500 Sails conducted the maiden blue water voyage of Semantic, a double-hulled canoe, on Thursday, Feb. 13 as part of the organization’s participation in the 2025 Pika Fest on Tinian, which is set for Feb. 14-15.
Semantic consists of two 26-foot-long Chamorro canoes, Richard Seman and Aunty Oba, built by 500 Sails on Saipan. Semantic was formed by lashing together the main hulls of Richard Seman and Aunty Oba.
500 Sails launched Semantic alongside Anaguan, which already has blue water sailing experience.
500 Sails Executive Director Jun Coleman will captain Semantic while veteran sailor Andrea Carr will helm Anaguan. On Tinian, the crews will provide free community rides and swim lessons to island residents, Coleman said.
David Cabrera, a crewmember on Semantic, is a U.S. Navy veteran making the voyage across the channel for the first time.
“I’m excited, especially with this crew. Everybody is at different levels in their journey,” he said. “Today is going to be a little bit of a test, but it’s the kind of test we need to get proficient in this craft.”
He said his Navy training gave him some understanding of the ocean, but traditional sailing is something different.
“[The Navy] helped me understand the physical aspects … the tides and the lunar cycles, but this is a whole different lens,” Cabrera said. “This is a whole different skill set. This is more on-the-fly problem solving and that’s the exact kind of fun I’m looking at.”
For her part, Lianalynn Muna was feeling “excited but nervous.” She had never been to Tinian before and was also one of the students who recently completed the Lalayak program offered by 500 Sails and Northern Marianas College’s Community Development Institute.
Her parents were at the shore to wish her well as she served as a crewmember on Anaguan.
“They’ve been supportive,” the 19-year-old told Variety. “I’m very glad that they’re here. They’re feeling nervous as well, but they’re excited for me. They did warn me about sharks … but it’s not stopping me.”
Soarin Oh, a 16-year-old student from Marianas High School, has been sailing with 500 Sails since 2020. She served as a crewmember on Semantic. Although she had visited Tinian to dive, she had never sailed across the Saipan-Tinian Channel and lacked blue water experience.
She said she was there to sail with her “family.”
“[500 Sails] feels like a community to me and at this point it’s family,” she said. “I keep showing up. [The sail] is probably going to be really beautiful because we can see the entire island from afar. I’m really excited.”
500 Sails crewmembers prepare to leave Guma Sakman on Thursday, Feb 13.
500 Sails canoe Anåguan sails out to CK Reef on Feb. 13 en route to Pika Fest on Tinian.
The double-hulled canoe Semantic, with its orange sail, sails alongside Anåguan, with its brown sail, toward Tinian.
500 Sails crewmembers prepare for their trip to Tinian on Feb 13.
