Sailor and canoe builder Kiko Johnston-Kitazawa will give a presentation on Wa’akaulua, the Hawaiian double-hulled canoe, at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 8, at the North Kohala Public Library in Kapaau. This program was previously set for Oct. 20 and canceled due to Hurricane Ana.
Sailor and canoe builder Kiko Johnston-Kitazawa will give a presentation on Wa’akaulua, the Hawaiian double-hulled canoe, at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 8, at the North Kohala Public Library in Kapaau. This program was previously set for Oct. 20 and canceled due to Hurricane Ana.
This will be a unique library program as Johnston-Kitazawa, known as “Captain Kiko” plans to bring a double-hulled canoe into the library to explain the canoe’s design and operation. The audience will have the opportunity to examine the many features of the canoe up close and personal.
He has spent most of his life sailing, building boats and exploring the Big Island. Growing up in Hilo as the son of a surfboard and outrigger canoe builder, Kiko had his first sailboat at age 14 and a captain’s license at age 18. He has sailed from Hawaii to California, Washington, and Canada several times.
“Captain Kiko” studied seamanship and navigation under Captain David B.K. Lyman and Captain Norman Pi‘ianaia as well as apprenticing with boat builders on the mainland. He builds double- hulled canoes, leads sailing tours and teaches canoe building. Call the North Kohala Public Library at 889-6655 for more information.