Once we had turned off the engine on the tender, in the safety of silence, one took off and the rest began to follow. Hundreds rose up from mangroves in sequence and flew above us, with wings so heavy we could hear them breaking the air as they crossed the dusk sky. Few would say fruit bats are a desirable encounter, let alone hundreds of them, but floating here in paralysing stillness, watching as the orange flame from the last of the sun gave way to complete darkness for the stars, these misunderstood creatures embodied an almost holy elegance.
The bat migration was one of many serendipitous scenes we experienced on a sailing trip around Komodo National Park in the Indonesian archipelago. We were on Vela, a newly built, dashingly handsome phinisi boat launched by the young founders of Nirjhara, one of Bali’s best hotels, which opened under the radar just before the start of the pandemic. Vela’s conception has been three years in the making and was led by naval architect Tresno Seery, whose mother Patti launched this type of travel for the luxury market in Indonesia 18 years ago with Silolona Sojourns, which he now steers. On the third night of our trip, in Batu Moncho Bay, we watched as Silolona dropped anchor near us and two generations of phinisi went to sleep together.
Centuries ago, these wooden boats were used in the silk trade to transport spices, sandalwood and textiles. Their construction was a hybrid between the old Bugis-Makassar boat building techniques of South Sulawesi and the style of 19th-century Western sailing ships. Phinisi are designed to withstand monsoons and typically have seven sails on two masts. Vela gracefully honours this Sulawesi craft tradition, while elevating it for travel in this century. Marble bathrooms feature walls in colour-block tiles by Gaya Ceramic in Bali while, in the bedrooms, Hermès fabrics cover deep armchairs and palm motifs cover the walls. There is space for up to 12 sleeping in six staterooms – most impressive is the Owner’s Suite on the top deck – and double that number in crew.
One early morning hike up Padar brought sweeping views of the island’s three bays, with charcoal, pink and pearly white sands. Another led us to a beach on Komodo Island, nervously tracking a dribbling Komodo dragon, which was clearly eyeing its prey with a deadpan stare and forked tongue shooting out. There are about 1,700 of these strange creatures on the island, who are vulnerable only to eagles and fellow dragons – even newborns are forced to hide in nesting holes and trees from their own parents, as they are known to viciously devour each other. Unfairly, due to its size and ability to protect itself, the average male lives until about 55, while the female lasts only 20-35 years.
Below the water, this part of Indonesia is a diver’s paradise, with the chance to see six species of endangered sea turtles as well as manta rays – some as long as eight metres and weighing a hefty 1,350kg. One morning in Loh Liang, we woke to a trio of dolphins dipping in and out of the calm, glass-like water, teasing us to follow their dance. Later, baby mantas squirmed away as we approached an empty desert island beach, with water as clear and still as a lagoon and cliffs on either side casting shade from the powerful equatorial sun. At the next stop, blue sea stars in the shallow waters were still, apparently unfazed by our excitement.
Each day typically brought two or three relocations in our circumnavigation of Komodo and back towards Badjo on Flores Island. Currents dominate the waters, bringing an element of surprise as to where we could go and when. One evening, as we returned to Vela on the tender, leaving the sun behind and heading into the clouds that circled over Komodo, experiences manager Yoyok Hariawan explained the importance of embracing the unknown. My gaze followed a deep fracture along to the top of a mountain where just the black silhouettes of lontar palm trees were swinging from side to side, like balloons on a string. Yoyok continued, ‘These trees grow only on mountain tops, and their large leaves and bark shavings were once used as paper for writing letters. They only live once, so when they die, they never grow back.’ In Indonesia, the prevailing attitude is to live in the present and welcome the uncertainties each moment could bring.
WAYS AND MEANS
Private charter of Vela starts at £12,500 per night, full-board, including all meals, non-alcoholic beverages, spa treatments and activities. Tailored itineraries are available in Komodo and Raja Ampat. For more information, visit sailvela.com.
