Phinisi Liveboard for Diving Trips

Liveaboard is a common term in marine tourism where travelers stay in a boat for several days on a diving tour to several islands whose underwater world is still in pristine condition. The invention of  steel and welding eliminated the use of wood in the construction of big ships. Today the hulls of giant cruise ships, tankers and cargo vessels are completely made of steel. Only some part of decking and significant portion of the interior that still use wood. Naval architecture still use wood in big ships because of aesthetic reason. A lot of modern ships still have tables, beds and wardrobe that are made of wood.
The operation of liveaboards in coral reef areas such as the ones in Raja Ampat and Iris Strait of Kaimana regency must not harm the marine environment that thrive underwater. Boat operators must not release their anchors on the reef. 

FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics) and GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastics) as composite material for boatbuilding are mostly used in small to medium size boats. In tourism industry where speed and time is not an important issue, the use of wood in cruise boats is very high. Wood gives more classic look and beauty to cruise boats. Liveaboards, for example, are mostly built from wood. Liveboards are boat that are designed and built for tourists. In Indonesia, liveaboards are mostly used in diving tours. Scuba divers stay in the wooden boats for around 1 week during the dive tour that brings them to several remote islands whose coral reefs are still in pristine condition. The most famous type of wooden boats in the liveaboard tours is the phinisi boat. FRP is still used to improve the watertight property of deck, and hulls in wooden boats.

Indonesian Coast Guard Boat in Manokwari Harbor

When I was in Manokwari harbor last month, I saw a mono-hull fast boat parking at the pier. The background of this boat was the building of West Papua's provincial house of representative. It belongs to KPLP which stands for Kesatuan Penjagaan Laut dan Pantai or simply the coast guard of Indonesia. Because most of its hull and superstructure are made of FRP material, the boat is light and can move very fast on the water.

I didn't see any armaments installed on the main deck of the boat. Perhaps only the Indonesian navy that is allowed to have guns aboard their patrol boats and ships to defend the territory of Indonesian. So, the main task of the KPLP boat, perhaps, is to oversee the water from smugglers, or foreign fishing boats. I did not have any chances of exploring its interior because there was no one inside the boat. In my opinion, it looks more like a pleasure boat than a coast guard boat.
To run in higher speed on the surface of the water, the boat needs to have smaller block coefficient and powerful engine. Smaller Cb will compromise the size and arrangement of the rooms inside the hull. Because patrol boat is used mostly for one day trip at sea, it will not be a problem for its crews. by Charles Roring
Also read: Inflatable boat

FRP Boat used by a fisherman in Manokwari bay

FRP or Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic is a kind of material that is used in the construction of small boat. One day, when I was guiding some Dutch tourists to a jetty in Kwawi area of Manokwari, I saw an outrigger FRP boat that was approaching the beach. Its main hull was made of FRP material but its outriggers were made of wood and bamboo. FRP is light and anti corrosive. However, it is not easy to find FRP materials in Manokwari. That's why most of the fishermen still use wood and bamboo to make their boats.

Most of the outrigger boats are powered with Yamaha outboards with 3 bladed propellers. The Yamaha outboards are available in 15, 25, and 40 horse power. In addition to Yamaha, other outboards manufacturers are Mariner, Johnson, and Honda. But Yamaha is the most popular engine for the fishermen.
Manokwari is the capital of West Papua province in the bird's head region (vogelkop) of New Guinea island. Its waters is rich of coral reef fish and deep sea fish due to its location that is facing the Pasific Ocean. Tourists who come to Manokwari can enjoy fishing, snorkeling, or wave surfing. Those who like mountains and rainforest can go hiking in Arfak mountains to watch wild animals such as birds of paradise, cuscus and tree kangaroo. When guiding tourists for snorkeling off the coast of Mansinam island or Anggresi beach, I always rent a boat from a fisherman. His boat is not made of FRP materials but the conventional wood but its design is very similar to the outrigger FRP boat above.
Related articles: Wooden boats in the Dorey bay of Manokwari, Passenger boat and ferry boat in Manokwari harbor

Inflatable Boat

Inflatable boat is a kind of boat whose bouyant apparatus (tube hull) will not absorb water when it experiences damages due to collision, leakages, brakes, or cracks. The inflatable boat does not have hollow hull. The hull tube which is the main buoyant vessel is filled with special foam whose specific weight is much lighter than the specific weight of the water. Inflatable boats are often used by Search And Rescue team, military personnel and any parties who work in unfavorable marine environment. Cities that are located in the lowland areas often experience flooding after heavy rain. I remembered the time when hurrican Cathrina hit New Orleans a few years ago. SAR team used inflatable boats that are powered by diesel or gasoline outboards engines to evacuate people who are trapped during the flood. The boats do not need a lot of maintenance because much of their bodies or hulls are made of rubber and other synthetic materials. Boats that are made of wood and steel need regular maintenance to prevent or minimize corrosion.

