” Nenek moyangku orang pelaut
gemar mengarung luas samudra..“
“My ancestors are voyagers..they like to sail across the ocean..” That is roughly the meaning of the first few lines of an Indonesia children song titled “Nenek Moyangku Seorang Pelaut” composed by Ibu Sud. This song was created based on reality – our ancestors are indeed voyagers.
Indonesia is the country with the largest archipelago in the world, comprising more than 17,000 islands. From the information shared by Good News Indonesia that if we spend only one night on each island, we need at least 37 years to explore all the islands. Do you still remember the story I told you before about the Bajau people in Torosiaje? They sailed from place to place and will only settle down after they found a place that is suitable for them to live – usually near to the sea or even on the sea.
It is then the Phinisi boats were born, in 1500s. Until now, Tana Beru, the boatbuilder village in Bulukumba, South Sulawesi, is still popular with the Phinisi boat building. All the phinisi boats that we can see sailing around Indonesia are most probably from there. Phinisi boat has become the legend of maritime in Indonesia and also the pride of Indonesia.
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Earlier this year, after I came back from my Raja Ampat trip, as usual, I would head on to the gym or swimming pool downstairs in my apartment. The pool is facing the Jakarta Bay where I could see some of the passenger and fisherman boats stationed or passing by not far from my sight. As I threw my eyes far ahead beyond the pool, my eyes were stuck to a few boats that looked different from the rest. It is bigger, outstanding. I tried to pinch my eyes to get a clearer view and to my surprise “Erh, those are Phinisi boats! Since when there are such boats sailing around here?”
The next morning, I went down again and noticed that the boats were still there. I wondered if those boats coming from somewhere and just stationed here for a period of time for some purposes? I know some boats did that in other places in Indonesia. But in Jakarta? This is going to be the first. Labuan Bajo will be the first place that comes across people’s mind if talking about Phinisi. It is not wrong. But little did I know that there is something about to change.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Phinisi Boats by Trizara Resorts in Jakarta
Not long after, I received an invitation for the grand launching of the new venture of Trizara Resorts. It came together with the packing list that advised us to bring along sunblock, swimsuit, and other stuff related to the beach but without disclosing to us where will be the venue. Since the first venture is a glamping resort in Lembang, so, my guess that time only went far that the new venture would be the second Trizara Resorts that is located on one of the islands in Seribu (Pulau Seribu). It had never crossed in my mind that it will be the Phinisi boats that have kept me wondering for weeks!
de Kartini, de Sartika and Sama Kamu
There are three Phinisi boats by Trizara Resorts – two bigger boats, named de Kartika and de Sartika while another one which is smaller, named Sama Kamu. For the grand launching, we got a privilege to go for a day trip to Pulau Pari on de Kartika.
That morning, we gathered at our meeting point, Baywalk Mall, at 6 am. Baywalk Mall is located at North Jakarta, not far from Muara Angke or Kaliadem Harbour where all the fast boats and traditional boats usually depart to Pulau Seribu from.
The good thing is, to get on board on de Kartika, we don’t need to go further to either one of the harbours mentioned above because it conveniently departs from the jetty of Baywalk Mall, just right behind the building. There are a few motorized boats – the water taxi, standing by to pick us up from the jetty and drop us to the de Kartini Phinisi Boat. One water taxi could take around 10-12 pax at one go. So, to transfer all of us that day which was around 60 plus pax, it didn’t take a very long time. It takes only about 5 minutes for each transfer.
From a distance, we could already see the boat crews in blue uniform ready to welcome us. The same great hospitality we got from Trizara Glamping Resorts in Lembang. The crews themselves are from different part of Indonesia. A few are even from Makassar. Once we are on board, we could see the outdoor lounge where the buffet spread are served. While I walked along the alley, somehow, I still couldn’t fully believe that I am taking a Phinisi boat in Seribu, Jakarta. If ever someone noticed my face that time, I grinned. More than once.
Why Phinisi Boat and Why de Kartini?
” Indonesia has many islands and it has potential. And Phinisi Boat is from Indonesia. It is a pride of Indonesia.” That’s roughly what Kunal, the owner of Trizara Resort with his wife, Jyotica, shared with us about their decision to get into this venture. I could tell how excited they are with this new venture.
“And why de Kartini? As you can see Kartini is one of the Indonesia heroines. It is also to explain that behind every successful man there is a great woman who always supports.” He told us how he had almost run out his steam during the process, it was his wife that keep cheering on him. It took two years to finally complete building the boats in Tana Beru, Sulawesi. It also explains why we can see the ceiling is full of Batik prints – because of Kartini, the world knows Batik.
The Facilities – De Kartini Phinisi Boat by Trizara Resorts
The capacity for the de Kartini Phinisi Boat is 150 pax. This makes it possible to hold special events such as gathering, wedding, birthday or any other corporate events on board. It has three storeys with following facilities:
- Two meeting rooms: Jepara Room with a 70 pax capacity and Kebaya Room with 60 pax capacity.
- One VIP room that can cater up to 20 pax with ensuite bathroom and mattress.
- Outdoor lounge with a buffet spread
- 360º panoramic view on the top deck with bean bags
- Musholla
- Speed boats
- Nine toilets – We call it “a toilet with a view” because there is a window we can see the outside view. The toilet has tiling, clean and neat.
All the rooms are fully air-conditioned. A water dispenser is available for us to refill our water bottle. Food, beverages and snacks are provided. Board and card games are also and available if we would prefer to stay indoors and play some games with friends or family. Else, we could go up and spend times enjoying the sun and the breeze on the upper deck. Beans bags are there for us to laze around while enjoying the beautiful view of Seribu Islands. The journey to the Seribu Islands has never been so comfortable and relaxing. If you have been to Seribu on other boats, you will certainly get what I mean.
De Kartini, as well as de Sartika, is not meant for live on board purposes. So, you won’t see any room cabin on the boat. Hence, if we want to spend overnight in Seribu after taking de Kartini, we will stay on one of the islands in Seribu and then board back on de Kartini the following day. Only the smaller Phinisi boat, Sama Kamu, has the cabin rooms.
Where Does de Kartini Sail to?
At the time I am writing this, de Kartini only sails to Pari Island. So, everyone will alight at Pari Island and guests are given time to explore Pari Island on their own leisure. There is a white sandy beach – Pantai Perawan (Virgin Beach), where we can swim, kayak, take a mangrove boat tour or just enjoying the coconut by the beach. Trizara Resorts will be adding snorkelling package as an option in the future soon. If we come as a big group and need to have some programme, fun activities or custom routes, Trizara Resorts can customize a package based on our request, too! For the day trip, by around 6 pm, we shall already be back to Jakarta.
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For those that concern about the suffering of going to Pulau Seribu because of the boat and the facilities, or the high cost of going to Labuan Bajo for enjoying the Phinisi Boat, you shall look into de Kartini by Trizara Resorts now. The ride is smooth, you barely feel the boat movement.
And for those who think Jakarta has nothing great to tell about, perhaps, we could now see this as something we could proudly share around. As mentioned earlier, Phinisi Boats are the pride of Indonesia – a masterpiece of Indonesia that can’t be compared to any other modern boats. It is built by man, one piece by one piece. Isn’t it gorgeous?
I always amazed by how one venture is started. I believe that if we started it right, everything is going to be alright. As much as I can tell the excitement of this new venture, I strongly believe that de Kartini will give Jakarta especially Pulau Seribu a little fresh air.
De Kartini has officially started sailing. Do contact Trizara Resorts for more information on how to get on board. Happy sailing! 😉
