If I could break a glass of champagne over the bows of the new Proafile forums, I would; a toast to new beginnings, and to the road to come! Proafile has been online since 1999 as a place for those interested in bilateral asymmetry, and over the past decade I’ve met many wonderful people who also share this strange affinity.

Proas burst onto the global stage in 1968, when the racing proa ‘Cheers’, designed by Richard C. Newick, placed third in the OSTAR. Proas became the new darlings of the yachting media, that is… until more were built and they began capsizing and breaking apart at an alarming rate. So alarming, in fact, that proas were banned from participation in organized ocean racing!

The proa again faded from popular history, but we proaphiles kept a fire burning. I think we just didn’t understand the type. Proas aren’t combative by nature, but co-operative. They work WITH the flow of wind and waves more naturally than any craft ever devised by the hands of man. To a proa, the sea is not an adversary, but a partner, a mistress.

And it is to her, that I toast. May the sea herself, bless the launching of the new Proafile. Cheers!

Congratulations on the launching of the new proafile forum.
What a fantastic addition.
Regards
Phillip