Other application of foam as fill material in marine devices is lifebuoy. Inflatable lifebuoy has long been recognized in the marine world. The inflatable lifebuoy will be thrown to crew or passenger of a boat or ship who has fallen into the sea. Classification Societies and SOLAS regulations have certain rules and requirements for the installation of inflatable lifebuoys, rafts and boats in big ships as life saving devices which people can use to escape if their ships are facing severe accidents at sea.
The picture of the inflatable boat above was taken at the wooden boat harbor of Anggrem area in Manokwari city of West Papua. This boat belongs to Indonesian army and has 10 seats powered with two Yamaha outboards. As a matter of fact, if the seats are removed, the inflatable boat can carry up to fifteen people. On the stern part of the boat, we can see the logo of the manufacturer, Hammer and Hammer Shark.
I took the picture using my digital camera Sony Cybershot DSC W-310 when I was guiding a group of tourists from the Netherlands in February 2011. They visited this coastal city for participating in the Gospel Preaching Day both in Kwawi area and Mansinam island. The Dutch travelers were the decendants of WL. Jens. A Dutch pioneer who was working as missionary in late 1800s in the Dore bay of Manokwari. by Charles Roring
Also read: Outrigger boat as tourist vehicle

Ferry Boat Service Between Manokwari city and Numfor island

Ferry boat services that connect towns and islands in the Cendrawasih bay play very important role in the economic development of Papuan people living in the region. In recent months, I have been promoting Numfor as another tourist destination in West Papua. Numfor is a beautiful tropical island located in the bay which was called Geelvink baai during the Dutch colonial period. 

Motor Vessels

Ferry boat Kasuari Pasifik IV sails from Manokwari to Numfor twice a week. It also goes to Biak island and returns to Manokwari again. I expect the number of tourists visiting Numfor island to rise significantly in the next few months. Besides Kasuari Pasific, other boats that go to Numfor are Motor Vessel or MV Yap Wairon and MV Papua 5. Because they are not equipped with ramp door, they cannot be loaded with cars. For Kasuari Pasifik, because its type is a roro vessel, it can carry several cars or trucks in it. Its capacity is five hundred economic class passengers.

Economy Class

Most passengers buy economy class tickets (Rp. 30,000/person). It takes around 5 hours to reach Numfor island for Manokwari city. The General Arrangement of the motor vessels are not the same. For Yap Wairon, passengers can sleep on the beds in the compartments of two decks below the main deck. For Kasuari Pasifik, there is no bed available for economy class travelers. But it has a TATAMI Class where passengers can have sleep on the bunks located at the back room of the second deck. I personally do not recommend the Tatami Class for foreign tourists because of its high vibration which is not comfortable for people who want to sleep.

VIP Class

Every steel boat has VIP class on one of the compartments of its second deck. For KM Yap Wairon, the price of the ticket is Rp. 90,000/passenger and for KM Kasuari Pasifik IV, it is Rp. 40,000. The seats are similar to the seats which we usually see on board of a jet airplane. It is fully air conditioned.

Sun Deck

This is the best place for tourists who want to take pictures of the surrounding scenery. It is only available at KM Kasuari Pasifik. Sometimes, dolphins can be seen clearly migrating in the Cendrawasih bay from this deck. You need to request a permission from the crews of the boat if you want to be allowed to have access to the sun deck.

Concerns among tourists over the plastic wastes problem

When tourists go to Numfor island by Kasuari Pasifik, they often see passengers and crew of the boat throw plastic wastes into the sea. They have expressed their disappointment about this practice to the boat crew several times. They said that if people in Geelvink baai want to get more tourists coming to the region, they have to keep the sea clean. I think it takes time to raise awareness among the people in Papua to stop throwing their plastic and other harmful wastes into the sea.

