Lamima

Lamima began as the vision of Captain Dominique Gerardin, a French superyacht captain who first sailed Indonesia astonished that no charter operation matched the scale of the cruising grounds. Before commissioning the boat, he scouted Raja Ampat in an eight-meter open canoe with a hand line, a knife, and 200 liters of fuel. When he asked permission to camp on a beach one evening, the village chief refused and insisted Dominique sleep in the chief's own bed. The hospitality, he later said, was offered without agenda. The boat that resulted set out to honor that spirit.

Lamima's story starts in Bira, the boatbuilding village at the southern tip of South Sulawesi where phinisi construction has continued without interruption for generations. Master builders Haji Baso and Haji Saka shaped her hull using techniques refined over centuries, while a supervising European yacht captain held the work to international yacht-building standards at every stage. The result is a marriage of Konjo craftsmanship and modern marine engineering.

After her hull was complete, Lamima moved to Bangkok for 18 months of systems integration. The fitout brought her onboard technology in line with a modern superyacht: MAN diesel propulsion, full electrical generation, satellite communications, and climate control throughout. Barcelona-based naval architect Marcelo Penna designed her hull form and sail wardrobe, calculating a rig intended specifically to harness Indonesia's seasonal trade winds. At 65 meters of length and just over 11 meters of beam, she carries more sail area than any comparable vessel in Indonesian waters.

The detail that separates Lamima from every other phinisi is her classification. She is the first Indonesian-built vessel to hold a RINA certificate, the Italian classification society whose standards govern safety, stability, fire protection, and pollution prevention. A RINA surveyor approved each stage of construction and returns annually for inspection. That certification means Lamima operates under the same regulatory framework as European-built superyachts.

At 65 meters on deck, Lamima is one of the longest sailing phinisi in private charter anywhere. Her scale translates directly to the guest experience: generous deck space fore and aft, a dining area that comfortably seats 14 in the open air, and cabins sized like hotel rooms rather than boat berths. The guest-to-crew ratio of 1:1.4 means 20 crew for 14 guests, and the team is drawn from Indonesia's top hospitality and marine institutions.

The dive center is fully operational whether guests arrive as certified divers or complete beginners. Two PADI instructors work exclusively with the charter, covering reef diving, manta encounters, and full certification courses. Topside, three Hypalon RIBs handle water sports, beach transfers, and exploration. The aft deck carries 2 Yamaha jet skis, 6 stand-up paddleboards, 2 sea kayaks, 6 surfboards, 2 Flite eFoils, 2 underwater scooters, a sailing dinghy, and towable water toys. Two onboard masseuses provide treatments on deck or in the air-conditioned salon. Starlink satellite internet reaches even the remote anchorages of Raja Ampat.