Continued strong winds and small-craft warnings seemed likely to delay the departure from Kawaihae Harbor of the voyaging canoes Hokule'a and Alingano Maisu until at least tomorrow morning.

Crews are holding off on loading fresh produce until a decision is made on a departure time to ensure they have the freshest food possible on board as close as possible to leaving.

There is no refrigeration on the canoes, and by the end of an anticipated 20-day first leg to the atoll of Majuro, many of the fresh products like eggs, fruits and tubers will be near or beyond their normal shelf lives — particularly since many will be stored in the open, baked by the sun and soaked by passing squalls.

The canoes, with the motorsailer Kama Hele as escort, will sail to Micronesia to deliver Alingano Maisu as a gift to Satawal island navigator Mau Piailug as thanks for his role in revitalizing Hawaiian canoe voyaging.

Maisu will remain in Micronesia and Hokule'a and Kama Hele will sail on to Japan for a goodwill mission to several Japanese islands.

Kama Hele was under way from O'ahu to Kawaihae yesterday to join the canoes.

The voyage leadership has been meeting daily to assess the weather and determine when it would be appropriate to depart.

"Wind speeds have increased around the Hawai'i Island area and is expected to drop some" by tomorrow, said mission spokeswoman Kathy Thompson, via e-mail.

Small-craft warnings are posted for the 'Alenuihaha Channel, between O'ahu and Maui, at least through this morning. The National Weather Service was forecasting winds of nearly 30 mph in the channel overnight and into the day today, but tapering off to between 20 mph and 25 mph tomorrow.

At the same time, waves were expected to decrease in size tonight and tomorrow.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.