Also read:

• Stop throwing plastic wastes into the sea
• Trimaran a fast passenger boat 
• Interior of passenger ship and cruise ship

Wasior Before the Flood

Wasior is the capital of Wondama Bay Regency. This was a small transit town for foreign travelers who want to enjoy snorkeling and scuba diving in the coral reef of the National Park of Cendrawasih Bay. Well, during the Dutch colonial period, the bay had been called Geelvink bay. The recent flood that hit Wasior greatly changed the town and affect the whole population in the regency.

Two weeks before the disaster, two Dutch tourists visited the islands around the Wondama regency by boat. They were Pieter Wieringa and his wife. They took a lot of photographs of the tropical islands in the Cendrawasih bay. Before leaving for the Netherlands, they gave me the pictures and asked me to promote Wasior for eco-tourism scheme that is related to marine recreational activities. They gave me the photographs before leaving for the Netherlands. Today it is impossible to arrange boat for snorkeling or diving trip from the harbor of Wasior. PELNI ferry boats or passenger ships still visit Wasior after the flood but I am not sure whether they will continue to serve the town that is now almost empty.

Mud still covers much of the town with hundreds of people have become victims of the flood. If you still plan to visit the bay, you can change your flight plan to Manokwari, the capital city of West Papua province in Indonesia. I know that Susi Air, a domestic airline company in Indonesia provides daily flights from Manokwari to Wasior. I think today they still provide such service due to the increasing demand from the people and the government to distribute supplies to and rescue refugees from the town.  From Manokwari, everything can be arrange for your diving trip in the marine park of Cendrawasih bay. You might not be able to visit Wasior at the moment because the whole town has been crippled by the flood.

As a tourist guide, I suggest that you go to Manokwari or Nabire if you still want to snorkel or scuba dive in the region. Other alternative places for you are Mansinam, Lemon, Raimuti and Kaki islands. They still have beautiful underwater world that is worth exploring.

Through this post I want to express my condolences to all the victims of the October 2010 flood and their relatives. I pray that God will strengthen and bless them through this difficult times. by Charles Roring

Underwater photographs of Coral Reef in Mansinam island

I have been snorkeling around the coral reefs in the tropical islands around Manokwari regency of Indonesia since early this 2010. I have seen beautiful underwater world including high biodiversity of marine species that live among the corals. But I had not been able to present the beauty of the marine ecosystem in the waters of Dorey bay of Papua until 4 days ago. Last month I bought a waterproof case to protect my digital camera Sony Cybershot while I am in the water taking pictures of the beautiful marine environment. I was not sure whether the case was good enough to keep my camera dry when I moved in the water.

 

When I tested the water housing a few days ago while snorkeling in Mansinam island, I was happy to see that it worked really well. The light from the sun was bright enough to show the ornamental fish such as the zebra fish and the yellow tailed blue fish that were moving among the healthy corals.

They were not afraid of me when I was taking the underwater photographs of them. I was really excited to see the first photos taken from the Mansinam island that morning. Actually my camera is an ordinary camera which does not have waterproof capability. I only changed it into an underwater camera by inserting it into a digital camera waterproof case manufactured by Dicapac - a Korean company specializing in producing underwater equipment.

Beatiful coral reef and marine fish can be seen easily if we travel to the southern part of Mansinam island - around 2 kilometers from the village that is facing the Manokwari city.
The cheapest way to enjoy snorkeling in the tropical island is going by boat or water taxi. The rate is Rp. 3,000 per passenger. Every boat can carry passengers up to 16 or 20 passengers. If you travel in group of ten then leasing a boat is a wise choice. You can ask him to bring you to any part of the island. The normal rate for boat rent is Rp. 350,000. The boatman will standby you if the water current is strong. He will drive his outboard engine boat to you and ask you to hold the outrigger of the boat which is made of bamboo. Once you hold the bamboo, he will drag you back to the beach.
I am really concerned about the marine pollution in the Dorey bay of Manokwari city. Every day, people throw plastic bottles to the streets of the city. When rain comes, they will be swept away and end up at sea.
I decide to put pictures of the beautiful coral fish and coral reef hoping that the city dwellers will be amazed by them and stop throwing wastes into the sea anymore. Although I am not an underwater photographer, I believe that the quality of the pictures is good enough to present how beautiful the underwater world of Mansinam island is.
If you are interested in traveling to Mansinam island, you can contact me - Charles Roring - via email peace4wp@gmail.com, I will be happy to guide you around the islands and forest in this regency.
Also read:
Coral reef preservation and Ecotourism in Kaki island
Coral reef preservation in Dorey bay of Manokwari

