Mother Nature ends Rapa Nui voyage in Palau

Two men traveling on a Chamorro style proa from Taiwan to Guam had a rough journey at sea, which ended in Palau.

Ignacio R. “Nash” Camacho, a local traditional seafarer, and Burghard Pieske, a German sailor, were attempting to make the more than 1,000-mile trip from Taiwan to Guam on the Ana Varu, a boat made with the design of the ancient Chamorro proa. It was the first leg of a longer trip to Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, using traditional sailing techniques.

“It was a bad journey. It was not fun. It wasn’t pleasant. Every moment was fighting for survival,” Camacho said.

They had to fight constant bad winds, high waves and strong currents, he added.

Guam seafarer trains for traditional Rapa Nui voyage

Though their goal was Guam, Pieske said Mother Nature made other plans for them, cutting their journey short in Palau.

“It was overwhelming. It was fascinating. It was horrible. It was terrible,” Pieske said about the trip.

The journey was exhausting, since it was almost impossible to sleep on the rough seas.

Both men thanked everyone who helped them get to land safely in Palau.

The men were out at sea for more than 15 days. They were warmly greeted in Palau and were well taken care of, Camacho said.

The two men landed in Palau on April 4 and flew back to Guam Wednesday.

The welcome from all officials, coordinated by the efforts of Palau Community College President Patrick Tellei and so many others, has a lifelong debt of gratitude from Camacho, Pieske and their families, Camacho said.

Although the voyagers weren’t able to complete their journey to Guam, Camacho said the trip was still a success.

“We have absolute confidence that our mission is a success. We have highlighted the journeys of our common ancestors’ migration despite not reaching Guam directly,” he said.

The men left Taiwan on March 19. The Taiwan government and people were very supportive of the men, Pieske said. In fact, they held a mini festival for them, with lots of dancing and food.

The Ana Varu was built of modern materials, but used ancient islander wisdom and design, Pieske said. That was very valuable for the trip, because it was used thousands of years ago though with more natural materials.

Camacho said the canoe’s structure made it possible to survive the beating from the sea. But the boat did take some damage and will need to be fixed before it goes back into the water.

“It was the perfection of our people that brought us through the worst of storms,” he said.

Camacho added he was humbled that in this day and age with modern technology, they still struggled to make their way to Guam. He could only imagine what his Chamorro ancestors felt having none of that technology to help in navigating the ocean.

“I can’t help but think it doesn’t compare to the accomplishments of our ancestors in their day,” he said.

Camacho also said it was sad that this journey comes hundreds of years after the last long voyage on sea because of colonization that stopped seafaring from happening on the islands.

The loss of seafaring culture is a tragedy, Camacho said, but he’s hopeful the trip will inspire others to learn and take on seafaring.

“We can still do it. We need to revive it and use it and educate ourselves and inspire ourselves,” he said.

Pieske said it was unbelievable and amazing that the ancient islanders were able to make such long journeys on nothing more than natural materials.

“After this trip, I admire these ancient seafarers much more than before,” he said.