Polynesian Voyaging Society
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
MEMBERSHIP
NEWSLETTER
MENU
  • Latest Voyage
    • Latest Voyage (Mobile/Tablet View)
    • Latest Voyage (Desktop View)
  • Legacy of Voyaging
    • Moananuiakea
    • Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage
      • 2017 Mahalo, Hawaiʻi Sail
      • Hikianalia’s Voyage To California
    • Past Voyages
      • Posts from Past Voyages
        • Featured Posts
        • Updates & Nav Reports
        • Crew Blogs
        • Photo Galleries
    • Hōkūleʻa – A Visual Timeline
    • About Polynesian Voyaging Society
    • Story of Hokule’a
    • Our Leadership
    • Our Crewmembers
    • Our Voyaging Canoes
      • Hōkūleʻa
      • Hikianalia
    • Youth Leadership – Nā Kelamoku
      • Promise to Pae’Aina
  • Learning Center
    • Malama Honua Challenge
    • Join the Education Voyage
    • Canoe to Classroom
    • Polynesian Navigation
    • Curriculum and Resources
    • Hawaiian Language Resources
  • Connect
    • Signup for our Newsletter
    • Press Room & Outreach Tools
  • Support
    • 2022 Membership
  • Shop Now

Remembering Chad Kālepa Baybayan

  • Posted on 16 Apr 2021
  • In Newsletter
Photo Courtesy of Nāʻālehu Anthony, ʻŌiwi TV

Hawai’i’s voyaging community is mourning the loss of an important leader, teacher, captain and pwo navigator.  Chad Kālepa Baybayan dedicated his life to community, education, Hawaiian culture, exploration and voyaging.  He believed that Hōkūleʻa was a vehicle to carry the values of kindness, compassion and generosity.  When asked about sailing on Hōkūleʻa, he said “it’s about stewardship in the way that you aloha the canoe, and aloha each other on board the canoe, it’s about life-long friendship, it’s about building good and healthy relationships, it’s about committing to the idea of aloha to your community and service.” He saw Hōkūleʻa as a symbol for successful aspirations and a promise for all that is possible. “It is a reminder of all that we have accomplished in the face of enormous adversity,” he said

Photo Courtesy of Polynesian Voyaging Society

Kālepa first sailed on Hōkūleʻa in 1975 and participated on all major Hōkūleʻa voyages since 1980, including 18 legs of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage. He also served as captain on the voyaging canoes Hawai‘iloa and Hōkūalaka‘i.

Photo Courtesy of Dan Lin

A constant learner passionate about teaching, Kālepa shared his knowledge and inspired thousands of  students through his work as the Site Director of Honuakai, the Exploration Sciences Division of the ‘Aha Pūnana Leo, which teaches Hawaiian Language to participants that crew aboard Hōkūalaka‘i. He also served as the Navigator in Residence at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai‘i developing wayfinding activities, curriculum materials, and conducting outreach. In 2007, on the Micronesian island of Satawal, his teacher, master navigator Mau Piailug, initiated Kālepa and four other Hōkūleʻa navigators into the order of Pwo, the two-thousand-year-old Micronesian society of deep-sea navigators. Mau had said a navigator never becomes a master until he/she passes away, and after having trained and taught someone else to carry navigation. That places Kālepa among the great masters. He will be extremely missed on the deck of our canoes, but we know his legacy will live on through his children, grandchildren and students, and he will continue to sail with, guide and teach us.

Photo Courtesy of Nāʻālehu Anthony, ʻŌiwi TV

Mahalo nui loa Kālepa.

Photo Courtesy of Dan Lin
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Newsletter Signup

Search By

Polynesian Voyaging Society
10 Sand Island Parkway
Honolulu, HI 96819
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • Media
  • Newsletter
  • Support
  • Privacy Policy
  • Staff & Crew Login