Coral Reef Preservation and Ecotourism in Kaki island

After writing about coral reef preservation in the Dorey bay of Manokwari regency, now I am going to discuss about similar marine environment in Pantura region. One of the ecotourism destinations that I am now developing for tourists is Kaki island. Here the activities which they can enjoy are swimming, snorkeling, bird watching, fishing and eating lobster. Coral reefs around Kaki island and several coral islets in the region are still in good condition. I met a local Papuan fisherman there in July 2010 and expressed my opinion about how I and the local villagers along the northern coast can preserve the precious coral reef both for sustainable fishing and ecotourism trips. I told him that it is against the law if fishermen use bomb or explosive materials to catch fish. He agreed with that.

Kaki island is located near the Nuni village and I had successfully made a short video about how a small boy took his net bag from the sea which had been filled with lobsters. We all know that the price of lobster is expensive. The boys there caught lobsters at night. They dive without using diving gear. With only some outrigger boats, they catch lobsters that live among the corals. To catch the lobsters they use flashlight. They also wear gloves to protect their skin from sharp thorns that exist skin or shell of the lobsters.  The fishermen in Nuni village usually sell their catch to fish vendor in Kwawi near the boat terminal. The vendor will export them to his customers in big cities in Java.  Coral reef is the tropical rainforest of the sea. It is home to a lot of species of fish and other marine animals. While I was snorkeling with the Labrees in Kaki island in July 2010, I saw various species of fish and corals under the surface of the sea. I also saw some  tridacna clams which the fishermen had caught and put inside their boat. When these clams were still alive, you must not touch the inside part of the shells or your fingers will be cut by them. They are delicious food for the villagers. I hope that the local people there know how to preserve these important clams through sustainable fishing practices for the future generation of Papuan people. The sea in the northern coast is still clean. The coral reef there is healthy and full of marine animals.

Tourists who want to come to Kaki island must know that the current in the area is strong. They should not enjoy snorkeling there if they are not experience enough in handling such condition. Tourists should be accompanied by at least one local fisherman who parks his motorized boat between a sand dune and the Kaki island. If they are pushed away by the water current, the fisherman can move his boat closer to them so that they can easily reach and hold the outriggers of the boat and be dragged back to the shore. I don't know the exact price for a trip to island but the boat driver may request 100 thousand to 200 rupiahs. Try to bargain with him if you consider that the initial price that he ask of you is expensive. Usually, when the boat is not used for transporting tourists, it will be used for catching fish.

Additional income which fishermen get from the ecotourism activities in Kaki island is expected to support them financially so that they will not be tempted to use destructive fishing method that will be harmful to the coral reef ecosystem and to the fishermen themselves.

The nearby forest of the Nuni village is also in good condition. This tropical rainforest is home to cockatoo, hornbills, lory and reptiles that are endemic to Papua island. Ecotourism that I am developing in the region is still in her early stage. I hope that with more tourists coming to Nuni and the whole Pantura region, local Papuan people and city dwellers in Manokwari will give more attention to their forest and the marine environment and seriously protect them from any kind of destructive activities. by Charles Roring

Also read: Coral Reef Sites in Papua

Wooden Boats in Indonesian islands

Wooden boats have been transporting goods and people from one island to another in Indonesia  for years. As the largest archipelago in the world, sea transportation plays a very important role in the economic livelihood of the people. Wooden boats have been used by villagers in Indonesian islands to bring agricultural produce to coastal towns and big cities and to buy manufactured goods that they need. In the past decades, Phinisi sailing boats were used by seafarers in South Celebes. They sailed with their traditional wooden boats throughout the world. They have even claimed that the Phinisi have traveled as far as Europe and North America.

Today, cargo wooden boats that are powered by marine diesel engines and four blade propellers serve the people in coastal villages and towns in Indonesia. In the photograph of this post, you can see three wooden boats berthing at a jetty in the Dorey bay of Manokwari. Their sizes and design are not too different. These boats transport goods and people and have become important economic backbone for the development of villages in the isolated region of West Papua. The wooden boats play two function. They are used as ferries, and at the same time cargo boats. Although small holds are provided, goods are also stored together with the passengers at the same decks or compartments. Sometimes we will see domesticated animals (such as pigs, and goats) are loaded at the same decks with the passengers. Well, that's how these boats are used in developing maritime nations such as Indonesia, and perhaps the Philipines.
When I visited these boats, and checked the inside interior, I found that they are lack of life saving appliances. SOLAS and Load lines regulations have not been strictly enforced in Indonesia especially among the seafarers who operate such boats. 

