Don’t Tack, Shunt: Learning to Sail Austronesian Canoes in Palau

When people think about sailing, they often picture a modern boat: a mast, a rudder and a crew tacking back and forth against the wind. In Palau, our sailors discovered a completely different way of sailing, one that has been used across the Pacific for generations.

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Beyond Optimists and Lasers

During our cultural and sailing exchange in Palau, our young sailors spent time on Optimists and Lasers, as you would expect. But they also had the chance to learn how to sail traditional Micronesian canoes, something none of them had tried before.

It was a real team effort. Teachers from the Palau Sailing Association, Jin Kamiya from JICA Japan, Nick Selew (a traditional canoe carver who recently visited Taiwan) and sailors from Alingano Maisu all joined forces to teach the children and parents from Taitung Sailing School. It was a wonderful example of a community sharing what it knows.

So what makes these canoes so different? Historical accounts of Pacific voyaging often describe Micronesian canoes as some of the fastest boats in the world. When you see one in action, it is easy to understand why. They are light, agile and built for travelling between islands.

These canoes also turn differently from modern sailboats. They don’t tack (turn through the wind) or gybe (turn away from it). Instead, they shunt. The hull is symmetrical, so the bow and stern can swap places. To shunt, the crew eases the sail so the boat slows slightly, then carries the tip of the boom to the other end of the hull. The old bow becomes the stern, the helmsman and sail trimmer swap roles, and the outrigger stays on the windward side to help keep the boat balanced.

The rig is just as unusual. The mast, boom and sprit are raised together and hold each other in place through leverage. The tip of the boom rests in a shallow notch at the bow, held there largely by the pressure of the wind, while a single line supports the mast. Wind forces are distributed across three lightweight poles and a soft sail, helping the rig stay balanced.

There is another clever safety feature. If the sailor turns too far and the wind hits the wrong side, the rig collapses by design. These canoes have a single outrigger, so wind from the wrong side could easily capsize them. For a boat built to carry passengers and cargo, safety comes first. Even our founder, Fede, found this out for himself. He accidentally turned the boat too far, watched the sail come down, then put the rig back together and carried on. You can read his full explanation of how these canoes work here.

Learning From the People Who Sail Them

On his first visit to Micronesia, Fede was surprised to find himself learning from local children who had sailed these canoes for years. They showed him where to sit to balance the boat and how to feel the right trim. It reminded him that sailing knowledge is often something you feel, not just something you read.

This time, our own children and parents had the same experience: stepping aboard a different kind of boat, listening, trying, getting it wrong and trying again.

Nick’s visit to Taitung in 2025 and his work on a small model of a Micronesian canoe give us hope for future cooperation. We dream of one day building a full-size canoe and learning techniques such as shunting here in Taitung.

Learning how people from other cultures sail reminds us that while boats, languages and traditions may differ, the wind and the ocean are our international language.

Here’s to sailing further and further each year!