Long before GPS, Micronesian navigators crossed oceans by reading stars and swells. A young CNMI daughter joined that lineage aboard the Alingano Maisu.
Lianalynn Muna, 20, a program assistant and sailor with 500 Sails, spent 18 days at sea on the traditional double-hulled canoe, sailing from late April 2026 until the Maisu arrived in Palau on May 11, 2026. The canoe departed Okinawa after a months-long voyage that began in Taiwan in February, according to the Micronesian Voyaging Society.
For Muna, it was her first long-distance open-ocean crossing—no land in sight, no phones, and no modern navigation instruments.
“I had to adjust to everything—eating, sleeping, using the restroom, all while not seeing land,” she said. “But I trusted the captain, the crew, and the canoe.”
The Maisu’s planned route toward Saipan, Guam, and Yap was abandoned as weather disturbances swept across the Western Pacific. The crew of 15, including three women, changed course repeatedly and eventually sailed through a tropical disturbance before reaching Palau safely.
Despite the conditions, Muna said she never felt unsafe. She learned to read the ocean at night, watching master navigator Captain Sesario Sewralur guide the canoe by stars, swells, and wind—methods passed down from his father, the late master navigator Mau Piailug of Satawal.
“He told me, ‘The stars are always there. Even when you don’t see them, they’re still there to guide you,’” she said.
Life on board brought moments of wonder—dolphins, diving birds, and glowing bioluminescence that lit the water turquoise at night. “You can’t capture it on a phone,” she said. “It’s all in your memory.”
Muna, who has trained with 500 Sails for two years, said the voyage strengthened her confidence and deepened her commitment to traditional navigation. She hopes more young women will step into the canoe culture she is learning to carry forward.
“My greatest takeaway is living in the moment and keeping this culture alive,” she said. “If you’re scared to try something new, just try it. That’s what I did—and here I am today.”
