Hokulea back in Pacific after canal crossing ADVERTISING Hokulea back in Pacific after canal crossing HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaiian sailing canoe on an around-the-world journey has passed through the Panama Canal and is back in Pacific waters for the
Hokulea back in Pacific after canal crossing
HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaiian sailing canoe on an around-the-world journey has passed through the Panama Canal and is back in Pacific waters for the first time in nearly two years.
The Polynesian Voyaging Society said in a news release that Hokulea and its crew made it to the Pacific side of the canal Wednesday.
A ship had been used to tow the double-hulled canoe across the canal’s strong currents.
Hokulea had arrived in Colon, Panama, on Jan. 2, about two weeks after leaving Key West, Florida.
Canoe Captain Bruce Blankenfeld said they had been scheduled to start moving through the canal Monday, but a two-day journey across three sets of locks caused the delay.
The crew is expected to stay in Balboa, Panama, for about a week before heading out to the Galapagos Islands, the voyaging society said.
That trip is estimated to last about 10 days and will be the first of about seven more legs on the crew’s worldwide voyage.
OHA named trustee of monument
HONOLULU (AP) — The Office of Hawaiian Affairs now has an official voice in the management of the world’s largest marine conservation area.
Gov. David Ige announced Thursday that OHA has been added as a co-trustee of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.
President Barack Obama last year expanded the monument to encompass about 583,000 square miles of protected ocean.
OHA’s support of the expansion was contingent on having a say in the monument’s management, including advocating for Native Hawaiian access.
OHA Chief Executive Officer Kamanaopono Crabbe says the historic action places Native Hawaiians at the highest levels of decision making for a culturally and spiritually significant place.
Other co-trustees are the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
