PORT TOWNSEND — A Hawaiian voyaging canoe that was scheduled to arrive in Port Townsend has been delayed and its arrival date on the North Olympic Peninsula remains undetermined.
The Hōkūleʻa — a traditional Polynesian voyaging canoe currently on a voyage around the Pacific Rim — was forced to stay in British Columbia’s Gulf Islands longer than expected and is now heading for Seattle after a stop in Victoria.
Molly McCarthy, communications director with the Northwest Maritime Center, said dates are not confirmed, but the center is hoping the Hōkūleʻa’s visit may be in early September. McCarthy said the details of the delay were not provided.
The Polynesian Voyaging Society, which manages the vessel, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Hōkūleʻa left from Juneau, Alaska, on June 15 on what will be a four-year, 43,000-mile journey around the Pacific Ocean with visits to 36 countries and archipelagoes, nearly 100 indigenous territories and 345 ports.
According to the ship’s website, hokulea.com, the canoe will be in Victoria on Tuesday and Wednesday and arrive in Seattle on Saturday.
The Hōkūleʻa will be docked at Bell Harbor Marina for three days of public canoe tours, the website said, and on Aug. 30, it will sail to the Foss Waterway Seaport Museum in Tacoma, where the canoe will remain until Sept. 1.
Once dates for the Hōkūleʻa’s arrival in Port Townsend are known, the Maritime Center will make the details available, McCarthy said.
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
