500 Sails on Friday launched Den Yo Povi, its newest 15-foot Chamorro canoe. It was the first time the vessel had touched water since it was first fabricated in the 500 Sails boatyard in Lower Base.
500 Sails Executive Director Peter Perez said Den Yo Povi is a duduli, which is the smallest Chamorro canoe built for sailing.
Perez was present at the ceremony alongside Master Navigator Mario Benito, 500 Sails boatbuilding staff, and the duduli’s owner, Jeremiah Benavente, who recited a chant penned by Manny Borja, specifically for the occasion.
Perez said Friday’s ceremony is only the first step in officially welcoming the canoe to Saipan.
“[This] is to recognize the first time [Den Yo Povi] becomes a floating vessel, the first time it touches its home water. Today what we’re doing is putting it in the water so that we can calibrate the outrigger height. We’ll see how this canoe floats, we’ll make some measurements…and we’ll adjust it according to what we measure so the outrigger will be in the perfect position. After that it’s going to be painted by Jeremiah’s family,” Perez said.
Benavente said Den Yo Povi is his mother’s Native American name, and translates to “Blue Spruce Blossom.” Benavente’s mother is of Hopi and White Mountain Apache descent from Arizona.
The canoe is named to honor his mother and her lineage.
“Since I was little I was raised as a Chamorro here on island, but I still remember my family roots back in Arizona. I want to honor her family by receiving this canoe and naming it after her,” Benavente said.
A life-long talayeru or cast net fisherman, he has completed training under the 500 Sails Lalåyak program, which teaches how to care for and operate Chamorro sailing vessels.
Perez said the finished canoe will be displayed at the Bank of Saipan at a time and date still to be determined.
Afterward, Den Yo Povi will have an official launching ceremony, and the canoe will be official property of Benavente.
He said he plans to take his family to Managaha using the canoe, and to fish in the lagoon and beyond the reef.
“From my point of view I feel that old technology is always proven and it’s the best,” Benavente said. “We’re not relying on fossil fuels to power the boat, we’re utilizing the wind. It’s a great skill to have on island especially when gas prices are really high.”
Jeremiah Benavente sits in the hull of Den Yo Povi, during a test of her buoyancy in April. Den Yo Povi officially launches from the Guma Sakman on Dec. 2.
