By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
ELEVEN participants completed 500 Sails’ Lalayak sailing program and received certificates of completion during a ceremony Sunday morning at Guma Sakman.
The Lalayak program, an introductory course on sailing Chamorro canoes, is a partnership between 500 Sails and Northern Marianas College’s Center for Training and Innovation.
Among the graduates was 17-year-old Marianas High School student Shuman Barman.
“This program gave me more confidence in sailing and in how to sail in general, and I feel very good that they offer this for free to everybody,” Barman said. “The feeling it gives me when I sail is like freedom. I can forget everything and enjoy the sea.”
Barman said the month-long course included twice-weekly sailing practices. On Sunday, the participants sailed on their own from Crowne Plaza Resort in Garapan to Susupe.
“The wind was good today, the canoes were very fast, and we just sailed in a straight line,” Barman said. “We also saw about six turtles and three manta rays on our way back.”
Other graduates included Shoko Calvert, Eve Hallock, Yukari Jayashi, Celena Kalp, Valarie Lyle, Matua Mendiola, John Skarda, Vince Tudela, Laura Zarate, and Kody Foreman.
500 Sails Director Jun Coleman said the program consists of seven to eight classes on land and at sea.
“Then they have to complete 10 practice sails demonstrating that they know all the different crew positions, whether steering, controlling the sail, or setting up the canoe,” Coleman said.
He added that participants must meet prerequisites before joining.
“They have to pass the swim test. They must swim out through the World War II tank from Guma Sakman and tread water for about an hour,” he said.
The program is open to the public, with the next cohort to be announced on social media and other platforms.
500 Sails volunteers and participants from the Polar Bear swimming program were also recognized during the event.
500 Sails is a CNMI nonprofit organization dedicated to reviving, promoting, and preserving the maritime cultural traditions of the Mariana Islands through community engagement in canoe activities and values. Its vision is a healthy, thriving native community that has successfully integrated traditional cultural values into modern life.
For more information on the sailing program, call (670) 323-7245.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
