Sailing Canoe

The outrigger canoe is sailed with the western Polynesian type of Oceanic lateen sail, stretched between a yard and the boom.

The yard is stepped on the bow cover. The boom is lashed to the yard about a foot and a half above the deck, where the yard is scarfed to keep the lashing from slipping down. The end of the boom projects a few inches beyond the yard. The mast is propped at an angle against one of the center booms and lashed at its top to the yard which it supports. A single stay braces the mast, running from the mast top to the outer end of the forward boom. The sheet is attached at a point three-quarters of the length of the boom and is held by the man before the helmsman in the stern.

The sail is long and narrow and sets aft at an angle up and away from the canoe. The mast stands forward at the same angle as the yard from the outrigger boom, against which it rests. The stay running from the crossing of the mast and the yard forms a tripod with these two and counterbalances the effect of the mast and yard pressing the sail to windward.

Canvas sails are made today in the form of the old triangular lateen sails. Formerly they were made of plaited strips of laufala. A bolt rope of sennit braid is lashed around the three sides. Along the head and foot seized loops of sennit are attached to the braid, page 120 through which the lashing to the spars is made. The leech or free margin of the sail is doubly reinforced by a broad strip of laufala folded over the edge and sewn to either side of the sail. The bolt rope is sewn outside this leaf strip. The ends of the bolt rope meet at the peak of the sail, where they are tied to the tip of the yard. At the tack and clew of the sail the bolt rope is knotted about the ends of the boom in the notches provided for these lashings. The sail is lashed by two sennit lines tied into the forward loops of the head and foot of the sail and wound spirally around yard and boom, and with each turn passed through a loop on the margin of the sail.

A temporary sail of coconut fronds is commonly used on the lagoon when traveling with the wind. Two or three interlaced fronds are stood on their butts in the bottom of the bow of the canoe with the breadth of the leaves facing the wind.

In sailing the outrigger canoe, the Tokelauans always keep the outrigger to windward as a balance to prevent capsizing. In a strong wind the float rides out of water, and one of the crew moves in and out on the boom with the changes of wind. In tacking against the wind, as the outrigger must always be windward, the sail is put in the stern and the canoe sailed stern forward.

Sailing today is almost totally limited to the lagoon. All inter-island voyaging is prohibited by the government, and there are few times when sailing outside the reef is required.