COWAN, Francis Puara

[john sefton]

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 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.