Voyaging canoe Hokule'a sailed from the dock at Sand Island's Marine Education Training Center yesterday for an overnight passage to Kawaihae, where the Hawaiian cultural icon is to join the newest Hawaiian voyaging canoe, Alingano Maisu, for a historic sail across the western Pacific.

The mission is one of gratitude: sending Maisu as a gift to Micronesian navigator Mau Piailug, for his role in the Hawaiian voyaging renaissance. Piailug, a traditionally trained non-instrument canoe navigator from the island of Satawal in Micronesia, taught Hawaiian voyagers how to use wind, stars, seas, birds and other cues to make accurate landfalls after long voyages.

Hokule'a, with 15 people aboard, was expected to arrive at Kawaihae this afternoon, to drop off its interisland crew and take on its 11-member long-voyaging crew. Polynesian Voyaging Society President Nainoa Thompson was skippering Hokule'a to Kawaihae and will hand over the tiller to fellow navigator Bruce Blankenfeld for the voyage to Majuro in the Marshall Islands.

Aboard Alingano Maisu, Shorty Bertelmann will serve as captain and Chad Paishon as navigator.

The two canoes will sail from Kawaihae tomorrow morning for a rendezvous and departure ceremony at the old harbor of Mahukona, about 10 miles north. They are scheduled to sail before noon, heading northwest to pass by Kaho'olawe, whose western tip was an important traditional navigational site for voyaging.

Then the canoes will take a southwesterly route to Majuro in the Marshall Islands, from which they will hop from island to island to reach Satawal, to present the canoe to Piailug.

Piailug, 75, is ill with diabetes and is not expected to sail on the voyage. However, his son, along with several other Micronesian sailors, will be aboard Maisu to learn to sail the vessel.

The canoes are accompanied by the sailboat Kama Hele, which was built to escort voyaging canoes and has an engine heavy enough to tow both canoes if necessary. Hokule'a has no motor. Maisu is rigged with an outboard motor as emergency propulsion and for getting in and out of tight harbors.

The plan is for the three vessels to try to remain within sight of one another at all times. At night, they will carry lights so they can see one another.

While crews may employ some noninstrument navigation during the voyage, the boats are connected to the world electronically. Each of the vessels has shortwave radio and satellite telephones, as well as short-distance VHF radios for communication between the canoes and Kama Hele.

There is no harbor at Satawal, so after ceremonies at the Micronesian island, the canoes will go on to Yap, which is expected to be Maisu's home port. Hokule'a will leave Maisu in Micronesia, and continue to Japan, where Hawaiian voyagers will meet with residents in communities with ties to the Hawaiian Islands.

The voyage had been expected to start last week, but gale-force winds throughout the state prompted the Polynesian Voyaging Society to delay sailing. The delay gave crews of both Hokule'a and Maisu time to complete final preparations for the voyage.

There was yet another delay yesterday. Hokule'a had been scheduled to set sail at 9 a.m., but departure was postponed to 1 p.m. as last-minute stores were loaded and equipment was checked, and the canoe eventually pulled away from the dock after 2 p.m.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.