Rethinking tradition: A vessel that crossed oceans without GPS

en.ptnet.cn | Updated:2026-01-06 | Lin Kongbo, Stephanie

In 2010, a 15-metre outrigger canoe named Liberté set out on an extraordinary journey from Tahiti to Fuzhou, sailing 16,000 nautical miles without GPS. Built according to Tahitian designs from around 1820, the four-ton vessel was guided using traditional Austronesian navigation techniques. Led by Polynesian navigator Hiria Ottino, the crew relied on stars, cloud patterns and seabird movements to stay on course during 116 days at sea. The voyage was a symbolic return to ancestral roots, demonstrating that ancient maritime knowledge was sophisticated enough to cross vast oceans long before modern technology existed.