Kevin H. sent him some really excellent photos of Mau Piailug’s voyaging canoe, from Hawaii. The pics are top quality and beautifully detailed at full size, unfortunately most of that is lost here. If you’d like to see the originals, email me and I’ll send along a zipped file.

On a resent trip visiting family on the Big Island of Hawaii I stumbled on A couple of intesting canoes.The two voyaging canoes Hokulea and Makali’i. However the most intesting canoe to me was a real Caroline Island Proa. It belonged to the famous Micronesian navigator Mau Piailug. It was either built for or by him on Satawal. It is built in the traditional way. Mau died in 2010 so it is now owned by his son. I believe his son does not live in Hawaii. I was a little upset to see it was not being cared for at all. The man working on Makali’i nextdoor told me it was being stored in a ware house but they got kicked out, probable do to lack of rent. So the proa now sits outside on the ground behind a shed. Carpenter bees are working on it. It has been neglected for quit some time but is still savable. They told me once they finished working on Makali’i there are plans to restore the Proa ,but I doubt it. The crew of Makali’i seem to be operating on a shoe-string and donations. It is sad see a living work of art going to waste. Hokulea is departing some time in the next 6-months on an around the world voyage. Let’s wish them luck. ...Aloha, Kevin

More photos.

and still more…

It’s amazing the way they sew those planks together.  It’s a tragedy that’s becoming all to familiar around my marina that a fine old wood boat is decaying because no one has the money or time to care for it.  Tragedy is, people spend as much time maintaining the frozen snot boats, just with buffers and gelcoat repair instead of paint and varnish brushes.

Tom.