The New Canoes
From Workshop to Water - Building and Sailing Traditional Pacific Canoes
The Marshall Islands is getting some newly-designed canoes to help the outer islanders end their reliance on gasoline for their outboard motors … and Jo and Rob Birch has the story!On their YouTube channel Sailing Double Trouble Jo and Rob wrote On September 17, 2020: “When an awesome traditionally designed Pacific canoe anchored next to Read More
Ailuk’s Canoes
CANOE CAPSIZES! Rob and Jo Birch spent many months filming in the Marshalls as they sailed around the atolls on their yacht Double Trouble.In this video, the couple writes: “A traditional Pacific canoe capsizes next to us when we are on anchor at Ailuk Lagoon. The five visiting yachts all head over in their dinghy Read More
Riwut Racing
Riwut canoes are miniature canoes that zip along at high speeds. Riwut racing seems to have phases of popularity, but in recent years, if you go to the Marshall Islands Club (on the back road in Uliga) in the early evening, you will often see dozens of the miniature canoes being raced along the oceanside reef. The Read More
Arno Stars in New RMI Video
La Mancha Media — a California nonprofit corporation — was in the Marshall Islands in March 2018 to continue its goal of filming worthwhile projects around the world. The team published its RMI ‘episode’ on May 24, 2018. In Majuro a focus of the footage is the nuclear age as it affects the Marshalls, but the Read More
The Lost Art of Finding Our Way
A Harvard science professor wants to further document traditional Marshallese navigation methods to help boost the islands’ indigenous culture. Marshall Islands wave piloting is one of the navigation techniques featured in Professor John Huth’s book ‘The Lost Art of Finding Our Way’. Professor Huth told Radio New Zealand in March, 2017, that his research found its use of Read More
Canoe trip ‘out of this world’
Jacque Spence, Executive Vice President of the Canvasback Medical Missions, and her team recently went sailing on a couple of traditional Marshallese canoes. Her verdict? “Sailing on a Marshallese canoe is out of this world! Marshallese were master canoe builders, indigenous navigators and amazing sailors. It is so great that they are making efforts to Read More
WAM Open Day
WAM Director Alson Kelen explained to the audience why the program always includes women: We went to the Council of Chiefs and they did not need to stop and think about it, because they understood that everyone in the community has a task to do when making and sailing a canoe. It doesn’t matter if Read More
Canoes of the Marshalls
Waan Aelõñ in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Islands) is based in Delap, just west of the Marshall Islands Resort. The grassroots non-profit, non-government organization known as WAM trains Marshall Islands youth based on the traditions of the Marshallese canoe. Sail on a canoe: Have the ride of your life on a traditional Marshallese canoe. Read More
Traditional Navigation Chant
The late Lijon Eknilang, a master navigator from Rongelap Atoll, performs a traditional Marshallese navigation chant. To learn more about Marshallese canoes and traditional navigation, visit the Waan Aelon in Majel site.
Setting Sail on Ailuk 1
Dave and Linda Allen of the yacht Irish Melody captured this series of launching a canoe on the beach at Ailuk Atoll.
