THE MAUI TRAVELER

A sail caught the prevailing, northeasterly wind and shot the craft forward on a raging sea.  The great, double canoe did not fight the sea but moved with the northerly flowing water.

The world around Chako was raging with life.  The sea was not calm even when there was no wind.  During windless days, the great swells rose and fell endlessly.  The canoe climbed the mountainous waves and rode upon them at a lofty height amid hissing, churning water.  From these white crests, the canoe shot downward into an opening trough that seemed to be about to swallow the tiny structure with all its inhabitants.  Before getting caught at the bottom of a moving valley, the canoe climbed again until it was riding another foaming turbulence only to eventually drop into a cavernous pit pulling the canoe into the ocean.  From the bottom of each valley, the canoe climbed the connecting swell and rode among the crests, seemingly above the ocean where wind filled the sail, helping to shoot the buoyant, wooden craft toward the north where the water flowed.

Chako knew that he, and the other people on this wooden canoe, had left behind island homes including Tahiti and Bora Bora.  Now with the king on board and other members of royalty, together with chiefs, these courageous, seafaring people were continuing the explorations of the ocean.  This canoe did not struggle against the powerful sea.  The craft traveled with the ocean and, regardless of changing winds, the water moved northward while the wind always came back to a prevailing northeasterly blast.  Wind filled the sail, made the ropes sing, and crested mountainous waves. 

Chako realized he had always lived with the sea and he was at home on this canoe.  He, Matto and others had used all of their experience and skills to make an especially strong, double canoe, lashed together with sennit constructed of fiber from coconut husks.  As Chako and Matto were carvers, they knew the canoe had been well made.  They had also carved the paddles.