Heart of the Spirit

Setareki Ledua is from Naividamu village, on Fulaga Island in the Lau archipelago.

The Lau chain of islands, made up of a few tiny islands in the far east of Fiji, almost halfway to Tonga, is the Fiji not often seen by tourists.

Setareki loves sailing among the Lau Islands, and now at 26 he has lost count of the places and ports he has sailed into while on board the Uto Ni Yalo. Mr Ledua joined the Uto Ni Yalo as a crew member when he was 19.

As a navigator Setareki appreciates the fact that ‘to begin, you must know where you are and where you are heading’. Aboard the boat, the crew sees and feels firsthand the effects of climate change and the extensive threats to the ocean.

Vulnerability becomes visceral without protection from the elements. Life aboard the boat is a microcosm of life in Pacific Islands, including the lack of a margin for error. But the threats and limitations also suggest possibilities and a course set for sustainability, with a greater respect and sense of stewardship - encouraging better solutions for a healthy ocean.

‘As I put the theory into practice onboard the Uto ni Yalo, I felt as though my ancestors were right there with me, giving me the confidence I needed.’

To promote the sustainable, reciprocal relationship with nature, the Uto Ni Yalo is encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean – and gathering trash on the remote islands it visits.

An harbinger of the future; an emblem of the past

The Uto Ni Yalo’s formal and symbolic uses - attending events, performing, inspiring, proving carbon free travel is possible – are complemented by utilitarian functions, such as taking relief supplies to islands after tropical cyclones.

Following Tropical Cyclone Keni in April of 2018, the Uto Ni Yalo was used to deliver relief supplies to a province that suffered nine deaths, as well as the complete destruction of whole villages, plantations, and boats.

Meeting periodically with its sister ships around the world, the Uto Ni Yalo has made appearances in Hawaii, Sydney, Auckland, and throughout the Pacific. For example, at the IUCN World Parks Congress in 2014, the Uto Ni Yalo sailed in to Sydney Harbour as part of the Okeanos supported fleet.

The Uto Ni Yalo is also designed to demonstrate that the shipping routes that were previously thought to be economically non-viable can be re-established, thereby reviving access to these islands, restoring their importance, and providing opportunities for the youth living there.

According to Uto ni Yalo Trust (UNYT) secretary Dwain Qalovaki, the Uto Ni Yalo serves to showcase low carbon wind-powered ocean transport – supplemented with solar power generation facilities that power its twin propulsion system – and provide proof of concept: ‘This can work. This does work.’

Around the world ≈90% of all goods and raw materials are transported by sea using vessels powered by fossil fuels. Through funding from the GEF SGP, the Uto ni Yalo is demonstrating how low carbon sea transport can offset Fiji’s fossil fuel reliance and become a viable option for cargo transfer from remote maritime islands.

‘Being on board the UNY is about growing our Fijian family, our global family. As we continue to grow, we are able to attract youth to be crew members on board – community champions.’

Since 2010, it has sailed over 80,000 nautical miles to over 15 countries in both the southern and northern hemispheres.

Waste Not

To further increase the utility of the ship’s island visits, the Uto Ni Yalo Trust has committed to collecting data on waste found on village foreshores.

At each stop, the 16-18 member voyaging crew conducts beach clean-up along the shoreline in order to understand the types and quantities of non-biodegradable waste found, and present this information back to the community with options for safe disposal. Given that the highest densities of plastic pollution on earth are found in the Pacific, with serious consequences for wildlife, ecosystems, economies, and human health, it is an urgent problem requiring both local and international efforts.

As part of these efforts to combat plastic pollution, in 2017 alone the Uto Ni Yalo facilitated the collection and safe disposal of more than 2,000 kilograms of trash in marine environments. SGP funding has allowed the Uto ni Yalo to spur action, advance conversations, and promote unity in a country that is widely dispersed geographically, comprised of over 330 inhabited islands.

Thirteen million tonnes of garbage enter our oceans every year and 5 trillion plastic bags are used annually worldwide every year. It will take the combined efforts of ships like the Uto Ni Yalo, residents of Pacific islands, and the wider world to turn this toxic tide.

Floating Art

While the boat itself is profoundly practical, it is also a tool for reviving handicrafts and celebrating traditional art forms - both on the boat and in the communities it visits.

Traditional ingenuity and knowledge remain clearly visible, with the twin hulls cunningly connected by wooden beams and lashed only with rope. Each vaka is finished with intricate traditional designs, and carved by a third-generation carver. 

In essence, the boat also serves as a floating art exhibit; 18 Fijians have contributed 168 pieces of mixed medium art toward the floating exhibition, marrying form with function.