POPO a fast sailing canoe in use in Micronesia, (Caroline Islands) and western Pacific.
The fast sailing canoe mainly used of the central island group, known to European as the “flying proa”. The large boats made long voyages, but most served for interisland transport; only the small types remain today.
She is a plank extended dugout canoe, where timber was scare, the dugout portion was merely the keel piece; planking of irregular lengths, sewn on and caulked with a lime mixture, Hull a deep V- section, the weather side curved and the lee side lightly curved, but more often flat both vertically and longitudinally; weather gunwale slightly higher. Bottom curved fore-and-aft. Double-ended; the cutwaters and tall bifurcated, bird-shaped figureheads were single pieces attached to the hull. Solid bulkheads and thwarts strengthened the canoe. Two stout booms curved downward to a short float; booms pierced the 2 washstrakes; braced by spars that ran from the outer part of the booms toward each end of the hull. Booms connected to the float by Y-shaped crutches, braced by a yoke between or connected by 4 stanchions. A platform was built out on the booms, and on the larger canoes, light decking continued out beyond the solid platform. The larger canoes also had a canted lightly decked platform that acted as a counterpoise on the lee side, small huts on both platforms. Hull generally painted black and burnished to a high gloss. Steered with a quarter rudder maneuvered with a tiller and by the helmsman’s foot against the rudder blade.
Sailed with the outrigger to windward. Single mast stepped in a socket on the platform close inboard; always raked forward, the rigging and sail being shifted from end to end with each tack. Triangular sail hung with the apex tacked to the forward end; yards at forward edge and foot.
Lanceolate paddle blades.
A crew of 5-6.
Reported length 6.6 -13m; e.g., length 9.1m, beam 0.91m. depth 1.2m; some small canoes 5-7m, lacked the lee platform.
Source: Aak to Zumbra a dictionary of the World’s Watercraft.
Nauru 1975 20c sg133, scott?