Kawika Kapahulehua
Elia Kawika David Kuualoha Kapahulehua was a Hawaiian sailor who was the first to captain an ocean-voyaging canoe from Hawaii to Tahiti in modern times.
Background
Kapahulehua was born on Niihau, in 1930 and picked up the name "Kawika" as a young adult crewing catamarans on Waikiki Beach.Major accomplishments
The famed 1976 voyage of the Hōkūleʻa was beset with problems, but ultimately successful. The goal was to see if a, two-masted canoe that approximated ancient canoes could be sailed without navigational equipment on the journey. While navigator Mau Piailug guided the ship, Kapahulehua had to deal with 6 of 17 crew members who quit their duties at sea.A 1978 attempt in which he did not participate capsized after six hours and led to the death of surfer Eddie Aikau.