Mikaela sails for the first time in the Saipan Lagoon on March 9.
Lolo Benito, left, prepares Mikaela for sailing alongside his father, Master Navigator Mario Benito, right.
500 Sails and Master Navigator Mario Benito launched their latest vessel, Mikaela, on Saturday, March 9.
A Carolinian-style canoe with a main hull and outrigger hull made from fiberglass, Mikaela was constructed at the 500 Sails Boatyard in Lower Base.
The canoe’s other components, like the mast, yard, boom, part of the leeward platform and spars, are wood.
According to Lolo Benito, son of the master navigator, the canoe was blessed as it made its way to the water for the first time ever.
500 Sails spent over a year constructing Mikaela, which will participate in the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture or FestPac in Honolulu, Hawaii this June. Mikaela will be featured in the Wa’a Arrival Ceremony, which will gather sailing vessels from Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia.
Lolo Benito said in a way, the canoe is like his “sibling.”
“We take really good care of our canoe — we make sure it’s in good condition. It’s sacred so we treat it as such. Knowing my dad is the one that put his hands on the canoe, and fixed it — same as me, I fixed it, we built it from scratch. It’s part of our family,” he said.
Beouch Ngirchongor, a traditional sailor and 500 Sails employee, said seeing Mikaela on the water is like “seeing my newborn brother or sister.”
“I’m excited that we can sail with this type of traditional canoe,” Ngirchongor said, adding that he’s also excited that Mikaela is ready for FestPac. “It’s sacred to us. I know that we worked on it for so long and to look at it now, we really did a lot.”
After being blessed on Saturday, the canoe sailed through the Saipan Lagoon and was accompanied by Anaguan, a Chamorro-style canoe that is also part of the 500 Sails fleet.
Lolo Benito said his father needed to take the boat out into the water to see what adjustments, if any, needed to be made.
“I’m honestly proud that we managed to fix that canoe in time for FestPac,” he said adding that it was a “humbling” experience to be able to learn from his father.
Mikaela is a Carolinian style outrigger sailing canoe, with a main hull and outrigger hull made of fiberglass.
