Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNLHONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hokulea will have a new escort boat when it continues its journey around the world early next year.Polynesian Voyaging Society officials have announced a major shift in the sail plan for Hokulea's sister escort canoe Hikianalia -- rather than continue along the Worldwide Voyage, the wa'a will instead return to Hawaii.Pwo Navigator and Hokulea captain Nainoa Thompson first spoke to Hawaii News Now about this possibility in November. He said it was not a decision that was made lightly, but one he spent months weighing when faced with the potential dangers of sailing outside of the Pacific for the first time in the rough unchartered waters of the Indian Ocean.Thompson said that while Hikianalia has done an exceptional job in the first several legs and nearly 7,000 nautical miles of the Worldwide Voyage, which has taken her and Hokulea from Hawaii to Tahiti and throughout French Polynesia and Samoa down to Aotearoa -- there were concerns about the canoe's ability to serve as a powerful enough escort vessel. As a result, Polynesian Voyaging Society officials say Hokulea will be joined instead by another escort boat with increased towing capabilities that can ensure the safety of the crew and the wa'a in case of an emergency.\Hikianalia has been an incredibly successful education and communication platform for the Worldwide Voyage thus far