Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 11, 1 November 2008 — Epic adventure [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Epic adventure

Hawaiian waterman sails onto the silver

screen By Lisa Asato Public lnformation Specialist When you grow up paddling, kayaking and sailing and having master navigator Nainoa Thompson as a family friend and mentor, it's safe to say that the oeean will be your life, or at least a big part of it.

Such is the case for Mark Towill of 0'ahu's Windward side - whose epie adventure as a crew member aboard the Morning Light in the Transpac race from Los Angeles to Honolulu was made into a documentary fihn that recently debuted in select theaters nationwide. The Honolulu premiere of Morning Light on Oct. 16 raised more than $12,000 for the Polynesian Voyaging Society and Hawai'i Sailing Foundation. Towill, who attended the Honolulu and Hollywood premieres, described the 2,500mile race as "the most intense 10 days of my life and the most fun for sure - an incredible experience that if I could, I would rewind and do it all over again and not change a thing." "It's a really eool feeling when you're halfway through the race a thousand miles from land in any dhection ... everything just has a purpose and your space is very limited so you bring only what you need," he added. "You paek your whole life into a small duffle bag. It forces you to choose what's hnportant. Obviously the people you're with heeome very hnportant. ... If you get into an argument with someone

Now 20 and a sophomore at Brown University, Towill was an 18-year-old Punahou senior during fihning - the youngest of the 15 crew members whose ases

ranged up to 23 years old. An experienced leader as captain of his high school kayaking and sailing teams, Towill said he was content to take a supporting role aboard the 52-foot sloop Morning Light. "I | just tried to be a team player and do what was best for the team," he said. "Obviously I was the youngest so I wasn't going to be in a leadership role, | but somethnes leading is

knowing when to follow." The Morning Light crew, whieh was assembled by Transpac veteran Roy Disney of Disney fame, was aided by two computers on board, downloadable satellite information and a Global Positioning System that was accurate "up to the fifth dechnal point," Towill said. Through Thompson's teaching and some sailing experience aboard the Hōkūle'a, Towill said he ean identify stars, but is "nowhere near" being able to navigate by them. "That's a big goal of mine," said Towill, who hopes to embark on his first deep-sea voyage with Hōkūle'a on its proposed trip around the world. Before the 2007 race, Towill introduced his teannnates to Thompson in hopes of exposing them to the cultural aspects of sailing, and all were taken for a sail aboard the Hōkūle'a. "(Transpac) was a lot more special for me because I was sailing home," Towill said of crossing the finish line at Diamond Head. "I wanted (my teannnates) to feel connected to this plaee as well so in a certain sense they would all feel like they were eome home, at least a little bit." E3

you can't just walk away from it. You're forced to deal with it."