PHINISI SPIRIT
Launched in 2014, the Manta Mae is a 31-meter Phinisi ironwood schooner. No ordinary luxury yacht, it’s for the spirited few with a song in their heart, a curious mind, and a passion for cruising some of the most extraordinary places on the planet. With its twin masts, elegant bowsprit and seven-sail rigging, the Manta Mae evokes the romance of a bygone age, where Bugis and Makassan seafarers plied the shallow waters of the ‘East Indies’ on traditional Phinisi vessels laden with valuable spices. In a world of commonplace modern yacht charters, the Manta Mae celebrates the spirit of Indonesia’s maritime heritage while letting new generations explore its eastern archipelagos in personalized crafted private charters for the select few.
Manta Mae is the essence of an ancient romantic tradition fused with modern design and technology. The keel was sculpted on the beach at Bira from a single rare Ironwood tree found in the jungles of Kalimantan, and shaped following traditional methods of construction as well as mystical rituals handed down through generations. After the hull and superstructure were completed, she was hand-hauled into the water and floated on a high tide, then moved to Bali where master craftsmen fitted it out using the best natural materials – polished Indonesian teakwood for the decks, and interiors richly adorned with fossilized wood and semi-precious stones from Madagascar. Its Italian owner is happy to share this glorious schooner by making it available for exclusive charters when he is not on board.
