The Gaualofa | |
History | |
---|---|
Samoa | |
Name | Gaualofa |
Owner | Samoa Voyaging Society |
Builder | Salthouse Boatbuilders |
Launched | 2009 |
Identification |
|
Status | Active |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Vaka Moana |
Tonnage | 13 tonnes[1] |
Length | 72 ft (22 m) overall[1] |
Beam | 21 ft (6.4 m)[1] |
Draft | 6 ft (1.8 m)[1] |
Propulsion | Sail / PV electric |
Sail plan | crabclaw sails |
Complement | 14-16[1] |
Gaualofa is a reconstruction of a va'a-tele ("large canoe"),[2] a double-hulled Polynesian voyaging canoe. It was built in 2009 by the Okeanos Foundation for the Sea.[3] It was given to the Samoa Voyaging Society in 2012, on the occasion of Samoa's 50th anniversary of independence.[4] It is used to teach polynesian navigation.
Gaualofa is one of eight vaka moana built for the Okeanos Foundation for the Sea and gifted to Pacific voyaging societies.[1] The vaka hulls are constructed of fiberglass, The wood beams are connected to the hulls with traditional lashings. The two masts are rigged with crab claw sails, with bermuda rigged sails for safety during long voyages. It is fitted with a 1 kWphotovoltaic array powering a 4 kW electric motor.[1] It was constructed at Salthouse Boatbuilders in Auckland, New Zealand.
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