Iosepa Sailing Canoe To Launch 31-Day Voyage Across Hawaiian Islands

Cultural and community connection at the heart of month-long journey this week 

May 20, 2025 – Lā‘ie, Hawai‘i – The Iosepa, a traditional double-hulled Hawaiian sailing canoe housed at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC), will set sail on a month-long voyage around the Hawaiian Islands starting Saturday, May 24, in a landmark journey highlighting cultural heritage, community connection, and Polynesian wayfinding.

“This voyage is for the people,” said Mark Ellis, Director of Voyaging Experiences at the PCC. “Each port we enter is a reminder of our responsibility to connect, to remember, and to uplift one another as Hawaiians and as stewards of this place.”

Over the course of the voyage, Iosepa’s goal is to make stops (weather permitting) on Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, and Maui, with key landings at:

• Lāʻie, O‘ahu
• Kaunakakai, Molokaʻi
• Lāhainā, Maui
• Mauliola, O‘ahu
• Pōka‘ī Bay, O‘ahu
• Return to Hale‘iwa, O‘ahu

This rare inter-island sail revives ancestral practices and provides cultural education for the crew, which includes students from Brigham Young University–Hawaiʻi, community members, and cultural practitioners. Several stops will include community devotionals, offering residents and media a chance to witness the Iosepa in action.

Built in 2001, Iosepa was designed as a working classroom to teach traditional navigation, seamanship, and Hawaiian values.

For updates on Iosepa’s month long journey to O‘ahu, Moloka‘i and Maui, follow its Instagram and Facebook pages.

ABOUT POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER
Located on O‘ahu’s beautiful North Shore, the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) is the only cultural attraction of its kind in the world and a favorite of both locals and visitors to Hawai‘i. An engaging, interactive celebration showcasing the people, culture, arts and crafts of Polynesia, the PCC has entertained millions of visitors from around the world since opening in 1963. A non-profit organization, 100 percent of PCC’s revenue goes to daily operations and to support the education of its student-employees from neighboring Brigham Young University-Hawaii. For more information, visit www.Polynesia.com 

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Shere’e Quitevis
Anthology FINN Partners
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Sheree.Quitevis@FinnPartners.com