Kama I Ka Huli Pu
The Art of Righting a Polynesian Canoe
Editor's Note: These are general guidelines for righting a capsized outrigger canoe. Your coach may have variations of the technique described below.
If and when you do huli (capsize), follow these steps and you should be back hoeing (paddling) again shortly.
Taking into consideration that you probably haven't gone out in very big waves,
6'+ and in 20 knot winds and your pikaos (flotation tanks) are in proper working condition (more than one
puka (hole) in a tank allows water to enter and air escapes), the following method can be used
to right a canoe that has capsized.
1) Count heads - Steersperson take control and have each paddler count off. If you come up one number short, start searching under va'a (canoe).
2) Have one person collect the paddles (hoe), usually steersperson, before they drift away. Also any items left in canoe and not tied down, water bottles, buckets, etc.
3) Get your two or three biggest to go to the outer edges of the iakos and stand on them while reaching over the hull
grabbing onto the gunnel or iakos and lift (important: make sure no one is in the way of the ama - as it is heavy and your skull is
soft!)
4a) If done quickly enough, you can minimize the amount of water that fills the canoe. Have someone ready with a bailing bucket to start bailing.
4b) If not, consider swell height and direction, and position the canoe so that the canoe is
perpindicular to the swell and it is coming from the right side of the canoe.