Mary Anna Waldrop steers the Hokule‘a.

LAHAINA – On Friday, May 3, at 6 p.m. at Holy Innocents Episcopal Church in Lahaina, Mary Anna Waldrop, a land crew member of the Pacific Voyaging Society and a Maui educator, will present a program discussing Malama Honua, “Care for the Earth,” the mission of the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s next voyage.

The event will be held in the rectory located behind the church. All interested community members are invited to attend.

The well-traveled Hokule’a, the traditional double-hulled sailing canoe, and its sister canoe, the Hikianalia, a traveling learning center and laboratory, are embarking on a four-year expedition that will cover 46,000 nautical miles, visit 46 countries and engage over 500 crew members.

At the beginning of the journey, they will focus on taking voyaging, science and learning programs to communities and school children in Hawaii.

The entire voyage will be an opportunity to integrate caring for our world, math, science and social studies in classrooms around the planet.

According to Waldrop, a teacher at Sacred Hearts School in Lahaina, “The purpose of the voyage is to navigate toward a healthy and sustainable future for ourselves, our home and our island Earth through voyaging and new ways of learning. Using Hawaii as a microcosm in the universe, this voyage is about resetting our compass to sustainability.”

Lahaina Yacht Club will also host a presentation later in the month.

If your school, church, canoe club or organization would like to schedule a presentation, contact Waldrop at mwaldrop@SacredHeartsSchool.net.

For information regarding the May 3 gathering, contact Holy Innocents Episcopal Church at 661-4202 or e-mail holyinno@hawai.rr.com.