While one 500 Sails 26-foot-long canoe readies to be beached, a second vessel sails through the Saipan Lagoon on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.
Starting on Sept. 16, Monday, 500 Sails will offer canoe rides at the Crowne Plaza.
FOR two weeks starting today, Monday, Sept. 16, 500 Sails will offer canoe rides at the Crowne Plaza Resort and bring Chamorro cultural canoe sailing right to the heart of the island’s tourism industry.
From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., 500 Sails will showcase the island’s reefs, waters, and natural environment through lagoon rides.
500 Sails program manager Andrea Carr said the rides are offered to coincide with CNMI Chamorro Carolinian Cultural Heritage Month, which is celebrated throughout September.
Rides take around 20-25 minutes. Tourists pay a $10 fee, which goes toward supporting the maintenance of 500 Sails vessels. Locals get free rides, but 500 Sails will need to see a local I.D.
Life jackets will be available, and passengers must use them while aboard the vessels.
Children must be accompanied by adults.
Junior Coleman, 500 Sails executive director, said the collaboration between the nonprofit organization and Crowne Plaza aims to offer authentic experiences to tourists.
“We just want to rebrand the islands and restore them back to what they were famous for for centuries,” Coleman said.
Weather, water conditions, and tide will affect ride availability, said Peter Perez, 500 Sails co-founder. Check 500 Sails’ Facebook page and website, which will post the sailing schedule and any updates or modifications.
Perez said the intention is to offer the canoe rides on a permanent basis. This initial run of rides will help them evaluate best practices.
