Crew Profile

Moani Heimuli

Hometown

Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu

Voyage(s)

Moananuiākea Voyage – Leg 2: Yakutat to Juneau, Moananuiākea Voyage – Leg 3: Juneau to Ketchikan, Moananuiākea Voyage – Leg 4: Ketchikan to Prince Rupert, Moananuiākea Voyage – Leg 5: Prince Rupert to Vancouver, Moananuiākea Voyage – Leg 6: Vancouver to Seattle

Bio

Moani has been involved with Hōkūleʻa since she first sailed on her as a freshman in High School, in the ahupuaʻa of Hakipuʻu in 2007. She has sailed Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia countless times, including during the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage. She is a watch captain and often captain of the escort boat on coastal sails. She is also a waʻa builder.

It is easy to understand what continually draws her to voyaging as she explains that “To me Hōkūleʻa is the connection to the past and future. She is a symbol of cultural pride and hope for the future.” And while she sees herself as a student, always learning, that only serves what she sees as kuleana to the next generations: “By voyaging I want to gain knowledge and pass on knowledge.”

When voyaging, there is no cooler and no way to keep things cold on the canoe, so the one thing Moani craves while at sea is something many landlubbers may take for granted: ice water. But when at home, she says “I miss the action of the ocean and everything she throws at us.”