Still trying to keep the plastic use down...

Not the actual beverage in question - Chowhound's version looked fine! 

Just copying an update from Facebook. There was a period in 2015 when I did a few reports on my efforts to achieve a "Zero Net Plastic" day - I did eventually manage one but it's not an easy thing to do! I don't write about these much but I came SO close yesterday without really trying, if I'd just thought to ask for no straws. Next time!  

Very annoyed with myself - could've had a Zero Net Plastic day yesterday if I'd just thought to request no straw in my cocktail when I went to the Slainte session last night. I usually have a pint (they have a fantastic rotating selection of draft beers there, and if I'm not feeling adventurous, they almost always have Fat Tire) but I went with Dark n' Stormies in honor of the weather.

"Zero Net Plastic Days" are a personal thing I like to try doing that date back to the Polynesian voyaging canoe Hokule'a's visit to NYC during their Malama Honua worldwide voyage. In honor of her visit and the voyage, I started working harder on cutting down on plastic where I could - there were a few items where I knew I could do better if I was just a little more disciplined, like using my own containers instead of single-use clamshells, and carrying a bag for unplanned purchases of groceries and sundries (and not buying stuff if I didn't have a bag). As I got better with those things, I started looking for opportunities for "zero net plastic" days, where I was able to make it through a whole day without either acquiring or disposing of any plastic.

I don't really write about this much any more but I never stopped doing it, once I'd made the habit, I kept it. This is harder than you might think - there's always the Chinese food oyster pail that you thought was cardboard but turns out to be lined with plastic, or the decorative toothpick stuck in your sandwich, or the straw in your Dark n' Stormy.

I'll close with a link to an excellent article by Robert Haynes-Peterson, a Whitman College classmate of mine who has built himself a career writing about cocktails and bars - it's wild reading his Facebook page because he's always attending these spectacular events hosted by high-end distilleries and such. His friends from college would all be incredibly jealous if we didn't all know that he's a really good guy who worked his lemu off to get there - that being the case, I just thoroughly enjoy experiencing these things vicariously through his writing. He's been having some discussions about the no-straw movement in the hospitality industry with his friends in the business, and I shared his article in the comments on my post - I think it's really worth a read. Click here to read it. 

NYC Earth Day March for Science

I mentioned that Saturday's rain wasn't enough to dampen spirits at NYC's March for Science; I was able to say that with confidence because I was able to go march with local members of the Okeanos Foundation who had built a beautiful scale model Polynesian voyaging waka to carry in the march and who invited all Pacific Islanders and their friends and supporters to join them.

After joining in more protests in January and February than I've been in in my entire life, I'd had to take a bit of a break during March and April because of things that came up in both my personal life and work, but I'd been considering trying to fit the March for Science in before my tin whistle teacher's memorial service, and when I saw the beautiful model and the invitation on the Facebook page of one of my Hālāwai friends, that settled it.

I've been very concerned by the various cuts and restrictions that the new administration seems hell-bent on putting on various government-run scientific organizations (NOAA, for instance, weather.gov is the first place I go for my weather but there was an interesting article in the Times this week that spells out impacts beyond those that a layperson like myself might think of), so I was very glad to join in. It was a great morning, I overheard someone say "This is the geekiest march ever, and I love it!", and I totally agreed.

There were a couple of students from the Rutgers Documentary Club who were talking to participants and asked me for a few words on why I was there, which was almost impossible because, you know, where do I even start? As a cancer survivor? As a paddler and swimmer who can play safely in the waters of NYC because of the tremendous improvements brought about the Clean Water Act? As a fan of citizen science groups like Gotham Whale (oh jeeze that reminds me that I still need to get them reports from my seal paddles, I'm sorry Paul!)? Or on a more basic level, as someone who has walked through old graveyards and been amazed at the percentage of people who died in what your average modern US citizen would consider midlife?

As it was I tried to say all of those at once and it probably came out as a babble. Of course the next day, I came up with the sound bite I wanted:

 You can't care for something if you don't understand how it works. We need to care for our home here, along with everything on it, and good science is our best chance to understand how we can do that. Malama honua!

