Hometown
San Diego, California
Voyage(s)
Moananuiākea Voyage – Leg 8: San Francisco to Ventura
Bio
PVS was heartbroken to hear of JDʻs passing in June 2025. Everyone remarked what a wonderful person JD was; Captain Mark Ellis talked about what a blessing JD was for the canoe, the crew, and the voyage. We are grateful the JD is forever part of the Hōkūleʻa/PVS ʻohana.
JDʻs first time on a waʻa kaulua may have been in 2017 but, he says, “The cultural history of Hōkūleʻa has captivated me since I was a child, when I was first learning about sailing and astronomy. The people and voyages seemed larger than life and inspired me to find my career path sailing around the world.” JD is a sailboat captain. That first waʻa kaulua experience was a crew training sail on Hikianalia from Oʻahu to Lānaʻi and back. And now he is on the Moananuiākea Voyage.
JD says “Iʻm inspired by the ambition and vision of the Moananuiākea voyage, particularly because it is unlike any mission for the well-being of the planet that I have heard of, let alone participated in.” He hopes that through voyaging there will be “more people, from different cultures, inspired to come together for the health of the oceans, planet and each other.” And to this career sailor, what Hōkūleʻa means to him, is that she “represents the pinnacle of ocean exploration.”
There is a lot about his every day life that JD says he misses when out at sea: “Family, friends, dogs!” But there is also a lot he says he misses about the sea, when he is back on land: “The peace, the intensity, the stars, the storms, the waves...”
JDʻs first time on a waʻa kaulua may have been in 2017 but, he says, “The cultural history of Hōkūleʻa has captivated me since I was a child, when I was first learning about sailing and astronomy. The people and voyages seemed larger than life and inspired me to find my career path sailing around the world.” JD is a sailboat captain. That first waʻa kaulua experience was a crew training sail on Hikianalia from Oʻahu to Lānaʻi and back. And now he is on the Moananuiākea Voyage.
JD says “Iʻm inspired by the ambition and vision of the Moananuiākea voyage, particularly because it is unlike any mission for the well-being of the planet that I have heard of, let alone participated in.” He hopes that through voyaging there will be “more people, from different cultures, inspired to come together for the health of the oceans, planet and each other.” And to this career sailor, what Hōkūleʻa means to him, is that she “represents the pinnacle of ocean exploration.”
There is a lot about his every day life that JD says he misses when out at sea: “Family, friends, dogs!” But there is also a lot he says he misses about the sea, when he is back on land: “The peace, the intensity, the stars, the storms, the waves...”