Like brave ocean tides tighten the knots of a voyager’s sail, the Iosepa sailing experience weaves friendships that anchor the spirit
In the rhythm of paddles and chant, three BYUH students discovered not just new places, but a deeper sense of belonging, freedom and purpose. Wade Utai, McIntyre Horito, and MoanilehuakaualeimaʻOhulani Shimose found themselves shaped not only by the wind and waves, but by shared sacrifice, soulful songs and the quiet devotion of becoming family on and off the canoe.
Lifted by the canoe
Utai, a junior in anthropology and cultural sustainability and intercultural peacebuilding from Utah, shared the community he found on Iosepa lifted him from a low point, both on and off the canoe, by offering him a sense of freedom and belonging. As someone who’s “very big on freedom”, he said he deeply yearned for those feelings amid different complexities of life and school, especially during the fast-paced Spring semester. With Iosepa, “I could feel free from the stressors—or even with the stressors, I’m still free,” he explained. Just as crucial to him was the sense of belonging: “It provides me a certain amount of perspective, a certain amount of purpose,” he shared.
The tide of friendship, Utai shared, extended beyond the crew to the communities they visited along the way. At each landing, the crew would chant Hiki Mai and sing Hawai‘i Aloha, creating what Utai called a meaningful cultural exchange. “It’s like entering someone’s home. Through chant, I share who I am, and they respond by sharing who they are,” he explained. This voyaging routine, he said, helped him to build connections wherever he went.
For Horito, a Hawaiian studies senior from Utah and Hau‘ula, that emotional grounding came through family. Sailing this year with his sister, Michaela Horito, and their father, he said this journey drew them closer. “We were able to strengthen our relationship and trust. I feel more open with being who I am and being able to rely on them when I need help,” he explained.
With Iosepa, “I could feel free from the stressors—or even with the stressors, I’m still free.
The voyager’s true north
Utai said the sail affirmed the kind of friend he is with and without the canoe: one who sees fellow voyagers not just as friends, but as family. “[As a family], you dedicate almost everything to the canoe and in turn, you also dedicate your time and effort to each other,” he explained. Utai connected that idea of sacrifice and commitment to covenant-making in the temple: “Just as Heavenly Father shapes us when we dedicate our time, efforts, and talents to build His kingdom, voyaging shapes who you become as you learn and grow through it.”
The experience also shifted how Utai values relationships. “Because of voyaging, I don’t want just surface-level friendships,” he said. Now, he looks for more than casual greetings and small talk—he values connections where seeing someone brings genuine excitement and conversations pick up right where they left off, Utai explained.
When asked whether he’s the same person on and off the canoe, Horito said one trait stands out across both: responsibility. “People trust you to carry things out for the safety of the wa’a (canoe). It’s the same in life; people depend on you,” he continued. While Horito and Shimose, a freshman of anthropology and Hawaiian Studies from Hilo, Hawaii, described themselves as largely the same on and off the canoe, they noted they became more focused and safety-minded while voyaging, with less time for play.
Tied by Iosepa
Shimose and Utai shared theirs and other members’ paths would never have crossed if it weren’t for Iosepa. “I wouldn’t have had a reason to know them on a more personal level,” she shared. Utai said anyone who’s interested in voyaging would be “almost immediately accepted” when joining the crew. That shared interest to always show up for Iosepa, Utai said, has evolved into lasting friendship. Shimose described her fellow voyagers as an extension of her own family that is full of aloha (love), malama (care) and kuleana (responsibility).
For Horito, Iosepa has strengthened his relationship with one of his kumu or teachers: Alohalani Housman, the Dean and Associate Professor of the Faculty of Culture, Language & Performing Arts, Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian & Pacific Studies. “I feel like our relationship has changed from teacher and student to something greater; I see her as a family now,” he said. Horito expressed his gratitude for the chance to work alongside community members who become lifelong friends he hopes to sail with for the rest of his life.
The echoes they’ll carry
If Iosepa were ever to stop sailing, Utai said he would fight to preserve the relationships and memories built aboard the canoe. One of them was when their speakers failed and the crew filled the silence with singing together. “I’m a person who holds memories close to my heart. Years from now, I’ll still talk about that moment with the same person because we bonded so deeply,” he said.
Horito said he will always fondly remember dancing and teaching hula as part of the crew. “It’s amazing to visit different places and represent the crew through hula. Sometimes we mess up, but it’s okay. We just laugh and enjoy it,” he shared.
For Shimose, her best interaction during the sail was having conversation in Hawaiian with fellow crew members since most of them speak the language. She said she hopes to still be involved with voyaging in years to come.
"Hawai’i Aloha"
Written by the Reverend Lorenzo Lyons
Composed by James McGranahan
E Hawaiʻi e kuʻu one hānau e
Kuʻu home kulaīwi nei
ʻOli nō au i nā pono lani ou
E Hawaiʻi, aloha ē
Hui:
E hauʻoli e nā ʻōpio o Hawaiʻi nei
ʻOli ē! ʻOli ē!
Mai nā aheahe makani e pā mai nei
Mau ke aloha, no Hawaiʻi
E haʻi mai kou mau kini lani e
Kou mau kupa aloha, e Hawaiʻi
Nā mea ʻōlino kamahaʻo no luna mai
E Hawaiʻi aloha ē
(hui)
Nā ke Akua e mālama mai iā ʻoe
Kou mau kualono aloha nei
Kou mau kahawai ʻōlinolino mau
Kou mau māla pua nani ē
(hui)
O Hawaiʻi, O sands of my birth
My native home
I rejoice in the blessings of heaven
O Hawaiʻi, aloha.
Chorus:
Happy youth of Hawaiʻi
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Gentle breezes blow
Love always for Hawaiʻi.
May your divine throngs speak
Your loving people, O Hawaiʻi
The holy light from above
O Hawaiʻi, aloha.
(chorus)
God protects you
Your beloved ridges
Your ever glistening streams
Your beautiful flower gardens.
(chorus)