2012-10-13 09:00:00
Established in 1995, the Traditional Fleet of Indonesia is the brainchild of Robin Engel, President of SongLine Cruises and Dick Bergsma of Sea Trek.
When they met, Bergsma had already been ferrying international travelers to Indonesia's outer reaches on Bugis Pinisi schooners for a number of years, while an interest in scuba diving, marine conservation and Indonesian tourism had inspired Engel to begin commissioning these classic ships. With their combined experience, similar objectives and a shared love of the sea, they decided to consolidate independently operated traditional ships into a more efficient fleet.
Robin Engel, President SongLine Cruises of Indonesia & Co-Founder of the Traditional Fleet
Their operations have since complemented each other perfectly to give visitors to Indonesia a whole range of Marine Tourism oriented options.
Over the years, the Traditional Fleet membership has grown to include many of the traditional vessels operating here in the Republic of Indonesia. While all of the members vessels of this organization are independently operated, this site provides you with a comprehensive summary and access to most of these fine vessels.
Buy working together with the other members of the Traditional Fleet we continually try to insure that the fleet is distributed evenly throughout the archipelago providing access to as many of the interesting destinations as possible. Scheduled cruises & private charters are offered, and although the itineraries are of different lengths and operate at different times throughout the year, they follow the same routes the Bugis people sailed for thousands of years. The Traditional Fleet presently provides programs of interest to Scuba Divers, Surfers, Sailing Enthusiasts, Conservation groups, Wildlife explorations and even commercial interests.
The vessels making up the Traditional Fleet are specially designed to suit all kinds of budgets and requirements, from casual tourist to the adventurous backpacker. Each boat comes with its own fully qualified crew and includes all meals prepared on board, fresh water and soft drinks in its cruise price.
Whatever you want to do and whichever vessel you choose to do it on, the beauty of this kind of sailing is that you can head for secluded islands and waters that would be virtually impossible to reach even for the most intrepid traveler. Pristine beaches, uninhabited islands and some of the world's best dive sites are yours to explore, untouched by tourism and therefore unspoiled. A rich cultural and natural experience, it is the ideal activity to add to any visit to Indonesia. And as the archipelago has so much to offer in the way of sailing, you can have as many return cruises as you like and still not see it all.
2012-10-13 09:00:00