Cruising with a liveaboard has become a trending way of enjoying the sea. It is a great way to discover many attractions within one trip. Have you booked your cruising trip already? If not, do it right away! It’s going to be your incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience! But before that, you might want to know one interesting information regarding your next amazing trip with Komodo liveaboard. Did you know that among so many companies that provide Komodo liveaboard tour, most of them are using Indonesia’s traditional yacht which called Phinisi?

Since 2017, Indonesian’s Phinisi has been acknowledged as Intangible Cultural Heritage of the World by UNESCO. This was carried out at the 12th session of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee on Jeju Island, South Korea. The yacht Phinisi itself is inherited from the legendary sailors of South Sulawesi. The Bugis and Makassar tribes are indeed known as native archipelago sailors who are very formidable. The construction of the first Phinisi yacht can be traced back to the 14th century. According to the ancient manuscript of Lontarak I Babad La Lagaligo, Phinisi yachts were made by the community around the waters of the villages of Ara, Tanah Lemo, and Bira which are located hundreds of kilometers away from Makassar, the capital city of South Sulawesi.

Phinisi as the flagship yacht for Komodo liveaboard trip

For centuries Phinisi yachts are best known as a ship that is very resilient in conquering the ocean and facing large waves. This traditionally handmade yachts have been cruising oceans across the globe. During the Sriwijaya powerful reign in the 17th century, Phinisi was recorded as having sailed the ocean to the island of Madagascar, Africa. In 1986, Phinisi has reached Vancouver Canada and then Japan in 1987. Today, we can still see Phinisi yachts beautifully sail in the ocean. For its resilience and delicacy, Phinisi yacht has become a flagship yacht for Komodo liveaboard.

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Philosophy and cultural believes behind a Phinisi yacht 

Did you know that every part of the yacht has a philosophical meaning? The seven boat sails, for example, are the symbol of the seven oceans in the world that Phinisi aimed to sail. Anyway, constructing a Phinisi yacht is not an easy thing to do. It requires a lot of time and energy, but less people. Phinisi yacht is made by five persons since Bugis tribes believe that too many people will only reduce the artistic value in it. Each process of making the yacht which starting from the search for wood, felling trees, laying the keel, until the ship is ready to be used to sail, cannot be separated from traditional ceremonies.