North Sails NZ provide sails for Vaka Pacific migration fleet
by Zoe Hawkins on 30 Sep 2009
The Vaka project presented a difference challenge for North Sails SW
Some of the earliest and greatest nautical adventurers were people of the Pacific Islands. Now, one of the world’s greatest migrations across the Pacific Ocean is to be re-enacted using ancient seafaring skills and a fleet of traditional canoes, currently being built in New Zealand.
Three of the six double-hulled canoes being built for the journey have already been completed in Auckland, and another three should be finished by November.
Next year they will set sail from French Polynesia to Hawaii, to recreate history and to revive ancestral traditions and voyaging skills that are thousands of years old.
North Sails consultant Jim Maloney has been involved in the boats and describes them as great to sail and maneuverable, despite their traditional design.
'They tack and gybe like a normal sailboat, just not as quickly.'
A large sail wardrobe has been constructed for the boats, for the most part using 9 oz Dacron which is tanbark in colour. Traditional flax sails, built in the Solomon Islands, are also used for special occasions. 'The craftsmanship in the weaving was very neat and impressive, the boat sailed well with them – they are a work of art,' says Jim.
The twin hulled boats are 72 foot long. While the hulls are constructed from fibreglass and resin, all other aspects of the boat, including the rig with rope stays, and lashings which hold the hulls together, are traditional.
Accommodation is Spartan: each hull sleeps around eight people, and accommodated within a hull on deck is a two burner stove and nav station, with a small toilet forward of it. Water is carried in drums below deck.
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/61722
