HONOLULU, Hawaii (Reuters) - A Hawaiian seagoing canoe modelled after those used by ancient Polynesians to settle the Pacific 2,000 years ago was on its way on Wednesday to Easter Island, the most remote inhabited island on Earth. The canoe, which has already sailed 100,000 miles (160,000 km) to prove that ancient Polynesians navigated by stars, is expected to cover an estimated 15,000 miles (24,000 km) as it sails to and from Easter Island over the next 10 months. Just finding the island will be a test for the 12-person crew, led by master navigator Nainoa Thompson, 45. The Polynesian Voyaging Society, which has used the canoe to rekindle Hawaiian culture during the last 25 years, says the trip is its most ambitious to date. The canoe‘s first destination is Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands, which the Hokule‘a should reach by early August. From there, it will set sail sometime later that month for Mangareva, the launch point for the final, difficult trip to Easter Island. The crew will navigate using only the stars. The canoe has no navigational aids and no radio, although it will be tracked by a motor-equipped sailboat. The crew will have to sail within 46 miles (74 km) of Easter Island in clear weather during daylight to find it. Unlike other islands, Easter Island does not have a land-based population of seabirds that navigators can sometimes use to direct them to islands from as far as 150 miles (241 km) out to sea. Hokule‘a should reach the island sometime in December or January.