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Why We Sail

As Earth warms and weather patterns shift, humanity is experiencing the dire impacts of climate change. On low-lying islands across the Pacific sea level rise is more prevalent than ever before, as loss of land threatens the existence of entire cultures and communities. To raise awareness about these urgent issues, 13 young voyagers from the Polynesian Voyaging Society prepare to sail from Hawai‘i to California on the ancestral voyaging canoe Hikianalia. The sister canoe to the famed Hōkūleʻa, which circumnavigated the globe in 2016, Hikianalia is powered by wind and solar energy. The crew will go on to navigate a 23-day, 2,800-mile journey in the traditional way of their Polynesian ancestors — using only the currents beneath them and the stars above.

Image © Cristina Mittermeier

Image © Cristina Mittermeier

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