Sam Low, Hawaiki Rising, and Ben Finney, Hokule'a: The Way to Tahiti *** 1/2

When I was reading We, the Navigators, my sailing crewmate Bohun Kinloch said that he too was reading about Polynesian navigation techniques. These two books focus on one voyage in particular: the 1976 trip from Hawaii to Tahiti aboard the traditional Polynesian canoe Hokule'a, sailed without instruments. Hawaiki Rising also describes a follow-up voyage four years later.

While they include some navigational lore, these books are more about the overall Hokule'a project. The emphasis is on the construction of the canoe and especially its role in the resurgence of Hawaiian culture. The project became embroiled in cultural politics, which lead to significant conflict among the crew during the voyage.

There were tensions onboard from the start. Mau Piailug, the navigator, didn't get along with David Lewis, the Western expert, and there was another native navigator on board from Tahiti. The captain didn't command the respect of the crew, many of whom were surfers chosen for their cultural prominence not sailing experience. They grumbled about the food and accommodations, smoked pot, smuggled a radio on board, set a Western-style jib, and generally threatened the experiment at every turn. It all culminated in a fistfight and public recriminations when the reached Tahiti. Mau quit in disgust.

In short, effective navigation isn't necessarily the biggest challenge on long-distance voyages.