{"id":100336,"date":"2023-06-17T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-18T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/hklea-calmly-departs-juneau-for-47-month-voyage\/"},"modified":"2023-06-18T19:05:47","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T03:05:47","slug":"hklea-calmly-departs-juneau-for-47-month-voyage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/hklea-calmly-departs-juneau-for-47-month-voyage\/","title":{"rendered":"Hōkūle‘a calmly departs Juneau for 47-month voyage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t

This story has been updated with a video from a crew member and additional details.<\/em><\/ins><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

It didn’t sail out of Juneau under cover of darkness, since the sun is already up at 4:15 a.m. a few days before summer solstice in Juneau, but Sunday’s departure of the Hōkūle‘a to begin its scheduled 47-month Pacific Ocean voyage was far quieter than its arrival a week ago.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

The wind-powered traditional Polynesian voyaging canoe sailed quietly out of Statter Harbor with a calm sea and sky, and without the hundreds of well-wishers and media coverage that greeted the vessel during a June 11 welcoming ceremony<\/a>. The voyage was scheduled to begin with a similarly high-profile departure ceremony on Thursday, but poor weather delayed the launch<\/a> until crew members felt conditions were suitable.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

During their week in Juneau, the crew took part in a multitude of activities with local tribal officials as well as providing tours of the Hōkūle‘a to visitors. Local leaders went ahead with their planned departure blessing during a ceremony moved indoors on Thursday as the crew members waited for sailing conditions to improve.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

\"A<\/a>

A dock space at Statter Harbor is empty at 4:30 a.m. Sunday as the Hōkūle‘a departs earlier than its scheduled 5 a.m. launch to begin its 47-month global voyage. The first stop for the traditional Polynesian voyaging canoe was Angoon later during the day. (Mark Sabbatini \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

The weather cleared on Saturday and the crew took the Hōkūle‘a out on a training sail Saturday afternoon, according to Sonja Swenson Rogers, a spokesperson for the Polynesian Voyaging Society, which is organizing the voyage. The crew then tentatively planned to depart for their nearly four-year trip at 5 a.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

“They actually departed at 4:15 am, so 45 minutes earlier than expected,” she wrote in an email Sunday morning. As with other scheduled stops in Southeast Alaska during the next few weeks and then beyond, “the times of departure and arrival can change at the last moment.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t

A 47-second video by a crew member aboard the Hōkūle‘a after its departure, thanking people in Juneau, was shared with the media by the Polynesian Voyaging Society on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t