Despite the Polynesian's fame as seafaring people,
the Easter Islanders came out to Roggeveen's ship by swimming or paddling canoes the Roggeveen described as bad and frail.
The leaky canoes, only ten feet long,
held at most two people,
and only three or four canoes were observed on the entire island.
The islanders Roggeveen met were totally isolated,
unaware that other people existed.