As Martha Sawyer Allen, retired American journalist
and reporter for the Minneapolis Minnesota Star Tribune
newspaper, told us in a recent letter, traditional
canoe rides are a genuine experience and a real “treat” when
one visits Yap.
The crystalline clear water lapped two inches below me
as we sped along with the wind in the bright day. The
four men working the handmade canoe of mahogany, and
bamboo kept the nylon sail flowing against the gentle
breeze in the Wacholab lagoon off the northe
rn
island of Maap in the archipelago of Yap.
The sun warmed my shoulders, the water spray cooled my
feet, the sea reflected blue and aqua and green and white
and navy. On the horizon the fierce breakers slapped
over the coral reef and at my back the incredible green
of coconut palm, mango trees and pristine sand shore
line outlined the lagoon.
I
was on an outrigger canoe, handmade by men in the village
of Wacholab. The rudder was a hand carved piece of wood
fashioned with a little chip in one side to set it on
the side of the boat. The canoe was a dug out with sides
lashed to it with fibers. The ship was about 30 feet
long and three feet wide and it flew over the calm lagoon
waters as seemingly easily as one of the tropic birds
that flew past us and barely looked down.
My traveling companion, Joanna Pegum and I were witness
to a wonderment of invention. Just think: This is the
way the ancient mariners made their way from island to
island in this edge of the vast Pacific Ocean. 
As
we sped along I could just sense the way the sailors
of the past headed out from the safety of their own lagoons
and took on the huge breakers, setting out to sea and
grand adventures.
One villager showed us a similar canoe that he and his
mates took from Yap to the Island of Palau a few hundred
miles away _ just last year. As the village chief and
our pilot on that lovely day, Bruno Tharngan, said these
ships are still being used. They are a part of Yap’s
past and its present and its future.
Taking a traditional canoe ride when one visits Yap is
a must, I think. It will give you a sense of what life
has always been like for the fabulous people and also
get you gliding gently directly over the surface of the
ocean that covers one third of the globe.
For a girl who grew up in the middle of Great American
prairie and plains and swam only in swimming pools this
was truly an adventure of a lifetime.
Related articles:
Traditional Navigation Institute
Prepares for Voyage to Guam
Traditional Canoes To Palau
and Back Again
Two Traditional Canoes Left
Yap for Palau
Yap Traditional Navigation Society
receives donation from State Legislature
Yap Traditional Navigation Society
