Serene Sailing

Handcrafted by artisans from the South Sulawesian Konjo tribe and outfitted in an earthy yet luxe palette courtesy of interior designer Deirdre Renniers, the Dunia Baru is a one-of-a-kind luxury phinisi yacht sailing the waters of Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar

W henJing-Yi Wee and her brother Teng Yuan Wee first encountered the phinisi luxury yacht Dunia Baru on a private charter through the Indonesian islands, they quickly realised that they'd stumbled on something incredibly special. ‘We'd sailed on other yachts before, but from the moment we stepped on board Dunia Baru, it was clear that this one was far ahead of the others in terms of its build quality and attention to detail,' Jing-Yi recalls.

The Singapore-based siblings were so taken with the experience that they began exploring the possibility of building their own phinisi, a traditional Indonesian sailing vessel. The logistics, they soon discovered, were daunting — not least the fact that this kind of vessel is classically built of teak and ironwood (‘ ulin'), an extremely rare, slow-growing tree native to Indonesia. Since the tree is now legally protected, Jing-Yi says it would have been impossible to build another yacht like the Dunia Baru.

By sheer coincidence, it turned out that the yacht's American owner was willing to sell. And that's how in late 2020, fresh from a gentle refurbishment, the luxury vessel was relaunched under the flag of its new Singaporean owners.

By every metric, the 50-metre-long, twinmasted Dunia Baru looks and feels as if it's sailed straight out of some long-forgotten Spice Island fable. The boat itself was handcrafted over eight years in the classic style of phinisi wooden sailboats — without any nails — by craftsmen from the South Sulawesian Konjo tribe. It's now serviced by a crew of 18 and features seven generously proportioned cabins.

Particularly appealing are the gentle touches by Cape Town- and Singapore-based interior designer Deirdre Renniers, who layered the spaces with subtle swathes of earthy colours and textures — think Egyptian cotton bedsheets, hand-knotted natural fibre floor rugs, bed throws of Belgian fabric, customised bronze artwork and hand-hammered metal vases.

The biggest creative challenge, says Renniers, was working with the Dunia Baru's existing specs. Since it wasn't a new build, she couldn't redesign spaces or make major structural changes, so only essential alterations were made. ‘We replaced all the soft furnishings, lighting, art and accessories to enhance and soften the existing spaces,' she says. ‘We've completed the first phase of the interior design, and plan to continue replacing existing fittings and finishes over time as the boat requires maintenance.'

Once they've unpacked, all that remains for guests to do is succumb to what the Wees promise will be an experience that will linger long after they've returned to shore. Itineraries are entirely bespoke, with diving, sunbathing, snorkelling or even land expeditions on remote islands all on offer. Destinations include the Nusa Tenggara archipelago and the Komodo National Park, Raja Ampat — where the confluence of the Indian and Pacific Oceans has created stunning coral reefs and mangroves, pearl beds and lagoons, all home to wildly colourful marine life — or you can sail still farther for the sparkling waters of Thailand and Myanmar.

Like the Wees, consider us duly smitten.