Pronounced rā-muh-tau, our boat's name translates to 'People of the Sea' in the Yapese language, spoken in the Micronesian islands.

For the past 6,000 years, the Re Metau have unerringly sailed across the Pacific with no compass, sextant, or chart to guide their way. The truly extraordinary aspect of this feat is not just that the Re Metau successfully voyaged thousands of miles to other shores, but that they returned, time and again, to their small island home. Originating from a few of the atolls in the Caroline chain, which is made up of about 600 islands and stretches 1,800 miles from west to east, they are believed to be the ancestors to the Hawaiians, New Zealanders, and other Polynesian islands.

The Re Metau travel on the vast Pacific ocean in open sailing canoes. Fully attuned to the patterns of the universe, their hand-carved mahogany and breadfruit wood sailing vessels are not equipped with winches, instruments, or block and tackle. They rely only on ropes, cleats, and brute strength to sail to distant lands. These masters of ocean travel are capable of determining their position by using a variety of natural signs including star paths, reference islands, the shapes and colors of clouds, ocean swells, the sun, the flight paths of birds, and the salinity of the water.

A people without written language, the Re Metau commit their seafaring acumen to memory through song, ritual, myth and magic. They talk to the clouds, currents, seabirds, waves, and ocean spirits to guide them on their journeys. Desiring to honor those responsible for safe passage, the 'People of the Sea' chant to many spirits during their voyages, such as those of the middle heavens for calm weather, or to sooth whales in the distance. Another secret to their skills is in the cadence and beat of their songs and prayers, which provide them with mathematical references that modern navigational instruments would otherwise provide.

A fully initiated Re Metau navigator, called 'Palu' is respected and revered within the tribe, recognized as possessing 'itang' – the talk of knowledge. The Palu pass their traditions from father to son, teaching each new apprentice the talk of the sea and the stars. Like so many native cultures and the knowledge they possess, the ancient skills of navigation via earthly and heavenly patterns held by the Re Metau is sadly vanishing as their existence is influenced by western ways.

Reference: The Last Navigator by Steve Thomas.

Re Metau was designed by Harwood "Woody" Ives, and built by John Edwards' Hansa Yachts and Shipbuilders boatyard in 1985, during what is known as the "Golden Age" of Taiwanese boatbuilding. She is hull number 93, and a US Coast Guard documented vessel.