Repairs to a damaged steering sweep are expected to last at least into today, after which the voyaging canoes Hokule'a and Alingano Maisu are scheduled to resume their voyage to Micronesia.

The canoes are anchored at Kealakekua Bay, where they pulled in after detecting cracks in the sweep on one of the canoes.

A steering sweep is a large, paddle-shaped laminated beam used to steer the canoe. Its wide end sits in the water like a rudder, its mid-section is lashed to the back of the canoe deck, and the crew manhandles the forward end to steer the vessel. The crew pushes the sweep right to turn the canoe left, and vice versa.

Nainoa Thompson, president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, said the canoes' leadership elected not to reveal which canoe's sweep failed.

"We would have had to deal with this one way or another if it had happened farther out at sea. But we were near land, and it made sense from a safety standpoint to come to land to make repairs," he said.

The damaged sweep would have made life a little more difficult for the canoe crews but would not have halted the voyage.

"We have options. We can trim sails, transfer weight, move people around, and we can steer without sweeps on some points of sail, but on downwind courses, the sweeps are really important," he said.

For that reason, in part, the canoes carry spare sweeps. They would have had the option of changing the damaged unit for another even it had not been possible to make repairs.

But Thompson said the repairs should make the sweep fully functional again.

"We worked on it (Saturday) night and (yesterday), and I understand (the repair) takes about 12 hours to fully cure, so we may be here a couple of days," Thompson said.

From a mission unity standpoint, he said he believes the problem this early in the voyage has helped bring the canoes' crews together as a unit as they work together to solve a problem.

"The issue of the cracked sweep in some ways is kind of a gift to the leadership. It is pointing out the importance of being unified as critical to the success of the voyage.

"In many ways, it's just part of the voyage, but it's pulling us together as a unit. We're two canoes but one voyage, two crews but one family. This is building strength and unity between the crews," he said.

The canoes, which delayed their departure for more than a week because of weather problems, are headed for Micronesia, where they will deliver the Alingano Maisu as a gift to master navigator Mau Piailug, who taught noninstrument navigation to Hawaiians.

Afterward, Hokule'a will continue on to Japan on a goodwill visit.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.