Month: December 2016

I became interested in long distance sailing after reading the experiences and life philosophies of Bernard Moitessier and Joshua Slocum.  The simple efficiency and economy of traveling the world by wind is appealing.  Proas are a type of traditional South Pacific two hulled outrigger sailboat.  From a design vantage, I’m interest in modernizing ideas while respecting heritage.  Proa are asymmetric with one large hull (aka) on one side and a small hull (ama) on the other.  On a Pacific Proa the smaller ama is always kept to the windward side of the boat.  The ama acts as a counterweight and provides righting moment against sail load subsequently negating the need for a heavy keel.  Proa are therefore not tacked like a normal sailboat; they are “shunted” keeping the small ama to the wind.  This means that the bow and stern of the boat are identical, and the direction that the boat is traveling changes with each shunt.  The absence of a keel and having the small ama lifted high in the water makes Proa have unique sailing performance and potentially very high long distance cruising speed.

I sized this Proa for a couple to comfortably live full time while long distance worldwide bluewater cruising.  The aka accommodates a full sized galley, head with shower, and large storage areas.  There is ample room for a normal queen sized bed in the overhanging lee pod.