The Last Navigator Finds His Way Home

Mau Piailug, the Micronesian master navigator, died on July 12 on his home island of Satawal. He was 78. Mau Piailug navigated the open ocean without map or compass, using his knowledge of the stars, winds, currents and sea life, in the manner of his ancestors. In 1974 he was invited by the Polynesian Voyaging Society of Hawaii to assist them in reviving the ancient art and science of Hawaiian way-finding. Mau was asked to navigate the Hokule’a, a traditional Hawaiian double canoe from Hawaii to Tahiti, a voyage that lead to the resurgence of interest and pride in traditional Oceanic culture and abilities.

In 2003, Mr. Piailug was the object of a Coast Guard search when he was two weeks overdue on a short 250-mile jaunt between the islands of Palau and Yap.

He and his crew were located by an Air Force C-130 from an Air Force base in Guam; after enduring strong headwinds from a typhoon, they were tired and thirsty—but they were right on course and just 30 miles from their destination. They finished the voyage under their own power.

“I wasn’t worried. I knew right away that it was the weather,” said Junior Coleman, a Hawaiian who had previously sailed with Mr. Piailug, in an interview with the Honolulu Advertiser. “I told people to remember who is involved here. He’s the Yoda of the Pacific.”

Mau Piailug, Micronesian who sailed by navigating sun and stars, dies at 78

Mau Piailug : Last of the Pacific Navigators Finds his Way Home

Special thanks to C. O’Hanlon for this submission.

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