It is not surprising to see that sea accident frequently occurs due to overload of goods and passengers on these kind of boats. Although Indonesia has a classification society, Biro Klasifikasi Indonesia (KI), most of the constructions of these boats are carried out in the villages where the offices of KI do not exist. The boats are designed and constructed without the supervision of naval architects whose expertise include the checking of the position of center of gravity (VCG and LCG) and the calculation of initial stability, and the application of freeboard or loadlines regulation, as well as other construction rules related to wooden boat construction. As a result, many of the traditional wooden boats both the sailing ones and the motorized ones are still not equipped with KI certifications.

Water Taxi in Manokwari

City dwellers and foreign tourists who want to go Mansinam and Lemon islands will usually go by water taxi. This is the only public transportation that is available in the Dorey bay. If you have just arrived in this city and want to travel around the islands that I just mentioned above, you can ask ojek (motorcycle taxi) to take you to Ketapang Boat Station. It is located in Kwawi area next to the residence of a prominent Papuan artist Mr. Tonci Krey. 

Usually some outrigger motorized wooden boats wait for passengers in the morning at 8 a.m. The rate for going to Mansinam or Lemon is 3,000 rupiahs/ person. Actually, the boats are not worthy to be called taxi because they are not the same as sedan which you see in big cities. But here we like to call such boats as Taksi Air or Water Taxi. Because Manokwari city is located in  Papua which is a tropical island, the temperature during the day is high and hot. Make sure that you have applied sun screen lotion and wear a hat before embarking on the water taxi whose hull is not covered with any superstructure on it. The water taxi is a very basic boat that is also used by the local Papuan to catch fish.

When the passengers are full, the freeboard of the boat is very small. A large ripple from the sea can bring significant amount of sea water which will splash and wet your body. If you bring digital video or photo camera, put it inside its casing and then inside your travel bag so that it won't get wet and damaged in case sea waves splash into the boat and on your body.

Sometimes you need to ask the boat driver to reduce the speed or change the angle of the stem when you see big waves can make you wet and damage your electronic equipment or even make the boat capsized But don't worry, the water taxi drivers in this bay are experienced enough in handling their boats during such dangerous condition.

Sometimes special tent can be installed in the boat for tourists who want to travel around the islands in the Dorey bay but the travel guide has to contact the boat owner and arrange for such trip. by Charles Roring

Hybrid solar photovoltaic - wind system is applicable to power boats

Last night while I was surfing on the internet, I found a website which displayed a picture of a boat that is powered by sunlight. It is called Solar Sailor. It is the proud of Australia, especially the city of Sydney. It features a futuristic design with a catamaran twin-hull form and solar panels that also function as "sails". The catamaran has got eight solar panels mounted on top of its roof. The panels can be adjusted to harness both the sun and the wind. When adjusted to near vertical positions, the panels will function as sails. Photovoltaic panels absorbs solar energy and convert it to electricity. The electricity is then used to drive electric motors that propel the boat.

Back-up batteries are needed to store the electrical energy and can be fully charged in four hours. During the 2000 Sydney Olympic games, the boat attracted worldwide attention both from the mass-media and sports' fans who went to attend the games.

In general, one hull design boat has high frictional and wave resistance. To minimize it, the designers of the boat applied a twin-hull type called catamaran that reduce the block coefficient of the watercraft. This kind of design makes the deck area larger and more stable. As passenger ferry and hospitality vessel, the boat can carry 110 passengers, and is operated by two crews. Solar Sailor is the word's largest solar vessel of her era. It is also the first commercial marine vessel which has been totally powered by a combination of renewable energy i.e. the sun and the wind.

It is also important to see that the boat does not emit fumes, noise, and does not pollute sea water. Since the boat is an environmentally friendly marine vehicle, it can enter various restricted waterways which are sensitive.

The introduction of solar boat into the world market opens more possibilites for the application of such hybrid system as photovoltaic - wind energy in many other boats and ships. Unfortunately, the cost of producing highly efficient mono-crystalline photovoltaic cells is still high. Such investment is worth it if we take into account the environmental impacts that solar boat brings. It does not need fossil fuel so it will not emit toxic gases which significantly contribute to air and water pollution as well as global warming. Such savings in fuel is very important in todays situation when the soaring price of fossil fuel has reached 140 dollars/ barrel as of June 2008. by Charles Roring