Hawaii Announces Plan To Invade Micronesia

Ok, it isn't actually an invasion. More of one heck of a nice gift to honor the man who has revived the ancient art of Polynesian navigation. Two outrigger canoes will sail from Hawaii to Micronesia using only traditional navigation methods. There, one of the canoes, the Maisu, will be given to Mau Piailug, the renowned master navigator from the tiny atoll of Satawal in the Federated States of Micronesia who has spent many years passing on his knowledge.

The canoe Maisu, launched late last month on Hawaii island, will be accompanied by its more famous sister canoe, the Hokule'a, which made the first modern day canoe voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976.

Maisu was built by the Hawaii-based Polynesian Voyaging Society as a gift to honor Mau Piailug, a renowned master navigator from the tiny atoll of Satawal in the Federated States of Micronesia.

Piailug is credited with inspiring a new generation of Hawaiian navigators and canoe builders.

"It took one man (Piailug) to get the Hokule'a to Tahiti in 1976 and spark pride in Hawaii and throughout Polynesia," said the Voyaging Society's Chadd Paishon, who was in the Marshall Islands capital Majuro to organize the voyage.

"That little spark ignited a fire in so many areas: Hawaii, the Cook Islands, New Zealand and Tahiti," Paishon said Wednesday.

I love stories like this. I have linked in the past to the story of the folks reviving Viking sailing methods. Here is the website for the Polynesian Voyaging Society. They have a LOT of information over there about all the efforts to revive these ancient arts.