They're the new pride of

the Solomon Seas

From a Honiara correspondent

Life in the Solomon Islands is closely bound to the sea.

The salt-water people of the many lagoons and coastal areas are natural seamen who think nothing of setting out on long sea voyages in their large outboard-powered canoes. They have adapted readily to the motor age and provide excellent captains, bosuns and crews for the island trading vessels and small ships.

So it is surprising to find that, until ecently, not much had been done to iromote an interest and pride in the its of seamanship or in the raditional customs of the seagoing •eople of the Solomons.

For this reason, the Harbour faster at Point Cruz, Honiara, :aptain P. Frey, suggested late last 'ear an annual sea festival with com >etitions in seamanship for small 'essels, canoe races and a display of raditional canoes.

Spectacular

On Easter Monday, the first such ‘Festival of the Solomon Seas” was idd at Point Cruz harbour, hundreds of people lined the fore shore in the town area to watch 16 /essels (government, mission and privately owned) go though seaman ship trials and to see races for both small and large canoes.

The most spectacular event of the day was undoubtedly the race for tvar canoes.

Three traditional canoes—from the Roviana Lagoon in the Western Solomons and from Santa Ana and Santa Catalina in Eastern District—

took part. The 24-man Roviana canoe won the event by more than two minutes and was also judged the best-built canoe.

The prize for the overall winner of the Seamanship Trials was a trophy done in bronze in the form of a cockerel—“ Pride of the Solomon Seas”. The winner was the 62 foot long Evangel, built in Australia in 1948 and owned by the South Seas Evangelical Church. She will carry this trophy at her masthead until next year’s festival.

To win the prize, the Evangel gained most points in contests for heaving a line, dinghy and copra loading races, manoeuvring skills and in an inspection of the ships.

Having an effect

Already the decision to hold the Festival of the Solomon Seas annually is having an effect. Plans are going ahead in the Roviana Lagoon area to build two of the giant tomokos war canoes for which the region is famous. The only man left with the knowledge to build these craft, 70 years old, Opero Sasabule, has undertaken to teach the skill to a group of younger men.

The three canoes setting off for the race for war canoes which was the highlight of the "Festival of the Solomon Seas".

Foreground is the winning Roviana canoe, "New Life" (which is, in fact, a "gopu" —a vessel smaller than a war canoe).

Below, Jonathan Maneburi, skipper of the "Evangel", the overall winner of the Sea manship Trials, holding the bronze cockerel trophy. Photos: Ted Marriott.