500 Sails’ first 14-foot Chamorro galaide is now on display at the I ♥ Saipan store in Garapan, as the cultural maritime nonprofit prepares to paddle and sail it in the Saipan Lagoon.
In an interview on Wednesday, 500 Sails co-founder Peter Perez said the galaide was built entirely on Saipan and is based on historical records. Like all canoes in the 500 Sails fleet, its main components are made of fiberglass.
The canoe is based on photographs from southern Guam dating back to around 1918 or 1920, with another taken at the end of World War II — all showing the same design, Perez said. He added that, while he stayed true to the overall look depicted in the photos, he introduced a modification: the gahet — spars that connect the main hull to the outrigger — pass through the hull rather than being lashed on top of the gunwale, as seen in traditional galaides according to historical records.
“I’m going right to what I’m thinking of as the next generation of galaides made of composite materials that are termite-proof and waterproof and that can last 100 years and more,” he said.
Perez said the canoe will support around three to five individuals. It can be disassembled and reassembled to allow for ease when the canoe needs to be transported on land.
Perez said the canoe can be powered either through paddling or sailing, and there is space for a battery or fuel for an outboard engine. The outboard engine can be attached to one of the gahets, he said.
“You’ve got a perfectly good, well-adapted, proven design,” he said, referring to the galaide’s use as a paddling canoe. “But if you put the sail on, you can reach more distant fishing grounds without having to paddle all the way there and paddle all the way back. And you can also go off the reef with a galaide.”
The sail that will be attached to the galaide differs from those used on 500 Sails’ canoes designed solely for sailing, such as the 26-foot-long Neni or the 15-foot-long Animuyi.
Perez said the new galaide features a crab-claw sail design, which opens and closes like the pincher of a crab. The sail is attached directly to the mast, as opposed to being triangular in shape and separate from the mast. He said this sail design makes the galaide “super easy to sail.”
Painted on the galaide are nautical designs, such as waves, marine birds, and fish. It was decorated by Mario “Sakman” Borja, who designed and built 500 Sails’ Che’lu, the 40-foot-long pelagic sailing canoe.
Perez said the galaide is a fishing canoe. “We’re trying to make the ideal fishing canoe for a family, for fishermen. We’ll give it to the fishermen to test. It’s a prototype. Based on what they say, we’ll make another one, or modify this one or both. We want to perfect this and make a mold and then we can make these inexpensively so that people can have a canoe for fishing.”
Perez said he has concerns about the island’s food security. He said a natural disaster or a war could halt food shipments to the CNMI, which imports virtually all of its food.
“In a situation where the food is cut off, a galaide doesn’t need fuel,” Perez said. “This is a strategy to let people have an inexpensive canoe that is culturally appreciated because it is our canoe and also is ideal for our waters and doesn’t need any fuel.”
Perez said the collaboration with I ♥ Saipan came as 500 Sails began gaining traction in the tourism industry. The nonprofit is also partnering with Crowne Plaza Resort to offer canoe rides to tourists — an initiative that promotes culturally relevant experiences while providing training and income opportunities for 500 Sails mariners.
Perez said the galaide is on display at I ♥ Saipan to attract the attention of passersby who may be interested in purchasing future tourist sailing packages, which the store plans to offer separately.
“[The tourism industry] has come to recognize that tourists have been telling them over and over again that they want to meet local people and want cultural experiences,” Perez said. “A canoe puts you right in touch with local people doing cultural things and the tourists are experiencing culture in an extremely photogenic way.”
Perez said the accessibility of the galaide supports 500 Sails’ mission to revitalize the maritime traditions of the CNMI.
“We’ve decided we’re trying to build a maritime community,” Perez said. “This is going to help us get people on the water and it puts more canoes on the water. It’s going to make more mariners, and the mariners will use the other canoes and take those. The galaide can be like the gateway.”
500 Sails’ first 14-foot Chamorro galaide is on display at the I ♥ Saipan store in Garapan.
Painted on the galaide are nautical designs such as waves, marine birds, and fish. It was decorated by Mario “Sakman” Borja, who designed and built 500 Sails’ Che’lu, the 40-foot long pelagic sailing canoe.
500 Sails’ staff members pose with the newly created galaide.
