Religious ritual plays a large part in the building of the Balinese jukung, left.from the felling of the tree to the blessing of the boat to assure its seaworthiness. Although jukung can refer to a wide array of different rigs, in East Java , Bali and Madura it means a double-outrigger canoe of traditional design. Below, a typical Bangladesh workboat, about 18ft long, is propelled by oars, pole or sails and serves its owners as a transport , home or fishing boat.
(Celebes) comprised one of the largest commercial sail fleets anywhere in the world . The traditional rounded hulls , with keels tapered to the stem and stem posts , carried a European gaff rig , modified over time and as conditions dictated . In the past decade , a concerted government effort to modernize Indonesia ' s extensive sail-powered fleet has virtually eliminated the pinisis from the scene. In his Sailing Ships of Indonesia, Adrian Horridge has described in graphic detail the demise of these proud ships. ''The hulls had been built with a rounded keel that had no provision for a protected engine ... [and] the hulls were shaken to bits by the vibration for which they were never designed . Between August 1982 and August 1983 , seventeen [motorized pinisis] valued at US$30 ,000-60,000 each, sank in the Java Sea. " The pinisi built at Expo was launched on Indonesia Day , 16 August, and lay at the International Wharf for the remainder of Expo. She was joined there by another 130ft pinisi which had been sailed from Indonesia-a demonstration of the seaworthiness of these hard-driven cargo ships. From the Philippines, we acquired two moro-vintas , fleet, carved outriggers used for transport in the inland lakes and coastal waters of the southern islands . I was happy to learn that the construction of the moro-vintas destined for Expo was proceeding on schedule. But, though I had no time to investigate further , I was left with the impression that these comprised only a fraction of the Philippines' maritime tradition . My next stop was in Hong Kong from where, with the help of some enthusiastic corporate sponsors, we acquired six dragon boats which were brought to Vancouver for racing. The dragon boats are used in the annual dragon boat festival , a Chinese celebration which dates to the fifth century BC and which commemorates the death of the poet Chu Yuan, a statesman of the Chou Dynasty who was forced from office and exiled by a corrupt government. In protest of this action , Chu Yuan jumped into the Mi Lo River and drowned. Local fishermen searched for him , while beating the water with their oars and sounding drums and gongs to scare off the dragons and fish that would prey on his remains. Rice dumplings wrapped in silk were thrown into the water as an offering to his spirit. Today the dragon boat races reenact the legendary search for Chu Yuan. Each boat has a crew of twenty-two , including the drummer. During the race, the dragon boats come alive, flying through the water in a flurry of spray amid a cacophony of drums and gongs. In Vancouver, we had a series of dragon boat races using non-professional crews. The overall winner of this event was sent to Hong Kong to compete in the international races in June. To everyone's surprise, the Canadian team placed second overall. The six boats brought to Vancouver were donated to the Chinese Community Center at the conclusion of Expo, and it has been proposed that Vancouver hold its own dragon boat races. From Hong Kong, I continued on to the People 's Republic 30
A gondola and, in background, a banjarmasin tambangan such as one might see taxiing passengers through the canals of Venice and Djakarta.
SEA HISTORY, SPRING 1987