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From: Tord Eriksson <tord_at_tord.nu>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] QQ: Outrigger "ama"
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2007 23:31:28 +0100
On Wednesday 21 March 2007 18:57, you wrote:
> Good Day Tord;

Hi John,

>   Being new to your site i am not knowing of the term "ama" used in the
> emai below.

An outrigger is an 'ama' and the hull you sit in is a 'vaka' and the
arms connecting the two is the 'akas'!

>From some Pacific language, I gather, but pretty standard in
English, when talking of proas (sailing outrigger canoes).

> The safety ama would have made the boat roll slower (in the
> reenactment it took les than a second - amazing!). With the
> gang sitting on the safety ama it would have been possible
> to roll it back. Then they would have faced a water-filled vaka,
> so they would have needed pumps and other safety equipment
> in dry bags, like some warm clothes, maybe warm fluid & food.
> Spare paddles would have been essential (all the others had
> floated away), in short things Scott, and many others, think are
> totally redundant.
>   Would appreciate clarification, thank you.

I'll try: a safety ama is one that normally is 'flying' (not touching the 
water, ever), except when the outrigger canoe is rolling. Here it is
used as a backrest:

http://foldingkayaks.org/gallery/Boeing-ized-outrigger/A64_Safety_Ama_aft?full=1

The outrigger that's in the water is the 'ama'.

>   Also, as i recall you are the one, or one of several, who created this
> site. Thank you. i am very glad to have discovered this site and to
> receive the communications (emails).

Alas, no! I didn't even create the Bagboater yahoo group that I moderate
and 'own' - that means I have full control over it. A 'bagboat' is a 
folding boat of some sort, like Long Haul's folding kayaks, Ally's folding 
canoes, et cetera.

> While i may not always agree with 
> the views expressed. It does give me pause to stop, read, and listen to
> another prespective that i may not have thought of previously. i believe
> so strongly about this that i have encouraged others in my local
> paddling (Petaluma Paddlers, California) club to sign up on PaddleWise
> to follow the discussions. 

If many of you have interest in folding kayaks, why not join my group, too?

> Now on our weekly paddles it is one of the 
> topics of discussion. Thank you again for your efforts to make this site
> possible. Now, if you aren't the one responsible ... oops... please
> forward it on to the party responsible or let me know and i will.
>
>   Safe and happy paddling,
>   John Horrell
>   Santa Rosa, CA
>   seajohnkayak_at_yahoo.com
>   Arluk III
>   Tofino
>   LongHaul MK1

I'll mail a copy to Paddlewise, hope you don't mind,

Tord S Eriksson,
Sweden
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