More pictures on Flickr, unfortunately with the beautiful waka I forgot to take non-waka pictures and there were some very clever signs, but this gives some idea of how the day was. So glad I was able to stay for the whole event and still make it to the memorial service on time. It was a great event. 

Moana Behind the Scenes!

Basically lifted from Facebook - Finally saw Moana last night after a couple of reschedules, I'm not sure I'll have time for an in-depth review (plus reviews are not exactly my specialty) but I enjoyed it very much and after I got home, I stayed up WAY too late watching this "behind the scenes" thing - I'm just fascinated by the process of making animated movies and it's so much fun watching actors doing the voices, and I love watching the artists at work too. It's 20 minutes long and well worth the time if you like this sort of thing.

There was a lot of objection among Pacific Islanders to how Maui was depicted and I do think they could've made him look more like The Rock and less like a fireplug (my sister and I grew up with Maui stories in Hawai'i, and we agreed that that wasn't how we'd pictured him at all), but it's a fun character in a fun and frequently beautiful movie -- the sailing canoe scenes and some other things that I don't want to talk about "'cause spoilers" 😉😉 gave me chicken skin! Good fun, so glad I finally got to see it, and glad to see it on the big screen.

BTW, I haven't done a Hōkūleʻa update in a long time, but she and her remarkable crew recently travelled through the Panama Canal and are now safely back in her home waters of the Pacific, where their first stop is the Galapagos Islands, where they are today. Follow these remarkable real-life wayfinders as they voyage back to Honolulu at Hokulea.com. You can also see my posts from Hōkūleʻa's visit to NYC by clicking the "Hokule'a NYC" tag below. It was an honor and an ispiration to join the gang at Hālāwai to welcome her to our city. What a sight that was to see! 

 

The Starchasers - coming in 2017

If you have been following the Hokule'a as she travels the world on her Malama Honua voyage, if you enjoyed The Navigators and Papa Mau, here's something to look forward to in 2017. Looks spectacular. Mahalo to Sam Low for sharing!
The Starchasers - Official Film Trailer from Okeanos Foundation for the Sea on Vimeo.

Pacific Voyaging Documentaries (Would Go Well With MOANA!)

Bit of a lunch hour copy-and-paste from Facebook today - but good stuff to share.

 What a wonderful night at Sebago last night. My last post leaving work was a good island thing - "Go home, cook rice". The rice I went home and cooked was to go with the chicken adobo I made over the weekend for a movie night at Sebago Canoe Club, first one for the winter of 2016-2017. I shared the documentary "Papa Mau", which I'd bought while Hokule'a was here - I hadn't gotten around to watching it yet and it was great to actually see it for the first time with my paddling friends. Great documentary, we loved it, and it made such a good pairing with Sam Low's "The Navigators", which I shared at the club last year (with the help of friends from Halawai) as part of the preparations for the Hokule'a's visit.

With all the buzz about Moana, I just can't recommend this pairing enough for mainland friends who have gone or are going to see that movie, and want to learn more about the real-life traditions that, through the efforts of the people you'll meet in the films, carry on to this day. You can see both for free online:
Click here for The Navigators, 
And here for Papa Mau. 

 And then don't forget to follow Hokule'a as she continues on the amazing Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage! Leg 25 just finished, she's back in Miami now and I would guess that she'll be continuing on south to the Panama Canal, looking forward to touching the Pacific again for the first time in a long time. What an adventure, I'm still so honored to have been able to join in on the welcome here in NYC.

The Dragon, the Star*, and the Lady in the Harbor.

I just had to see these photos next to each other. Hōkūle'a visited us in June and is now heading back our way after a visit to Canada via the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes; Draken Harald Hårfagre just arrived here in NYC, after their own visit to the Great Lakes, on Saturday the 17th. I wish I could've been there when the voyagers met on the Erie Canal!

I'd loved the photo of the Hōkūle'a at the Statue of Liberty that Nāʻālehu Anthony at ʻŌiwi TV took in June, and when Bjoern Kils from the New York Media Boat posted his similar shot from the New York Media Boat, I just had to see the two shots side by side. Visit the NY Media Boat blog for more glorious photos of the arrival. For full details on the Viking longship's visit, through next Sunday, click here.

*Hōkūle'a = "Star of Gladness", the Hawaiian name for Arcturus. 

