The voyaging canoes Hokule'a and Alingano Maisu appeared to be sailing at between 4 mph and 5 mph through midday yesterday, a pace that, if it were to continue, would get them to Majuro in the Marshall Islands about Feb. 14.

Crew member Ka'iulani Murphy reported yesterday by satellite phone that the Hokule'a crew had been dining on a mahimahi caught before sunset Wednesday. She said all crew members were well.

The pace through midday yesterday would call for a 22-day passage from the Big Island to Majuro, which is what the Polynesian Voyaging Society had estimated for the trip. But such averages, while useful for general planning, are not expected to be accurate for ocean voyages by sail.

Winds can pick up, they can turn unfavorable and they can drop off altogether. Canoes can move faster as crews get accustomed to their vessels, and they can stop altogether during repairs.

Based on automatic location beacons from the canoes, they traveled about 52 miles from 11 p.m. Wednesday to 11 a.m. yesterday, in a southwesterly direction. That puts their speed at a little less than 5 mph.

They had traveled about 42 miles toward the west-southwest in the 12 hours before that.

As of 11 a.m. yesterday, they were more than 111 miles from the Big Island's Ka Lae, or South Point.

The vessels, accompanied by escort boat Kama Hele, are being navigated without instruments. After reaching Majuro, they will island-hop through Micronesia to Satawal, where the canoe Alingano Maisu will be presented as a gift to master navigator Mau Piailug. Afterward, both canoes are to sail through the islands to Palau and then back to Yap. The canoe Maisu will be homeported at Yap. Hokule'a will sail on to Japan on a goodwill mission.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.