Francis Puara COWAN

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Anatol
Posts: 1037
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:13 pm

Francis Puara COWAN

Post by Anatol » Fri Dec 22, 2017 6:41 pm

Francis Puara COWAN (1926 - 2009) is one of the figures of the ancestral Polynesian navigation of the 20th century. In 1947, he had the privilege to be close to the crew of the Kon Tiki in Tahiti and became friend with Hermann Watzinger, Thor Heyerdhal’s second. He was only 20 and he wanted to achieve a similar sea expedition in order to rediscover the migratory paths of his ancestors. In 1956, Eric de Bisschop gave him the opportunity to build the Tahiti Nui vessel, embarked in the adventure as commander in second to accomplish a journey of 7 months to the east that will end off the coast of Chile. Over the next 30 years, this self-taught
navigator experienced traditional Polynesian rigs, built several canoes sailing on the basis of ancient techniques. And in In 1981, he undertook the building of the Havaiki Nui canoe for 4 years with his son-in-law Matahi Brightwell. His now famous large dugout canoe made entirely by hand, with which he rallied Tahiti to New Zealand in 71 days. Unfortunately, he had been unable to complete the construction of his last double canoe, Hawaiki Nui II. The goal was to go back and forth between Tahiti and Chile, and then to go back to west to New Zealand. A journey of 7,500 miles.
FrenchPolynesia 2017;100f;SG?
Source:http://www.tahitiphilatelie.pf/details_ ... glangue=us
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img1552.jpg

Anatol
Posts: 1037
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:13 pm

Re: Francis Puara COWAN

Post by Anatol » Fri Dec 22, 2017 7:54 pm

1985 «HAWAIKI-NUI» (double hull).THE VOYAGE - Tahiti – Aotearoa. The building of Hawaiki-Nui was a joint project between Tahitian and Maori canoe builders, led by navigator Francis Cowan and carver Matahi Avauli Brightwell. Matahi had a dream that his grandmother wanted him to rediscover the path to Hawaiki, the mythical homeland of all Maori. He went to Tahiti with his dream and two hulls that he had carved. There, Francis helped him to complete the canoe and sail it from Tahiti to Rarotonga and then on to Aotearoa (New Zealand). Unlike some other canoes, Hawaiki-Nui sailed without the support of any escort boats (modern boats that follow a canoe) or an inboard motor. The canoe was shipped back to Tahiti and displayed in the museum there.
Source:http://www.canoeisthepeople.org/pdf/sto ... evival.pdf

aukepalmhof
Posts: 7771
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: Francis Puara COWAN

Post by aukepalmhof » Sat Dec 23, 2017 6:55 pm

The stamp shows the TAHITI NUI (1) the 1956 built raft.
http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewt ... +nui#p5874

More on this raft is given on: http://www.personal.psu.edu/pjc12/Kon-T ... dition.htm
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tahiti nui raft.jpg

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