PPatti Seery
18
aying Homage to
I
n this issue, we pay tribute to Patti Seery, founder and owner of the world class private charter phinisi operator Silolona Sojourns, who sadly passed away late last year. Patti was a great friend to SEA Yachting and we have eagerly covered her exploits and that of Silolona’s over the years. Founding Silolona Sojourns in 2004, Patti was a well known and respected figure both in Indonesia and around the globe, for her achievements both in the private charter world and in her work to protect and preserve, the many tribal cultures, art and traditions of her beloved Indonesia. Silolona was the product of a long love affair with Indonesia. She moved there in the early 1980s, following her husband Doug Seery’s relocation to Indonesia for work. They had travelled extensively together prior to their arrival in Indonesia. Patti used each new destination to explore and discover new cultures, art and cuisines making extensive notes and journals of her findings. Indonesia was love at first sight for Patti, her husband Doug recalling her immediate draw to the port area, having laid her eyes within the first 24 hours, on the mesmerizing black sails of Indonesian cargo ships – phinisi’s. Being fascinated by these traditional vessels she was drawn to explore remote Indonesia using them, often accompanied by Doug and her young family.
With her love affair for phinisi exploration, Indonesian arts and crafts, and the anthropology of tribal peoples of the region, Patti split her time between the United States and Indonesia. Organizing private exhibitions of Asmat Art, she eventually took on the role of cultural liaison for ‘Dynamics of Irian’ a cultural exhibition and exchange, featuring art exhibitions of Asmat artists and Dani Chiefs on displays throughout the United States. The connection to the tribes for Patti and her for them ran deepand in 1998, Patti was formally inducted into the Asmat tribe, by its Chief, and given a honorary name, Herage in thanks for her work promoting the tribe’s art and culture, and for assisting with disaster relief following both the devastating effects of El Nino in the 1990s on the Baliem Valley, and the Asian Tsunami in 2004. But it was the creation of Silolona and eventually the company Silolona Sojourns, which put Patti on her own iconic path. Pattihad arranged tours for adventurous guests aboard Indonesia’s wooden cargo ships, but found the experience unsatisfying. What was needed was a phinisi that wouldn’t just arrive at a destination – it would be a piece of art and part of the travel experience in itself. Phinisi’s back then, were largely relegated to the role of working cargo boats prior to the launch of Silolona. Handmade by the people of Sulawesi, the phinisi is a carryover in design and function from the early Portuguese explorers of Indonesia in the 16th century. In fact, the word phinisi refers to the type of rigging on the boat, rather than its hull or shape. Today, the word phinisi applies to any wooden sailing vessel made in Indonesia. If you charter a yacht in Indonesia, there’s a good chance you’ll be on a stylistically built phinisi – wooden, handmade boats built in a style reminiscent of centuries-old Portuguese expedition boats. Patti and Silolona changed the view of what a phinisi could be. Having spent years searching for her own phinisi builders, Patti found them in remote Sulawesi, these Konjo boat builders whom she eventually employed, would go on to build one of the yachting industries greatest traditional builds – the ultimate phinisi, using traditional Indonesian boat building techniques, and combining them with internationally acclaimed German Lloyds standards. Patti’s goal was to create a traditional hand crafted vessel thatspoke of the history of the Spice Trade, and embodied the spirit of the Indonesian Archipelago, whilst ensuring the highest standards of safety and comfort. At the very beginning of the iconic build, Patti recalled how the giant wooden
