By the time the Austronesian people had reached the Philippines and Borneo, around 2500 BCE, they had made many sea crossings already.
But as they now turned, some to the east, others to the west, they were faced with major ocean crossings and had to acquire navigation skills and suitable ocean going vessels.
Somehow they developed large ocean going, double hulled canoes up to 30 metres in length, with two adjustable sails. These giant canoes could carry about 25 people or more, as well as food and water for the voyage and plants and animals to settle any new land they found.
If you'd like to see what these giant, ocean-going canoes looked like, the site below will show you: photographs taken during voyages of replica canoes, drawings and paintngs are worth looking at. Go to Polynesian voyaging canoes
By now they had also developed navigation skills to find their way across empty oceans, using a knowledge base of wave patterns, flight of birds, signs deep in the water, trade winds and the stars. They recorded their progress on charts made of sticks and could stay at sea for several weeks. They had no trouble in sailing 1000 kms. in four or five days and so could cover vast distances.
If you would like learn more about these canoes and how they were sailed, visit Herb Kane's very informative site: Hawaiian Voyaging Traditions .
Much research into the Stone Age voyaging canoes has been carried out by Pacific Islanders and some replica canoes have been built and sailed across the Pacific. The Polynesian Voyaging Society website is worth visiting at Voyaging Traditions
If you would like to view many photographs of these voyages, simply Google : Images of Polynesian Voyaging Canoes.
Another interesting site is that of : The Vaka Taumako Project.
How the Austronesians learned to navigate without compass, timepiece nor sextant is another story!
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