SAILING IN INDONESIA

SILOLONA

Sailing in Indonesia Text: Isabelle Fougère Photography: Stéphane Francès / onlyfrance.fr

The Silolona is 47 meters long and can carry up to ten passengers; it is solid and seaw Like all the “phinisis�, the traditional sailing boats in these islands, it is rigged with se

worthy, and also spacious and comfortable, with berths for up to ten passengers. even large black sails, and it can reach up to 12 knots.

Patty See

When Patty was a child and first read Moby Dick, she dreamt of being captain of a wha She explored the most remote islands, meeting isolated communities, studying their tr

ery is a remarkable American woman ready to welcome you on board her magnificent boat: Silolona saiing in the heart of the remote Nusa Tenggara islands,

aling ship. In 1981, she discovered Indonesia. raditions and animistic believes, and organizing exhibitions of traditional and folk art.

The fifteen sailors are busy with the rigging, and the black sails flap in the breeze.

Patty Seery has created attractive environments featuring articles and fabrics picked Each cabin is decorated in the style of one of the islands, e.g. Bali, Asmat or Borneo.

d up from various points in Indonesia.

In the Bali suite, a white orchid stands in front of the porthol

le, shimmering in the orange gold rays of the sun already moving on a downward path‌

‌while up on deck, the chef, William Collier, has prepared a meal for the passengers – a

a perfect balance between the flavors of the Orient and the Mediterranean.

The brown of the Silolona forms a striking contrast with the sparkling turquoise water: warm timber on a picture postcard sea.

So here we are, cruising through a peaceful seascape in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Th of golden sand. There is Sumba the island of spirits and megaliths, Komodo the dragon

he land views offer contrasts with tropical growth, bald hilltops and small coves island, Rinca the wild island, Sangeang the volcanic island, and many others.

How Silolona Saved the Human Race Many long years ago, on the Tanimbar archipelago, a beautiful young woman named Silolona was married to a handsome young man named Atuf. In those days, the blazing sun burnt with such heat that it killed any form of human life; and Silolona could not escape that fate. Her husband, in desperation, set off on a journey to attack the murderous planet in the skies, and the spirit of the beautiful Silolona traveled with him. After criss-crossing the islands of Indonesia (peregrinations reminiscent of the Odyssey of Ulysses), the husband managed to stab the sun and, in doing so, created the stars and saved the human race.

SILOLONA

Sailing in Indonesia Text: Isabelle Fougère Photography: Stéphane Francès / onlyfrance.fr