KAS Sailors Welcome Traditional Catamaran "Alingano Maisu" to Kaohsiung

by Neil Jamieson (Grade 7)

On the 7th of March, I was proud to represent the KAS sailing team to welcome a traditional sailing catamaran, the Alingano Maisu, to Kaohsiung. The vessel and crew had sailed all the way from Palau to Kaohsiung (over 1,500 miles) using only the stars and traditional navigational methods.

The captain, Sesario Sewralur and his crew were greeted by students, including myself, from four different schools around Kaohsiung city. 

Two teammates and I joined the student flotilla sailing out to welcome the crew into our city. We sailed from Love River down to Love River Bay, where we met the vessel and followed it to the dock. We presented a flower ring, large enough to serve as hats, to the main crew members.

I was very impressed that they hand managed to sail so far with their traditional catamaran.

The entire crew performed a short, simple musical piece to express their gratitude for being in Taiwan. Following the performance, the captain delivered a brief speech. It was a short ceremony after which we sailed the short distance back to Love River.

Of course, when we were back at the dock, we could not resist organizing an impromptu short race among the four schools that were there. The total number of competitors was around 20 boats. I was happy, and lucky enough, to win that. The wind must have been on my side.