The sailing canoes Alingano Maisu and Hokule'a arrived in the Micronesian island of Chuuk yesterday, marking the latest stop in their epic voyage across the western Pacific.

Alingano Maisu navigator Chadd Paishon led the vessels into Moen, the capitol of the Federated States of Micronesia, at about 11:30 a.m., where crew members received a welcome from about 500 people gathered on shore near the College of Micronesia, crew members reported yesterday on the Polynesian Voyaging Society's Web site.

Crew members then restocked water and settled in for the night. Today, some crew members planned to go to church in the morning, then begin preparing for the next leg of the voyage, while others expected to give public tours of the vessels.

The canoes are nearly a month into a voyage that will take them to the island of Satawal, where master navigator Mau Piailug lives. Piailug taught noninstrument navigation to Hawaiian voyagers, and the purpose of this portion of the voyage is to present the canoe Alingano Maisu to Piailug as a gift. A son and a grandson of Piailug are sailing aboard Alingano Maisu. From Satawal, Hokule'a will sail for Japan.