Draken Harald meets Hokule'a

I forgot to update Frogma with the third of my series of screenshots of the Hokule'a and Draken Harald Harfagre trackers, which I was following with glee all morning. This was around 2:15 and I was absolutely delighted to see it!

And here's how that looked from a slightly lower elevation!
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Photos from the NYS Canal System facebook page. Can't wait for the trip TQ and I are taking on the canal this Fall, more about that some other time, oh yes!

My friend Louise was able to make it to the event, which we actually helped facilitate. I can't get over the fact we were able to do that but we just ended up being in the right places to put the two voyagers in touch; she's of Norwegian descent and had been following the Draken's visit and gone to see them in Oswego, even finding a family connection among the crew, and of course I'm still all aglow every time I think about Hokule'a's visit to NYC. We got to talking to each other about how exciting it was that these two voyagers from Norway and Hawaii would actually be passing right here in New York State, and then she got in touch with her friends on the Draken and I did the same with the Hokule'a and then we put them in touch with each other and they took it from there, with Louise also getting some good notifications about the developing details out to WoodenBoat magazine (that's another Facebook page, sorry non-facebooking friends!) and others. How cool is that?

I couldn't get there of course but knowing she was there was almost as good. In fact I think that might be her in the kayak just off Draken Harald's bow. She got some great shots and talked about the event on her Facebook page (see the horn that the Draken crewmate in the yellow shorts has? Louise said the salutes between the vessels using that horn and the Hawaiian pu shell trumpet were "bone-chilling", I bet there wasn't a person there that didn't get chicken skin then!), I'll see if she'll let me borrow some of those for a very cool post, but for now I'm just sneaking in a lunchtime update. Much to do at work today as I was very very distracted yesterday!

The Dragon and the Star meet!

2:00 Update - they can practically see each other now! 

Draken Harald Harfarge location, 1:15 p.m., 8/31/2016:

Hokule'a location, 1:15 p.m., 8/31/2016:

The Hokule'a link goes to the Hokulea.org website. The Draken Harald Harfagre tracker is on an independent site, to learn more about this Viking longship that's visiting from Norway, visit drakenexpeditionamerica.com. BTW NYC will be honored with a visit from the longship this year, I'm really looking forward to visiting her and hearing her stories. Wish wish WISH I could be in the town of Sylvan Beach, NY this afternoon. What I wouldn't give to find myself a corner where I'm not in the way and just listen to the voyagers talking story!

Hokule'a update - visit her tomorrow, August 10th, in Salem, Massachusetts

I've been really bad about Hokule'a updates lately, but she's still on the East Coast; she sailed up to Nova Scotia and now she's travelling back down again. If you (or anyone you know) are in the vicinity of Salem, Massachussetts, you can meet the Hokule'a Crew and visit the historic wa'a tomorrow from 2 - 5 at Central Wharf. For more details on that, click here; for stories and videos of what they've been up to lately, visit the update page, and to follow the voyage on Facebook, click here.  

Hokule'a update, Friday June 17 - Tours today, sailing tomorrow

Sorry about NO NOTICE, but with our choppy waters and not-so-great docking in the recreational sections of the NYC waterfront, this is ending up being the only chance to actually board the Hokule'a before she heads on her way tomorrow.

Tomorrow's sail plan, as shared by Captain Maggie, from the Waterfront Alliance, this morning:

Aloha,

Latest update, which can be posted, is that Hokulea might be seen underway on Saturday - between 11am and 1pm travelling the waters from off Jersey City, crossing the Battery, and off Governors Island Pier 101. Immediately following, Hokulea might be seen underway eastbound in the East River moving north between Governors Island and Roosevelt Island. 

 Please remember there's a 25 yard security zone around tunnel ventilators and commercial and ferry docks.

 The kayak landing at Governors Island is not yet replaced.

 Thank you all! Maggie

 Capt. Margaret Flanagan
Maritime Operations, Waterfront Alliance

After tomorrow, Hokule'a heads north to Mystic, CT, where she'll be attending Mystic Seaport's WoodenBoat Show, and then she'll be in Martha's Vineyard from June 28th - July 1st (thanks to Sam Low for that particular update, see picture he'd shared below!), and then points north. Follow the voyage at Hokulea.com. 

