One with the ocean
Iva sails 70,000 nautical miles
WHEN Iva Nancy Vunikura is out at sea she is simply one with the ocean. The Gau lass is the first woman to have sailed more than 70,000 nautical miles on a traditional canoe which is equivalent to three expeditions round the world.
She has sailed through the world’s ocean to promote traditional and sustainable sailing.
Ms Vunikura was part of the Round Table on Ocean’s 4 Life: Heroines du Pacifique at the French ambassador, Jean Francois Fitou’s , residence in Suva last Wednesday.
The event marked the 10th Conference on nature conservation and protected areas and also the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Ms Vunikura, alongside four other voyagers from the Pacific, shared their experience on sailing during the Zoom session.
She said even though at times sailing in the open ocean could be scary, it was something she loved and would continue to do through her ocean advocacy work.
She said everyone needed to protect the ocean.
Ms Vunikura learned the ropes of sailing when she joined Uto ni Yalo as a young ocean enthusiast.
She later joined the Okeano’s Foundation doing relief work and has been an ocean voyager since.
Today she sails with the Drua Experience team.
She said during her 10 years of sailing, she has had to overcome some gender barriers.
One of those barriers was having to sail a canoe at Yap Island in Micronesia.
“It was hard to blend in at Yap and I had to ask a chief if I could sail with the men there,” she said.
“I broke through a barrier over there because as a woman I was allowed to sail with the men.”
On her recent voyage, Ms Vunikura has just returned from Lau.
She and her Drua crew returned two weeks ago after a long intensive voyage.