Ethnomads
ʻAʻĀ Rests
Aloha mai Kakou, it Chris!
In correspondence to Keiliʻs last newsletter, I just published some raw footage from our recent happenings on ‘A‘ā. Here it is, if you dare,
20 mins into the video is the last documents of ‘A‘ā in the water for 2025
After her long dance, ‘A‘ā is finally resting out of the water. It was about an hour and a half sail boosting 7-8 knots from Ala Wai to Ke’ehi. For a second we were heading SSE (Na Leo Malanai). Such a little taste of freedom to imagine Tahiti rising just beyond that horizon. With the help of some dear friends we began the unuhi (disassembling). Huge mahalo to everyone who contributed (Koa, Asha, Summer, Pono, Uncle Analu, Mom, Dana and Justin ), especially Pono and Justin for sticking through the whole day. Disassembling ‘A‘ā is a myriad of steps that require utmost attention to detail. I am always amazed to see how strength is designed so simply with these vessels. There is design elements from all over the pacific, I can see influences from Hawai’i, Micronesia, Japan and contemporary boats. A true art, being a vessel to enable living well without the yachty budget that people think they need.
‘A‘ā has taught us so much about our island and ourselves. It is surreal to think how far she has carried us from just a small dream. I am looking forward to the next steps of dry dock tune ups. Keep ya in da loop, a hui hou!
-Chris
