(Information from the West Marine Catalog 1996)

Foul Weather Gear:

Designed to keep you dry and warm, providing protection from driving rain and seaspray, and waves breaking onto the deck during storms at sea; prevents extreme loss of body heat and hypothermia (low body temperature).

Pumps:

Designed to remove water from the holds. The Gusher Pumps on board can pump 36-48 gallons per minute. A pump may become clogged with debris, such as pieces of line, left in the holds. When the pump is clogged, you need to take it apart and remove the debris. When the seal of the pump becomes worn or corroded by saltwater and the pump is no longer air tight, the suction action is weakened or lost. To repair the pump, the seal must be replaced.

VHF (Very High Frequency) Radio:

Designed for low-energy requirement and short-range communication. VHF Radios are used to communicate between the canoe and escort boat. The two vessels monitor the same channel for calling to each other; the communication may take place on a different channel once contact is established. Channel 16 is the international distress frequency and is monitored by the Coast Guard. One channel is dedicated to weather information and reports. Høküleça carries both a mounted VHF Radio in the radio box (up to 25 watts, range 5-25 miles) and hand-held VHF Radios (up to 6 watts, range: 3-5 miles). The range is determined mainly by the height of the antenna (the radio operates between “line of sight” stations) and wattage—the higher the antennae and greater the wattage, the greater the range of the radio. The hand-helds run on rechargeable batteries.

Cellular Phone:

Used to communicate with telephones on shore. Communication depends on the shore-based antenna system set up by the cellular phone company; when the canoe moves out of range of the antenna system, communication is no longer possible.

Single Sideband Radio:

Mounted in the radio box during long voyages. For long distance communication (e.g. between Tahiti and Hawaiçi). Special training is needed to operate this radio.

Radar Reflector:

Designed to be “seen” by the radar of the escort boat or a search vessel that may be looking for the canoe. Works best when mounted high (on the mast) and unobstructed. In general, a vessel “will not be visible from more than 4-5 miles, and will be lost in the sea clutter when closer than 2-3 miles.” Thus, the radar on a searching vessel has a very small window of time or distance during which it can dectect the reflector.

GPS (Global Positioning System) Receiver:

Provides accurate worldwide position fixes (latitude and longitude), 24 hours a day. A GPS unit receives signals from high-altitude satellites operated by the U.S. Air Force and can give you your location to an accuracy within 100 meters 95% of the time. Not used for navigation on the canoe; used in emergencies when you need to give your location to the escort boat or a search vessel.

EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon):

a transmitter that sends out an emergency signal to rescue services. EPIRB use is limited to Mayday-type situations when your vessel is in danger of sinking, or you have a medical emergency and all other measures of rescue have been exhausted. EPIRBs transmit on internationally recognized distress frequnecies listened to by aircraft, satellites, land stations, and rescue vessels. The signal from the newest class of EPIRBs called “406“ (they transmit on the 406 MHz frequency) has an embedded code with your vessel’s ID#; the signal allows a satellite to calculate your position to about a two-mile radius. A Category I EPIRB floats free and turns on automatically when it enters the water; a Category II EPIRB is manually deployed and turned on.