Kāne designed and named the "Hōkūle‘a", which was launched on March 8, 1975. Technically, the craft is a performance-accurate full-scale replica of a "waʻa kaulua," a Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe. The name "Hōkūle‘a" came to Kāne in a dream, he has said. It is the Hawaiian term for the star Arcturus, which is of critical importance to celestial navigation in the Pacific, and the zenith star of the Hawaiian Islands. He served as the skipper for two years as the canoe sailed trial cruises among the Hawaiian Islands to attract crew and support for its maiden international voyage.