing San Francisco through its renowned fog; it's a sight to behold- early morn you can't see the fleet beached on the protected small cove nor our support vessel Evohe which is anchored in the small cove as well.

As the sun comes out casting its warm rays on the black sand beach the fog slowly dissipates revealing the fleet of six traditional voyaging canoes, giving it a surreal look, with the skyline of San Francisco in the background and the fleet in the fore. Quite a contrast!

Today we're taking out a group of local children and our local Samoan community that have participated in hosting the fleet. As we are welcomed in each port, each va'a gifts the hosts with a day sail - giving them just a tip of the iceberg of what it feels like being amongst voyagers out in the elements.

While on land we're still running watches. This time a little longer than usual and in smaller watch groups. Although we're beached and it's the safest for the va'a, the height of tide around this area is drastic at times so we have to make sure the va'a is still on the beach or not completely beached (just the bow on the beach and not the whole va'a).

We're looking forward to taking out our Samoan community as the majority of them weren't able to make it to the Open Vaka Day on Saturday (http://www.pacificvoyagers.org/voyage/blogs/open-vaka-day.html) and to give them another opportunity to be on board the va’a tele Gaualofa.

Everyone on the crew sends their regards to family, friends and Samoa.

We're being well looked after by:
Tuatagaloa Ropeti Malepea, Nuititi Ace Tago, Paleega Sulu, Rev Moegagogo Tamasese and his EFKS parish, Fa'atasi, PICP SF Samoa,Samoan Solutions, SF Samoan Golf Consortium, Pacific Islanders Club (CCSF, SFSU), National Samoan Chief's Council, Samoan Community Development Center and Sose Papali'i.

There are not enough words to express our heartfelt gratitude in experiencing your hospitality. Faafetai faafetai tele lava.

FB
Gaualofa

Reflections from the Crew - Faapau

Date: 7th August 2011

Position: Treasure Island, San Francisco

Talofa Samoa faamalo i le taupuaiga, famalo foi I le Aiga Folau le Tapuai. O le 'a tamua i le polokalame o se tala fiafia mai I le folaugaa o lea e manuia lava le au va’a. O se tala fiafia ia te au I atunu’u na matou o mai o Talaga uma o folauga I aso anamua sa amata mai lava I le tatou atunuu. Pau lava le tatalo a le auva’a o lau tapuaiga ao alo faiva au tama fanau . O te le masalosalo foi aua o le Atua e muamua o ia foi e mulimuli ia tei tatou uma. Molimoli atu alofaga o le auvaa I le tapuaiga a le afioga i le Ao o le Malo, o le faatama o le Sosaiete o le Aiga Folau o Samoa, male atunuu atoa e pele I le loto.

Soifua,
Faapau Faleiai.

Reflections from the Crew - Fialelei

Date: 4^th August 2011

Position: Treasure Island, San Francisco, USA

Before I go further, I just want to let you know about my topic which is new things in my life.

New things in my life are different by the time on land. I would never have known I’d spend my time to crossing Pacific Ocean and meet different people from different motu’s. Now I’m happy to spend my time to do any exercise on the ocean like sailing, fishing, and more.

The special thing I’ve learned is how to use important things around us like the sun, the moon, stars for sailing between the Islands.

Leaving from Honolulu to San Francisco, everything is good. The captain and the crew are all well because God protects us.

On the way to San Francisco Gaualofa adopted a new crew member from the ocean, a seal, and it was an amazing thing because it jumped on board and sailed with us for twenty hours and then later the next day she went back to her family.

We thank God for sharing and protecting Gaualofa and her crew. We arrived in good and high spirits to San Francisco. Soifua.

Fialelei Afoa.

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.