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After 12 weeks of dry dock, we've logged a total of about 1120 hours of volunteer work on Hokule'a. (not including individuals who have canoe parts at another workshop.) Thanks to our many volunteers, we are putting on the last few coats of varnish on the railings, 'iako and other parts of the canoe. We will be getting ready to lash these pieces of the canoe back together. This week dry rot repairs on the port hull will be getting a final coat of fiberglass.

Mahalo nui to numerous school groups who have come to help malama Hokule'a. New Hawaiian cutlure-based charter schools such as Hakipu'u Learning Center, Halau Lokahi and Halau Ku Mana have dedicated at least a day a week to work at dry dock. Students from Wai'anae High School, Ocean Learning Academy, Kamehameha, Punahou, 'Iolani, Windward Community College, and St. Mary's College of California have also come to help on the canoe. Japanese students in a waterman seminar here on O'ahu commit one day a week of their six-week program to work on Hokule'a. Individual volunteers have also been an enormous help. Mahalo to our committed volunteers Katherine Fuller, Ann-Marie Mizuno, and Starr Johnson who have spent day after day working on the canoe. We wouldn't be where we are today without the help of all our volunteers whose time and efforts are greatly appreciated.

January 31, 2002 update (by Ka`iulani Murphy)

(Photo: Hokule'a lifted from the water by a crane at Ke'ehi Marine Center; other photos in sidebar.)

Hokule'a Dry Dock: "It takes an ahupua'a to launch a canoe." In preparation for upcoming voyaging, Hokule'a is now in dry dock at Pier 60 (Friends of Hokule'a and Hawai'iloa Workshop on Sand Island). Project Coordinator is Navigator Bruce Blankenfeld. (Photo below: Bruce, Wally Froiseth, and Jerry Ongais go over drydock plans for Hokule'a.) On-site manager is Russell Amimoto. Work will be from Monday to Saturday, with Saturday being the big work day. Volunteers welcomed. Contact the PVS office by phone (808) 536-8405, fax (808) 536-1519, or e-mail (pvs@lava.net) for more information.

Update: During a marine survey of Hokule'a dry rot was found in the hull. Workers have been repairing the the dry rot. Both manu have been removed and will also be patched inside. Because of the extensive work to repair this problem, we expect to be in dry dock until July. During the first eight weeks of dry dock, 753 volunteer hours have been logged on the canoe, not including the individuals and groups who have taken parts of the canoe to work on independently at other sites. With the recent heavy rains, dry dock hasn't been so dry and work was cancelled because the work site was under several inches of water. Volunteers should call the office when it is raining heavily.

Support from Ke'ehi Marine Center (KMC): One of the businesses supporting the dry dock of Hokule'a is Ke'ehi Marine Center, a marina and a boatyard facility on Sand Island for both commercial and pleasure boats. The boatyard has a max capacity of 15-16 boats, from small sailing boats to big long line fishing vessels. On Dec 7 2001 boatyard donated its time and services to haul out Hokule`a for drydock. In the past, KMC has helped PVS generously by hauling out Hokule`a and donating space in the boatyard for dry dock. Before 1999-2000 Rapa Nui voyage, Hokule'a was out for 3 months at KMC and before the 2000-2001 statewide it was there for 3 weeks.

Yoshi Muraoka, the administrative director at KMC, was born in Japan, grew up in New York, went to college in San Diego, moved to Hawai`i, and worked downtown as an accountant (CPA). When asked why KMC donates it services, he said they realize the importance and value of the canoe to the community. Yoshi says they will continue to support PVS, doing anything they can to help. The crew at Ke'ehi Marine includes Frank Gibert operations manager, Paul Cobb-Adams, Jim Leveille, and Carlos Lopez. Modrel Keju, originally from the Marshall Islands, works in the office and enjoys meeting the variety of people that come through the facility.