Hokule'a in NYC Post 5: At the Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge Outrigger Race

Hokule'a was the guest of honor at this year's Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge Outrigger Race! The wa'a and crew were there; unfortunately tours were cancelled after someone slipped and got hurt while either boarding or debarking, but Hokule'a was right alongside a barge and you could walk onto that and get a good close look at her. Crew members were there throughout the day to answer questions, and two Hokule'a crews competed in the third and final race of the day. Amazingly, one of their boats came in fourth - well, maybe not so amazingly, the crew of the Hokule'a are all consummate waterfolk, but all the other teams have been training, while I doubt that the Hokule'a crew has had much time for OC-6 practice anytime recently, being a little busy sailing around the world and all. 

Here are some selected photos of Hokule'a and her crew (and hey, that's me and Captain Blankenfeld!) at the Liberty Challenge - if you are a real glutton for punishment, the day's full set is on Flickr! Lots of paddling, some dancing and food.

Oh, can't resist sneaking in one food shot. Being a grown-up may not be everything you think it's gonna be when you're a kid, but -- ice cream for lunch if you want? Check! :D

Photos below - Approaching Pier 26; Sam Low pretends to sign my copy of his book for me (he had just finished and closed it when I remembered that I had a camera around my neck, he was a good sport when I asked him to act like he was still signing it - BTW, great book, Hawaiki Rising!); the female ki'i on the stern; crew member puts a lei on one of Hokule'a's manu (prows); me and Captain Blankenfeld (I got him to sign my book too!); activities at the Hokule'a tent (including a curious box turtle who wanted to learn about wayfinding); Hokule'a teams in the mixed crew race; and finally saying goodby at the end of the day. Click on the first photo for a slideshow view. 

Hokule'a in NYC Post 4: Preliminary Arrival at North Cove

Hokule'a approaches North Cove Marina. More on Flickr, of course. No captions yet, but this post pretty much tells you what happened. 

So the 'Iolani gathering was lovely, the food and drink was delicious and the company delightful, and at a certain point one of the Polynesian Voyaging Society folks made the surprise announcement that in a little while we were going to have a chance to see the Hokule'a herself!

I'd paddled out on Friday evening because a clubmate who'd sailed out to see her earlier in the week had gotten the impression that they were leaving on Saturday morning (and I had the reception Saturday afternoon and one of my paddling rules of thumb is that I generally won't plan a paddle if I need to get somewhere else later in the day, I don't much like watching the clock when I'm on the water except to know when the current shifts or suchlike), but they hadn't said exactly where they were going.

Turned out they were going on up to the upper harbor for a photo shoot (including the shot I've been looking forward to since I found out she was coming here - and here it is! :D) and they were going to do a sail along the battery. The first trip out to the Battery Park City promenade turned out to be a little bit premature - we squinted and stared and finally somebody with especially sharp eyes spotted her awaaaaay off south of the Statue of Liberty. We all cheered and then we posed for some group shots and, assured that the wa'a was eventually going to head up our way and we could go back out to see her later, we went back to the restaurant for a bit. 

As we were enjoying the food and chatting, there were some phone calls going on between the PVS crew at the restaurant and the crew on the boat, and eventually the word came through that the wa'a was now actually approaching the area and that furthermore, it was likely that they were going to have a test run at entering North Cove Marina, and that further furthermore, that if that operation did not prove to be absolutely easy-peasy, there was a pretty good chance that Nainoa was going to make the call to just stay there. The wa'a has no motors; they do have a set of long-handled paddles on board that the crew can use to maneuver a little bit, but in the fast-moving current of the Hudson, they were being towed in by a motorboat. The entrance to North Cove Marina is not terribly wide and faces straight out into the current, so the issue was that there was going to be this hairy moment when the motorboat was in the still water inside the marina while the Hokule'a was still in the grasp of the moving current outside. They therefore need to go in as fast as they could while not going so fast that they couldn't stop before crashing into the Colgate Sailing School boats opposite the entrance. A fine line to tread! This was in calm conditions, and Sunday's forecast involved gusty winds, so Nainoa was very concerned about the safety of the wa'a, the escort boats, and all the people on board and wanted to try it at least once before the real arrival ceremony.

