Master Navigator Mario Benito blesses Den Yo Povi prior to its launch.
Den Yo Povi is a canoe that reflects Jeremiah Benevente’s Chamorro and Native American roots.
Jeremiah Benevente, a longtime 500 Sails volunteer, is now the proud owner of a 15-foot-long duduli.
THE newest canoe of the 500 Sails’ fleet was launched during a special ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Guma Sakman in Susupe.
The 15-foot-long vessel is named Den Yo Povi, and will now belong to Jeremiah Benavente, a lifetime fisherman, who is also a longtime volunteer for the traditional maritime organization.
Benavente, in previous interviews, has said that he will utilize his vessel for family trips to Managaha as well as for fishing inside and outside the lagoon.
The boat’s design follows the Anson Drawing that 500 Sails utilizes for all its other traditional canoes. The graphics, which appear on its hull, reflect Benavente’s Native American heritage. He painted them himself. Additionally, the vessel is named after Benavente’s mother.
Benavente was present to sail his canoe at Guma Sakman beach for the first time as part of the ceremony, and was joined by community members and his family.
The canoe was blessed in two languages — by Donald Mendiola, a noted yo’åmte/suruhanu, and by Master Navigator Mario Benito.
Following the blessings, the canoe took to the water for the first time.
Benavente reacted positively to his new vessel. “I’m really happy to receive the boat and I’m looking forward to sailing it,” he said.
Junior Coleman, 500 Sails executive director, was glad that the fleet of traditional vessels is growing in the Marianas.
“It feels very encouraging and inspiring to see more and more canoes here in our islands,” Coleman said. “[It’s] helping to revive a lot of what was lost of our maritime prowess…. For this size it will be an important part of a family’s life being out in the water. Jeremiah’s family will be able to use it for fishing and all kinds of activities on the water. That’s always a good thing, positive in strengthening our close relationship with the ocean and with each other.”
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Emma Perez, 500 Sails co-founder, read from a prepared statement from her husband and 500 Sails co-founder Peter Perez, who was not able to attend the event.
Peter Perez said despite attempts by the Spanish to completely end Chamorro sailing canoes, the Anson Drawing from 1742 allowed the traditional sakman to make a “voyage across time” in order to guide modern sailors in the Marianas.
He recounted the history of the organization, which started with the building of Che’lu, a 40-foot-long canoe made of California Redwood.
With 500 Sails formally established as a non-profit, it created Neni, Richard Seman, Anaguan and Aunty Oba, which are 26-foot-long Chamorro canoes called leklek.
Peter Perez cited the historical record and said that the vessel which Benavente now owns would have been known as a duduli. He said it was a vessel for fishing inside and “just off” the reef.
“To build the duduli we followed the design features of its bigger siblings,” he added.
To that end, he said the duduli has a “sharply” asymmetric hull, triangular sail, an outrigger hull lashed onto poles and connected to the main hull, and a steering paddle.
He said the duduli has a mast that is proportionately longer than the mast found on 26-foot-long Chamorro canoes. It likewise has braces on its side to help accommodate the paddle when steering.
Den Yo Povi, guided by its owner Jeremiah Benevente, sails in the lagoon on the morning of its official launch.
