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Amazon by Prao

More proof that the French know how to spend a holiday better than anyone: Marc and Matthieu emailed to share their blog and pics about a recent cruise up the Amazon river on a native canoe modified into a sailing prao (French for proa). Note the cool bamboo ama. Note the most excellent hats. In French.

No School Like the Old School

John Bruton reports the launch of his 32' Marshall Islands style proa in Cape Fear, North Carolina. The big canoe was built with no plans other than referencing photographs and books. The hull is built in two stages: a sharpie-like plywood section from waterline to sheer, and then the hull below waterline built like a surfboard, all hand-shaped urethane foam glassed with polyester resin. The hull is self bailing. Great job, John!

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Hula Kai

Frank Russell found this 1963 vintage C/S/K catamaran at a California dock in 2003 - in need of some love. He took it home to Long Island, and undertook a complete restoration - the fine result was relaunched June 2005, and christened Hula Kai. Read about the project here.

Big Traditional Canoe in Tahiti

In Tahiti, a twenty meter va'a motu named 'Te Ara Taura' is being built to an ancient pattern in Koa wood. "I want to revive traditional navigation in the Polynesian triangle and encourage the vacant youth to travel in the wake of their ancestors", says Clement Pito, originator of the project. The outrigger canoe will set sail in July 2006. Tahiti Press

Wharram Islander 55 Launched

Check out the new pics of Wharram's latest - launched in Indonesia. The yacht will most likely sail to Europe around the Cape of Good Hope, to be used for charter in the Mediterranean and/or Caribbean. It reminds me of a double-hulled Turkish gulet or Arab dhow. James Wharram Designs

Proafile v4.1

A new back-end for Proafile! The site has been upgraded to Expression Engine which doesn't mean much to visitors, but should make my admin more fun, meaningful, and productive! It also means that all Proafile pages are now search engine friendly.

Build This Boat!

Chris Ostlind is offering a free set of plans to the first person who steps up to build his new 22.5 performance coastal cruiser/racer: Tribal Menace. Read all about it at Watertribe

Wa’apa Sailing Canoe Launched

Gary Dierking has launched Wa'apa - "a three board sailing canoe". The handsome design is intended for sheet plywood construction, and is built in three take-apart 8 ft. sections, which can be assembled as a 16 or a 24 footer. The 24 footer seats up to four crew, and the canoe may be rigged as a tacking outrigger, a shunting proa, or even a trimaran. Optional trampolines and a tent will allow sleeping onboard. Construction plans include full size patterns, printable PDF files, and construction photos. Details at Gary Dierking Boatbuilder

Large Fish ‘May Follow Dinosaurs’

The destruction wrought on the world's oceans by industrial fishing is made clear in a shocking new report. The analysis, published in the scientific journal Nature, suggests 90% of large predator fish have been cleared from the seas in the past 50 years or so. The authors say the era of "heroic" fish - the truly huge swordfish, marlin and sharks that inspired legends and novels - is now well and truly over. BBC News

The End of Dolphin Sky

The 16m proa "Dolphin Sky" has been shipwrecked on the Dutch coast. Joachim Herborn, the owner and sailor, was rescued safely. The proa was patterned after Polynesian designs, and was intended to sail around the world. It is not yet known if the boat can be salvaged. Multihull.de

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