Saturday, 20 February 2010

Toroa rides again

Today Saturday dawned bright and clear. The cyclone blew itself out and has now become a high pressure cell.
The sea breeze set in at Rawene around 11.00 am. Julie and I loaded our gear in the car and set off to the beach.

We paddled out and returned Toroa to the shore and I set about making the last changes and adjustments to the rig that I planned last night.

Once set up we caught the high tide and we set off up the Waima River on starboard tack in 10 to 12 knots of breeze.





















 We put in a shunt which was trouble free and we set off up river. Toroa covers the ground very quickly now so it wasn't long before we were turning back.
Now I have enough confidence to have another go tomorrow.

I added a new endless shunting line which keeps the tack of the sail from moving about whilst I walk the rig from end to end.
I have managed to stay true to my goal of having no rotating parts all the control lines run through dead eyes and thimbles.

The mainsheet is based on the Kiribati style with a single and double purchase rigged to create a 1, 2, or 3 purchase sheet.
This system allows me to run only the one sheet for either tack, unlike Toroa's old twin sheet line set up. I have set up a clip to secure the main sheet dead eye block to either tack position on the lee gunwale with a light retrieving line tied to the centre cockpit scupper hole. That way I don't loose the end of the sheet through the shunt.


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Toroa by Harmen Hielkema & Mike Toy.

Header Photo: Toroa at Rawene by Julie Holton.

This blog is dedicated to the memory of my father Roelof Hielkema who instilled in me the willingness to learn.
These pages are intended to inform and add to the growing body of knowledge concerning the Canoe Culture of the Pacific, past, present & future, from the Tupuna, the Ancestors of the Pacific cultures to the people of the world.

These pages contain Images and text relating to our two proas, Toroa & Takapu, some history relating to our experiments & experiences.

The dissertation that I posted on this blog in April 2008 "Takapu The Proa" was written by me in 1997 in response to an assignment that I was set whilst studying for my design degree. The dissertation covers many issues that a proa enthusiast may benefit from reading about.

Waka define culture as culture defines waka

Waka reflect the individuality and uniqueness of a society which in turn is governed by the geography, geology, topography, climate, location, resources, isolation, origin, flora, fauna, flotsam, jetsam, etc.

Waka are our link to the past, they have shaped our present and define our future.

Waka are the vessels of knowledge, physical and mental development, freedom of bondage to the land, key to our inquisitiveness, expressions of our ingenuity and courage, our love of shape and form, the seat of our power.

Waka are the source of our material culture, from which all processes are derived.

Waka are who and what we are.