If you were to visit the Indonesian archipelago in the late 19th or early 20th century, you would likely travel through its islands on a phinisi boat. A kind of nautical chimaera, a phinisi’s body is a narrow, rounded hull made of tropical hardwood and curving dramatically upward at the bow, while its seven-sail system is derived from typical European schooners. Though sailboats largely became redundant with the proliferation of gas engines, they can still be seen ferrying goods from island to island and, for the lucky few, hosting passengers on island-hopping visits, like the ones the luxury sailing yacht Vela embarks on around the Raja Ampat and Komodo islands.

Launched in 2022, Vela is the brainchild of French hoteliers Dimitri Tran and Adrien Portier, the founders of the luxury Nirjhara resort in Bali, who envisioned the yacht as an extension of their island oasis. Even amongst modern phinisi boats and their superlative luxury, Vela’s specs are impressive. The 50-metre-long sailing yacht was designed by the naval architect Tresno Seery and constructed in South Sulawesi by Konjo boatbuilders, who have been building these vessels for centuries.

Vela can host up to 12 guests in six cabins sumptuously appointed with custom teak furniture, upholstery from Hermès and Dedar Milano, and bathroom fittings designed by Philippe Starck. There are four comfortable staterooms below deck, one suite on the main deck, and a 430-square-foot owner’s suite—complete with custom marble vanities, a generous soaker tub, a private terrace, and nearly 360-degree views of the surrounding seascape—perched on the bridge deck.

Before embarking on a seaborne tour of Komodo Island, one must first arrive in Labuan Bajo, a small fishing village on the western edge of Flores Island, part of the constellation of volcanic outcrops known as Indonesia’s Lesser Sunda archipelago. As the boat navigates its way out of the busy harbour, pods of dolphins often travel alongside the fast-moving vessel, their dorsal fins glinting in the sun as they rise above the waves.

Typically, Vela’s first stop is Rinca Island, a nature reserve roughly two hours from Labuan Bajo. The small, 200-square-kilometre island is part of Komodo National Park, the only place on Earth where its namesake lizard can be observed in the wild. A wooden walkway, raised several metres off the ground, transports visitors from the port to a small museum and leaves the ground free for animals to roam undisturbed. During the scorching midday hours, the Komodo dragons generally lie prostrate in the shade, conserving energy for their dusk hunting period. A few smaller specimens can be seen ambling along the muddy banks of a stream, their oversized, clawed feet awkwardly slapping the ground like fin-wearing scuba divers on dry land (but make no mistake, Komodo dragons are swift when they need to be: they can run nearly 20 kilometres per hour in pursuit of prey). They’re not the only fauna on Rinca, however. Families of macaque monkeys swing from tree to tree, and a few timid deer serenely graze on the sparse grass, likely unaware of the danger lurking in the shrubs.

Komodo dragons are the marquee attraction for a trip to the region, but Vela is very much a maritime safari. Not only are the islands protected habitats, but the ecosystem below the water is too. Komodo National Park boasts some of the most pristine coral reefs on the planet. In the span of a few days, Vela navigates through renowned dive and snorkel spots like the Shotgun, where graceful mantas sail in the currents of an underwater canyon that runs between Gili Lawa Laut and Gili Lawa Darat islands. A small protected cove off Siaba Besar Island known as Turtle Point practically swarms with the doe-eyed reptiles, which flit to and fro in the glass-clear water and can occasionally be spotted napping on the corals about a dozen metres down.

On one of the most thrilling excursions, guests are ferried by tender boat to a desolate spot in the open water of Saleh Bay, where gargantuan whale sharks—the world’s largest fish and a protected species—feed on minuscule plankton and krill. In the early morning hours, armed with a pair of goggles and flippers, one can observe them slowly circling just beneath the boat, their spotted bodies so impossibly long that when nearing the surface their metres-long tails disappear into the the deep.

Another spectacular stop on Vela’s tour is the island of Satonda, an extinct volcano carpeted in dense jungle. A catastrophic eruption of Mount Tambora on nearby Sumbawa Island in 1815 flooded the freshwater lake in Satonda’s caldera, filling it with salt water. Floating on kayaks and paddle boards, one can circle the steeply sloped shoreline where masses of plump fruit bats hang and feed on the trees. When an unexpected sound disrupts the eery calm—a paddle splashing in the water, for instance—thousands upon thousands of bats alight in unified cloud of black, darkening the sky until they inevitably settle again.

While most of the time spent on Vela is dedicated to seeking out wildlife and discovering remote islands, it’s the quiet moments that are most restorative. Guests can lounge on deck chairs and sip fresh juice or steal away to their rooms for massages or private yoga sessions with the on-board masseuses and instructors. Meal times are spent together in one of the two dining areas on deck, where a chef and mixologist conjure up dishes and drinks based on local flavours and recipes: nasi goreng fried rice, grilled satay skewers, fragrant curries, and cocktails made with ingredients like jamu, an Indonesian herbal medicine made from roots, bark, and other botanicals.

On more tranquil evenings, however, the prime seat is above deck. As the sun sets, the sky is flooded with vibrant shades of pink and orange and, eventually, inky purple—the colours’ intensity rivalled only by the kaleidoscopic shades reflected in the lapping waters below. Yet once the sky darkens completely, Vela is left isolated in the quiet twilight. In the distance, the twinkling lights of fishing boats are the only reminder of that civilization that awaits your return.

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