So that's how I got to see the Hokule'a's unannounced early arrival.

When I first went back out, Hokule'a was under tow on the Jersey side. I don't know what exactly they were doing (towboat captain may have just been getting a feel for moving Hokule'a around, this was not her usual escort boat, the Gershon, but a motorboat named Julie's Cat), but at first they were heading North, then they turned and cruised South for a bit, then they turned north again and seemed to be travelling that way rather purposefully. I was following them, trotting along the Promenade - at a certain point I was thinking they'd decided to scratch the North Cove idea and head for Pier 40 after all, so I picked up speed a bit, thinking as I did so "OK, at this point I think I am now officially STALKING Hokule'a!" - but then they turned again and this time they started across the river, angling south again, so I got myself back down to the marina again and got there in time to join Hokule'a's family and friends in welcoming her to North Cove.

The entrance was indeed NOT easy-peasy, in fact it was a bit on the nailbitey side, so Nainoa did decide to stay there. He held a short press conference down on the dock, then came up and explained to those of us who were gathered there what the situation was - although the wa'a was there, she couldn't really be considered to be there until she'd been welcomed by the Native Americans in whose territory Manhattan lies, so for the time being, out of respect to them, she was kapu and couldn't welcome us as visitors. Nainoa looked so concerned - this change of plans was clearly not something he took lightly, but I don't think anyone there questioned the wisdom of that call at all.

Sorry I didn't catch the first minute!

Pua Case, a noted Hawaiian teacher and leader from the Big Island, did offer up a chant of welcome, which the Hokule'a crew answered with Aue Ua Hiki E (I found a little bit about the chant on the Kihei Canoe Club's site, click here to read about that and other paddling chants) , which I was told Kumu Pua had written for Hokule'a - so not the official welcome (that would be on Sunday, and it was indeed splendid, I will never forget that day), but still a very moving thing to witness. I felt so fortunate and honored to be there!

Here's a news clip that ties in:

Hokule'a in NYC Post 3: Chocolate Haupia Pie!

Well, oops. This was supposed to be the how-I-got-to-go-to-Hokule'a's-unannounced-arrival post, but I forgot to add the pictures I uploaded before I hit save, so here's some onolicious CHOCOLATE HAUPIA PIE instead. Just like Ted's Bakery, only right here in NYC on Vesey Street! Arrival pix in the next post. Everybody OK with that? Hope so! 

This was served at a great little 'Iolani School alumni function that was put together a couple of weeks ago when the alumni office approached some of us NYC area alumni with the idea - there are a few folks from 'Iolani on the Hokule'a crew and of course the Polynesian Voyaging Society has strong ties with all of the Hawai'i schools (I went to an educator workshop last year and loved seeing all the ways voyaging can be worked into the curriculum), so they thought it would be great to have a little gathering! I was tickled to get that and then ESPECIALLY tickled, when I checked in quite a bit after the initial email went around, to find out that one of us NYC folks works at Blue Smoke Barbecue and had arranged for the event to be held there. That's a restaurant I've always wanted to try, I looooove barbecue and I've heard good things about the place.

It was a great get-together - always fun meeting NYC-based 'Iolani folks (we're not as organized as Punahou, there's one friend from my class, who also happens to be a blogger, who I'm in touch with regularly, other than that I mostly just see people when there's an alumni get-together) and we were all very excited about the Hokule'a's visit. The 'Iolani/Polynesian Voyaging Society folks brought these great little wooden coasters that current students had made as gifts for the voyage at the school's spectacular new Sullivan Center for Innovation and Leadership. I'd gotten a tour of that new facility when I went home last year for my 30th reunion and it's really amazing - check it out here if you like. I think I'm more inclined to put a loop on the back of my coaster and hang it on the wall than use it as a coaster, it's so cute, says "Home is where the heart is" with a laser-cut miniature map of the Hawaiian islands. They also had a raffle with commemorative stuff from the voyage, patches and books and such - I ended up winning a keychain made out of an actual piece of one of the sails that was used during the No Nā Mamo (For the Children) Voyage for Education - I can't imagine a better souvenir!

