Focus Hawaii "Is Sailing Hard?"

Authors

• William K. Wallace

Files

Description

In this episode of Focus Hawaii, William K. Wallace III shares an intense, firsthand account of the physical, mental, and emotional demands of sailing the Hawaiian voyaging canoe Iosepa. He describes the rigorous preparation required even before the canoe touches the ocean—swim tests, loading hundreds of pounds of rigging, stepping the mast, coordinating crew movements, and managing heavy spars and sails. Once at sea, Wallace explains the reality of voyaging: exhaustion from nonstop labor, steering against heavy swells, quickly responding to shifting winds, and navigating dangerous channels such as Kaʻiwi, ʻAlenuihāhā, and ʻOpailolo. He recounts moments of near-collapse, seasickness, injury, and the crew’s need to push past their physical limits, as well as emergency maneuvers taken to protect the canoe during rapidly changing weather. His story reveals deep respect for ancestral seamanship and emphasizes that voyaging Iosepa demands extraordinary strength, discipline, teamwork, and spiritual resilience.

Length of Video

00:28:09

File Size

368.4MB

Archives Call Number

22.FH

Air Date

7-13-2005

Keywords

William K. Wallace III, Iosepa, Hawaiian voyaging canoe, Polynesian navigation, traditional seamanship, canoe rigging, Kaʻiwi Channel, ʻAlenuihāhā Channel, ʻOpailolo Channel, Laʻie Bay, escort vessel Alakaʻi, open-ocean training, crew endurance, cultural voyaging, physical and spiritual challenges, BYU–Hawaii canoe program

Disciplines

Hawaiian Studies | Pacific Islands Languages and Societies

Recommended Citation

Wallace, William K., "Focus Hawaii "Is Sailing Hard?"" (2005). Focus Hawaii. 91.
https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/focushawaii/91