~ Sustainable Seafaring from Oceania. History, Design, and Relevance ~

June 05, 2019

Proa Sailing - the video

At last, an edited video of the rig I've worked on for so long...  Hopefully it's understandable.




A key element in this singlehanded shunting method is to use a bridle as the attachment point between the yard and the mast.  I got this idea from Commodore Munroe's proa as pictured below.

Commodore Munroe's proa

Close-up of bridle arrangement
The bridle accommodates the peculiar geometry of the shifting mast and sail arrangement.  This method will not work without it.  Watch the action where the yard meets the mast and it can be seen why.

(Sorry about the poor resolution - I'm too cheap to pay for a premium version of PowerDirector which would produce Hi-Res videos.)

Bridle and spilling lines can be seen here
Also, brailing the sail is not necessary but it helps to keep the sail out of the water and tames it in the process.  I'm using standard "spilling lines", run to the mast, to accomplish this.

So, Happy Sailing to all of you!  If anyone cares for info, I can be reached at the email shown at the end of the video.

Thanks for watching!