In March 2009, a BBC film crew travelled to Yap to
film an episode for the "How Earth Made Us" television series.
The filmmakers were interested in finding a traditional navigator from
Micronesia to tell the story of how the use of winds and currents played an
important part in the discovery and settlement of the Pacific Ocean.
The BBC contracted with Triton Films to
provide for on-site services and support for the film shoot to take place on
mainland Yap. I (Eric Metzgar) was Project Manger and "fixer" for
the production, Larry Raigetal was Project Coordinator, Ali Haleyalur served as
the on-camera Master Navigator, and 10 outer islanders from Lamotrek
crewed the Simion Hokulea, a traditional 33-foot voyaging canoe.
The Yap Traditional Navigation Society graciously provided the Simion
Hokulea for the two-day shoot, and O'Keefe's Waterfront Inn
helped with generous accommodations as well as tour arrangments for the BBC
during the production.
BBC television broadcast Spring 2010 (in Great Britain)
