Hōkūleʻa departs San Francisco, sets sail for Half Moon Bay

After a week of community engagements in San Francisco, Hōkūleʻa departed Hyde Street Pier on the morning of Oct. 1 for the next stop on the Moananuiākea Voyage: Half Moon Bay.  On the sail to Half Moon Bay, the canoe passed by the Ramaytush village named “The Place of the Whales” where the crew was indeed greeted by two whales. 

After a six-and-a-half hour transit, Hōkūleʻa arrived at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay at 3 p.m., where the crew was given a traditional cultural welcome by the Ramaytush tribe. Also waiting on the dock, and welcoming canoe and crew with song was Hawaiʻi musician John Cruz who was in Half Moon Bay for a fundraising concert for Maui.  While in Half Moon Bay, the crew has been holding dockside canoe tours and presentations for the community.

Weather-permitting, Hōkūleʻa will depart Half Moon Bay on Oct. 5, for Monterey Harbor at The Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey, California.  An arrival ceremony is planned to take place at approximately 5 p.m. that day at Del Monte Beach, below Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club, where the crew will be greeted by tribal leaders from the area. Hōkūleʻa is slated to remain docked at Monterey Harbor until it departs for Morro Bay on Oct. 11, weather permitting.

Upcoming California stops:

• Oct. 5: Monterey Bay
• Oct. 11: Morro Bay
• Oct. 17: Ventura
• Oct. 24: Marina del Rey
• Oct. 30: Newport
• Nov. 4: Dana Point
• Nov. 8: San Diego

After the stop in San Diego, Hōkūleʻa will return home in late December, before continuing on the circumnavigation of the Pacific.  It has not yet been determined how long Hōkūleʻa will be in Hawaiʻi, but Thompson said the Moananuiākea Voyage will be completed within the original timeframe, and commitments made to communities around the Pacific will be kept.  The decision to come home was prompted by the tragic wildfire in Lahaina, Maui.