The voyaging canoes Hokule'a and Alingano Maisu, having completed their Ku Holo Mau voyage through Micronesia, yesterday left Palau to return to Yap.

Once there, Alingano Maisu will remain on the island and Hokule'a will await good weather for its sail to Okinawa, Japan.

The captains and navigators of the voyage thus far largely have been the grizzled veterans of Hawaiian canoe voyaging.

Five of them were honored on Satawal Island with the Micronesian designation of pwo, which means they are qualified noninstrument navigators in the Weriyeng school of navigation. That's the school of their teacher, Satawal master navigator Mau Piailug. The five are Chad Baybayan, Shorty Bertelmann, Bruce Blankenfeld, Chadd Paishon and Nainoa Thompson.

But yesterday, a new generation took control of the canoes. Na'alehu Anthony, 31, captained Hokule'a as it pulled out of Koror harbor on Palau, with 28-year-old Ka'iulani Murphy as his navigator. On Maisu, Piailug's son, Sesario Sewralur, was both captain and navigator.

"Polynesian Voyaging Society has confidence in this younger generation of leadership and continues to provide opportunities for them to grow and to ultimately become the caretakers and teachers of this Hawaiian tradition," said society spokeswoman Kathy Thompson in an e-mail.

The voyagers had expected the canoes to be towed much of the distance from Palau to Yap because of contrary winds, but Anthony said there were indications of a wind change to southerly, which would provide the canoes with a comfortable point of sail for the anticipated two- to three-day voyage.

At Yap, Maisu will end its current voyage. The canoe will have its home port there, having been given by the Hawaiian voyaging community to the people of Micronesia in thanks for Piailug's decision to teach noninstrument navigation to Hawaiians. Alingano Maisu was built for Piailug by the Big Island canoe hui Na Kalai Wa'a Moku O Hawai'i with the help of the canoeing community from across the state and Pacific.

Hokule'a will disembark several crew members at Yap and take on several others. There, the canoe will await good weather for a 12- to 14-day expected passage from Yap to Okinawa. The Polynesian Voyaging Society expects to have 11 crew members aboard for the beginning of its Japan voyage, which has been named Ku Holo Komohana. The name has been translated "sail on to the western sun."

After Okinawa, the canoe is to visit Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Oshima, Hiroshima, Uwajima and Yokohama. Thompson will serve as captain for the first leg and several late legs, with Baybayan skippering the canoe for several of the sails.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.