What is a Proa?
A proa is a Pacific outrigger sailing canoe, originated by the island peoples of the North Pacific. It comes in various sizes and configurations. In its purest form, it consists of a narrow canoe hull with a very flat leeward side and an outrigger and float always kept to windward. Instead of tacking, a proa switches bow for stern by reversing the sail and rudder in a sort of a switchback maneuver sometimes called shunting. (Don’t ask me to describe this. Read the WoodenBoat #83 article.) So it always keeps the outrigger assembly to windward, using it to counterbalance pressure on the sail.
