Yap Traditional Navigation Society

The Yap Traditional Navigation Society is deeply saddened by the passing of Master Navigator Sesario Sewralur.

Sesario was our first Navigation Instructor and served on the TNS Board of Directors in our early years. His knowledge, humility, and dedication to preserving the traditions of canoe carving and non-instrument navigation helped shape the foundation of our organization during its earliest years.

Through his teaching and leadership, he inspired a new generation to value and carry forward the knowledge of our ancestors. His legacy lives on in every canoe built, every voyage undertaken, and every student who continues to learn the ancient ways of Pacific navigation.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, fellow navigators, and all who were blessed to know him. His quiet wisdom and willingness to teach left a lasting impression on all of us who had the privilege of learning from him.

Master Navigator Captain Sesario Sewralur Passes Away at 56

SAIPAN — Captain Sesario Sewralur, a master navigator, cultural teacher and guardian of ancestral ocean knowledge, has passed away, his family announced. He was 56.

Sewralur passed away peacefully in Taiwan on July 10, one day before his 57th birthday, while continuing his lifelong mission of preserving and teaching traditional Carolinian wayfinding and Indigenous ocean knowledge, the family said.

"It is with deep sorrow that our family announces the passing of our beloved Captain Sesario Sewralur," the Sewralur family said in the announcement.

Funeral and memorial service information will be announced by the family.