The food was great; the chefs are not from Hawai'i, but they consulted with Claire, their colleague from 'Iolani, and ended up making us delicious grillled shrimp (for the shrimp wagons of Kahuku), pork belly sliders with pickled onions (I missed the Hawai'i tie for that one, but does pork belly really need a reason?) and they cooked a suckling pig for us, which they served with smoked cabbage. All absolutely delicious, and then for dessert, Claire had told the pastry chef about chocolate haupia pie. And when it was brought out, we were all SO HAPPY! :D 

Now, chocolate haupia pie didn't make my list of personal favorites from childhood for the simple reason that Ted's Bakery, where baker Ted Nakamura invented the stuff, didn't open until four years after my family had left for the mainland (same with the shrimp trucks, the first one didn't get popular until the 90's), but it is delicious stuff - a rich chocolate pudding topped with haupia, the delicious Hawaiian-style coconut pudding, and whipped cream on top. The pastry chef wasn't from Hawai'i either, but armed with Claire's description and a couple of sample recipes, he came through beautifully - everybody there agreed it was just like at home! Absolutely delicious. Or as one might say back in da 'aina -

"Broke da' mout', bra!"

Wanna try? Here you go!

Fun cocktail list too - I tried their frozen Dark n' Stormy. Imagine an Icee that went to graduate school and moved to the big city and became all sophistimacated. It was a hot and sticky day outside and this was very tasty.

And then we got to take the leftovers home. Yay!

I still want to go back sometime and actually order off the menu, but glad to have finally been there.

Would've been a wonderful afternoon even without the big surprise...

TO BE CONTINUED!
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Hokule'a in NYC Post 2: A Magnificent Welcome to NYC, plus schedule info

I'm already getting out of order on these, I was very fortunate in having another Hokule'a experience yesterday,  but today's welcoming ceremony was just too amazing to not put up pictures right away. Words fail me, but click here to visit a Flickr album from the day. Amazing!

Again, for updates on her schedule, visit either Hokulea.com and Halawai.org BTW, Halawai.org has a couple extra events that are not specifically Polynesian Voyaging Society events but are Hokule'a-related, and Hokulea.com has some details about days you can tour the wa'a that Halawai doesn't, so it's worth visiting both. For Facebook users, Hokulea Crew is fun to follow.

For NYC area boaters who might be interested in seeing her out on the water, Capt. Maggie Flanagan at the Waterfront Alliance, who oversaw a lot of the on-water logistics (a big job in our very active and highly regulated harbor!), knew that might be the case, and although some of Hokule'a's movements aren't really solidly predictable, she was able to provide two times when plans are known - these will be your best chances: 

Friday, June 10th, about 5:30 to 6:30 am, westbound on the East River, moving south between Long Island City and Brooklyn Bridge 

 Sunday, June 19th, about 8:30 to 9:30 am, eastbound on the East River, moving north between Brooklyn Bridge and Roosevelt Island 

Hokule'a in NYC Post 1: Paddling to Hokule'a

For a list of activities while Hokule'a is here in NYC, visit the Hokule'a in NYC page at Halawai.org

This was not one of the wisest things I've done since becoming a Serious Paddler. First paddle after surgery probably shouldn't be an 11 mile solo. 

But the first thing that had sprung into my head when I heard Hokule'a was coming here was a dream of paddling out with all the local paddlers and rowers to meet her. That ended up being a little too tricky to coordinate, but when she arrived early and went to Jamaica Bay, suddenly I thought I might be able to at least paddle over to see her. Then the week was so busy that I didn't think I would be able to. Then I worked a couple of marathon days to get the things done that needed to get done and by last night I was optimistic enough that I baked a batch of cookies (didn't want to go visit empty-handed) and packed my paddling bag. I still wasn't sure I would be able to go, so I couldn't put the word out to see if I could get anyone to come with me, but then at 4:00 my bosses said they had everything they needed from me and so I decided to just GO. 

I figured if I didn't feel good I would turn back (of course the obvious issue there is that if I started not feeling good 5 miles out, I would still have to paddle 5 miles home) but in the end it all worked out OK. I do think I'm going to be VERY sore tomorrow but I lived to tell the tale and it was worth it.

Only problem was that nobody was there to take the cookies. That was too bad. I'll try to hand them off at one of the events.

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Here Comes Hōkūleʻa!

