LIHUE — Speakers emphasized the passing of the torch to the next generation at the 2018 Ocean Safety and Drowning Prevention Conference, part of Hawaii Beach Safety Week.
The Nāmāhoe, Kauai’s sailing canoe, was front and center and keynote speaker John Kruse touched on the 20 years it took to build the canoe, and the vision for what it means for Kauai.
“Nāmāhoe is a sailing classroom and what does it take to be on the canoe? You work. If you work, you’ll sail,” Kruse said to about 80 people at the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club, as he scrolled through pictures of the vessel’s two masts and of it moored at Nawiliwili.
Learning to work together on the sailing canoe brings a sense of ‘ohana to crewmembers, who learn from mistakes and learn to work as a unit, becoming a better team and better people during the voyage.
She’s seaworthy and the canoe will be ready to sail long distances in 2020, Kruse said, and anyone is welcome to check out the vessel in the harbor.
Willing hands will be put to work, and those who work get to be part of making history with Kauai’s sailing canoe.
And that’s part of the point — to pass on information and share traditions, especially with the younger generations.
Passing the torch is also what Duane Desoto, of the ocean education organization Na Kama Kai, emphasized.
“We need to be passing on this knowledge to our keiki,” Desoto said. “A lot of people think everyone in Hawaii knows how to surf and knows the ocean. That’s not the case. Children here in Hawaii are growing up not accessing the ocean and there isn’t a lot of access to swimming lessons, for example.”
Na Kama Kai shows keiki how to be good stewards of the island and of the surrounding sea, as well as how to safely play and work in an island environment.
To that end, Na Kama Kai has released an ocean education and safety video on its website, geared toward kids.
Kalani Vierra announced there’s still space for kids to get involved in today’s Ocean Safety Clinic.
That clinic starts at 1 p.m. at the beach fronting Kauai Marriott Resort.
