PHINISIS
built that phinisi,” he says pointing to the abandoned
ship on the reef. “He got it built but had no money to
launch it.”
I’m hoping the same fate won’t await Barreto, because
I learn when I return to Bali that Rascal is still at least a
month or two away from completion.
Unable to board his new take on an old boat, I start
sniffing around for another phinisi owner who may
indulge me with a cruise. My investigations lead to
Aman Resorts, which operates five top-shelf resorts and
two luxury phinisis in Indonesia. One of Aman’s ships,
the Amandira, a 170ft (52m) vessel with a rig that allows
for faster sailing and therefore is known as the ‘Ferrari of
phinisis’, will take me, but I need to get to Labuan Bajo
on the island of Flores, gateway to Komodo National
Park, within 24 hours.
When I first visited Labuan Bajo five years ago, there
were maybe half a dozen phinisi charter boats bobbing
up and down in the harbour. Now there are 10 times as
many, from small motor-driven runabouts for snorkelling
trips, to restored schooners with towering masts. But
they are all dwarfed in size by Amandira and her team of
15 polo shirt-wearing staff who stand on the starboard
side waving as a tender ferries me in from the dock.
With a black hull, eccentrically curved deck and
elongated bowsprit, Amandira has a Captain Jack
Sparrow-style, pirate-ship feel. However, in the
superstructure above deck is a king-sized double berth
cabin with a twin vanity bathroom twice as large as my
bathroom at home, a lavish saloon with sofas, dining
table and AV equipment, while below are two more
king-bed cabins, two bunk-bed cabins and staff quarters.
That’s not all. Amandira’s prize real estate lies on her
expansive foredeck, where I spend the next few days
lounging around on daybeds while taking in the
turquoise waters, volcanic islands and dreamy sunsets of
Komodo National Park. On occasion my serenity is
disturbed by Amandira’s butler and his incessant desire
to pour me glasses of Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose, and aspa therapist who pummels my back on a massage table
on the aft deck. There are also distractions of the more
active kind: snorkelling, kayaking and beach barbecues.
Lying in the sun at the bow one afternoon, I rub my
fingers along the smooth stained wood and think of the
thousands of hours of work that went into building this
ship, the sweat, the sawdust, cuts and bruises – and
money. “Why go to all this trouble?” I ask Barreto a few
days later. “Wouldn’t it have made more sense just to
buy a superyacht?”
“Probably, but it wouldn’t have been as much fun,”
he replies.
When Collins finally launched his phinisi from Bira,
he wrote: “I had wanted a high-pooped ship of my own.
Now I had her. She was not the ship I had hoped for but
she was clean and there was a dry cabin, all painted
white, where I could stand up and turn round with my
arms outstretched.”
The phinis of today might surprise him, but he’d still
recognise the techniques used on the beach at Bira.Above: sucient
foredeck space
on AmandiraAmandira private charter 5-night Komodo expedition including full
board, alcohol, national park entry fees and up to four dives daily. 1 cabin
(2 guests) US$7,730 per night. 3 cabins & 2 bunk cabins (up to 10
guests) US$10,840 per night. See aman.com.
Rascal private charter Available for multi-day expeditions in the
Indonesian archipelago. US$8,500 per night. See rascal-charters.com