Quick update midafternoon on the 31st: If you look at the Halawai event list and find yourself torn between the screening of "Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau" and the event with Hokule'a navigators at the American Museum of Natural History, here's a way you can sort of do both - there's a screening of the film at Videology in Williamsburg tomorrow night, June 1. Eddie's brother won't be there, but there will be a silent auction and a raffle and all proceeds will go to support the Hokule'a, which was so important to Eddie. Details and tickets here. 

Done with a very good visit to Washington, D.C., where they were hosted by the venerable Washington Canoe Club (est. 1904), received a message in a bottle from John Kerry, which they'll deliver to the UN on June 8th, World Oceans Day, honored King Kamehameha I with a lei draping ceremony for his statue, and doubtless inspired hundreds of school kids (because that is how they do!), Hokule'a travels on towards us here in NYC, where preparations are nearing completion, the welcome ceremony has been being practiced, lei are being strung, and all of us who have connections with Hawai'i are getting very excited. This weekend, Hokule'a arrived in Cape May, New Jersey - click here for the crew update from there.

There's a whole string of public events while the Hōkūleʻa is visiting; somebody at Halawai has done a terrific job of keeping up with the events as they are announced, click here to see everything that's going on!

Unfortunately, the giant human-powered boat welcome flotilla in which I'd hoped to participate had to be let go of, as major paddling events require a good bit of advance planning and there just wasn't any way to get the level of details we would've needed to get the appropriate permits at the time we would've needed it - however, you lucky paddlers and rowers who keep your boats in the Upper Harbor, North River stretch of the Hudson, and the East River, she'll be here and there in your home waters from the 5th to the 18th - keep an eye out for her, and you can follow her activities at Hokulea.com.

I'm looking forward to a very, very special two weeks! 

(these are the first lei that I have strung in many, many years - I made them the night before the screening of The Navigators in the Brooklyn Bridge Park for our guest of honor and others who'd helped get the evening to work. No plumeria to be had, so I used hyacinths!)

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Hokule'a update -

Hokule'a is gradually working her way up the east coast of the U.S., and guess where she is today through next week? Click here for a hint! 

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Here's a DC event list that was shared on the Hokule'a Crew facebook page - please note that although most of these are over the next few days, the last one goes on even after the wa'a has cast off and resumed her travels.

Visit the Hokule's Crew FB page (link in prior paragraph) or Hokulea.com for more information about the voyage.

UPCOMING EVENTS: MAY 19-29

Thursday, May 19 (10:30 am) “Navigating by the Stars” Presentation Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum

Hōkūleʻa’s navigators will talk about traditional wayfinding, navigating across the deep sea using the stars, waves, birds and other signs of nature.

Friday, May 20 (1:00 to 5:00 pm) and Saturday, May 21 (10:00 am to 3:00 pm) Canoe Tour & National Geographic and National Parks Bioblitz Washington Canoe Club – Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Park (C&O Canal)

The public is welcome to come aboard the Hōkūleʻa and meet the crewmembers who will share the history of the legendary canoe and the mission of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage.

During the May 20 and May 21 outreach, crewmembers and the public will be invited to help with a BioBlitz activity focusing on plankton. A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. At a BioBlitz, scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to get an overall count of the plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms that live in a place. May 20 and May 21 mark the National Geographic Bioblitz event dates, in partnership with National Parks Service. Hōkūleʻa crewmembers will conduct a plankton tow activity, adding plankton photos to the C&O National Park BioBlitz data.

Friday, May 20 and Saturday, May 21 (9:00 am to 5:00 pm) Polynesian Voyaging Society’s Mālama Honua Exhibit at the National Geographic and National Park Service BioBlitz The National Mall

Hōkūleʻa crew and Polynesian Voyaging Society staff members will be conducting hands-on activities and lessons on the importance of ocean health and the role of plankton from samples of water taken from the Potomac River. The crew will also celebrate the environmental efforts of the DC community by giving children and adults an opportunity to design their own quilt square with a message of what is special in their local environment and what they want the world to know about the project. The patches will be part of an “Aloha ‘Aina Peace Flag Quilt.” (aloha ‘aina means love of the land in Hawaiian)

Monday, May 23 (1:00 to 5:00 pm) Canoe Tour Washington Canoe Club – Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Park (C&O Canal)

The public is welcome to come aboard the Hōkūleʻa and meet the crewmembers who will share the history of the legendary canoe and the mission of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage.

