Hello all,

Like many of you, I’ve stumbled upon proas as an answer to a major challenge in my life: how to spend more time messing about on boats. I’ve yet to find another boat design that offers as many positives as the proa, in terms of:

- affordability
- transportability
- fun on the water
- connection to a history and tradition deeper and richer than anything in the yachting world

On top of that, no other design allows for so much tinkering. And this forum is a wonderful place to explore all things proa.

The only challenge I haven’t been able to solve with the proa is the fact that I still live 3.5 hours from the nearest good body of water to put one on. I live in Lexington, VA, in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. I’m 33, married with children, passionate about paddling canoes, bicycles and now sailing canoes. Anything that forces me to contemplate the beauty of asymmetry or unconventional symmetry makes me feel more open-minded and a little smarter at the end of the day.

Thanks and best,
Eric Owsley

Eric:

I understand the urge and freedom part.  Getting to water in 3.5 hours should not be a huge factor.  My family drove 3.5 hours every weekend for years while I was at home to go to our cottage on Lake Huron.  It just becomes part of the routine.  Now my ageing parents live there full time and I drive 8.5 hours to get there a few times a year.  I guess, like me simple trailering is kind of important. My local water is solid for four months a year, while yours will still be navigable.  Kind of unusual to be able to walk from buoy to buoy on a race course in January.  There are DNs to sail on the ice however.  You can hear the explosives breaking up ice dams here in the city today to prevent flooding.

I’ve found a lot of great ideas in this forum.  Also interesting is how there is a surprising amount of convergence and refinement of the proa concept here.  Given the huge choices of Atlantic, Pacific, Harryproa, Marconi rigs, Lugs, traditional crab claws etc., it seems everything comes here without prejudice.

Cheers,

—
Bill (another newbie here)

ericjayowsley - 26 March 2013 06:19 AM

Hello all,

Like many of you, I’ve stumbled upon proas as an answer to a major challenge in my life: how to spend more time messing about on boats. I’ve yet to find another boat design that offers as many positives as the proa, in terms of:

- affordability
- transportability
- fun on the water
- connection to a history and tradition deeper and richer than anything in the yachting world

On top of that, no other design allows for so much tinkering. And this forum is a wonderful place to explore all things proa.

The only challenge I haven’t been able to solve with the proa is the fact that I still live 3.5 hours from the nearest good body of water to put one on. I live in Lexington, VA, in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. I’m 33, married with children, passionate about paddling canoes, bicycles and now sailing canoes. Anything that forces me to contemplate the beauty of asymmetry or unconventional symmetry makes me feel more open-minded and a little smarter at the end of the day.

Thanks and best,
Eric Owsley

Hi and welcome Eric Owsley!!

I live in Lexington, VA, in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. I’m 33, married with children, passionate about paddling canoes, bicycles and now sailing canoes.

That sounds like a wonderfull life in many ways!
I love mountains, canoes and bicycles!!

Anything that forces me to contemplate the beauty of asymmetry or unconventional symmetry makes me feel more open-minded and a little smarter at the end of the day.

Word!

Cheers
Johannes