Hōkūleʻa-Inspired Events at National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), throughout May

Throughout the month of May, NMAI will be focusing on Hōkūleʻa’s visit with a film series and weekend festival that will celebrate traditional Polynesian wayfinding, as revived and practiced by the Polynesian Voyaging Society. The month of events will culminate with the Mālama Honua: Hōkūleʻa Worldwide Voyage Celebration, a weekend-long festival taking place on Saturday, May 28, and Sunday, May 29, from 10 am to 5 pm each day. The program will be an opportunity to to meet the navigators and crew from the voyage, enjoy music by Robert Cazimero and Halau Na Kamalei, and to experience a special “pop up” planetarium collaboration with the ʻImiloa’s Astronomy Center and other hands-on activities. For full detail’s on NMAI’s Hawaii program series, click here.

For updates on the NYC visit, keep an eye on the Halawai website. 

Screening of Sam Low's "The Navigators" in the Brooklyn Bridge Park, Friday, May 6th

Copying (with slight revisions) from an email invitation I just sent around, in the interest of getting this onto my blog without delaying my month-end close reporting any more:

I wanted to let you know about an event that I'm working on for this coming Friday, with the help of Noah at the Brooklyn Bridge Boathouse. Sorry about the short notice, this all happened pretty fast!

If you've been following Frogma for any time at all, you are probably aware the upcoming June visit to NYC of the Polynesian voyaging canoe Hokule'a. This 40 year old performance-accurate replica of a traditional Hawaiian sailing wa'a has been traveling around the world using traditional Polynesian wayfinding techniques - no compass, no GPS, just stars, currents, wave patterns, birds, clouds, etc. 

Hokule'a was a VERY big deal when I was a kid in Hawaii, so I just about fell off of my chair when I found out she was coming here. She'll be here in early June, and as one of the leadup events, I'll be showing Sam Low's The Navigators, a fantastic documentary about how the wayfinding skills, although fading away in the 70's, were still very actively in use in the Caroline Islands, and how the partnership between the dreamers and builders and first sailors of the Hokule'a, and one of the last of the traditionally trained navigators, Mau Piailug, first began.

 We'll also have an update from 2015 showing some highlights from the current voyage (Hokule'a has sailed many many miles since she was launched, but right around this time last year, when she left New Zealand and sailed for Australia, was the first time she'd ever left her Pacific home waters), and we'll be joined by Mahina Richards, who was a crew member aboard Hokule'a during the 2014 leg (Pacific) of the Malama Honua voyage, and she'll be telling us a little about what it's like be out there on the wa'a, and participating in a Q and A. This should be a very good evening! Friday the 6th (coming right up here); space is somewhat limited so RSVP's would be greatly appreciated! Please feel free to spread the word, this should be a fun evening!

 For full details and RSVP link click here

 For Mahina's favorite blog post from her time aboard, click here.

Thank you to the Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse, and Halawai for all the help in setting this up! 

Hokule'a Educators Workshop, NYU, 4/2/2016

Yes, that's tomorrow, sorry for the short notice. 

One more Hokule'a event - this one sounds great, I went to their last educator's workshop and despite not being an educator (unless you count being a kayak instructor), I found it fascinating. I can't make this one but I hope friends can! Click here for full details and to RSVP. .

Hokule'a's East Coast Schedule

Now available! Click here to view the schedule for Hokule'a's East Coast visit. I can't wait! :D That's kind of an outline version with bigger events; for day to day info, follow the links they have over there to their Facebook page (great updates, I've been enjoying those so much) and their live tracking map.

BTW, for West Coast friends who might be feeling left out, you may be getting a visit from Hokule'a's sister wa'a, Hikianalia; if you look at the map at Hokulea.com, the light blue line is her sailing down the West Coast to meet Hokule'a in Panama before they sail home to Hawai'i together later in 2016. There aren't any details yet but keep an eye on that page for updates.

Can you even imagine the welcome-home party they are going to throw when Hokule'a gets back home to O'ahu after this amazing journey?