The Ombak Putih was built alongside a muddy river. On a deserted piece of land the keel was laid on 11 May 1996….
Finding suitable timber for the keel is not easy. Ideally, the keel consists of only one piece. Ours measures 23m by 40cm by 40cm. Construction then starts with adding the bow and stern pieces of the keel . The position and length of these three pieces, keel, stern and stem, decides the shape of the hull. The ship builders place the first skin planks from the keel upwards. No moulds are erected before the skin planking reaches at least 1,5m above the keel. Planking is a tedious job. Using a chain saw, a plank is sawn out of a piece of timber. Another person drills holes sideways in the plank to hold the dowel-pins. Initially, the plank is placed on top of another using a few steel pins. With a pulley, the plank is slowly pulled into its correct position. The men then replace the steel pins with wooden dowel-pins and fill up the seam between the planks with a secret concoction of selected tree bark.
Construction of the deck house and interior
In October 1996 the planking is finished and all moulds and stringers are in place. The hull is ready. The ship builders now start laying the deck. In December, with the deck beams in place, we can start actually measuring the dimensions of the interior. We want sufficient space below deck, cabins should have a private toilet and shower and the gangway should not be too narrow. There should also be enough space to move in the engine room and to place water tanks, a septic tank and fuel tanks.
The engine, water, fuel and septic tanks are placed in February 1997. The inner deck (floor of cabins below deck) is then laid, and we start construction of the 12 cabins. There are thousands of little things that need to be done. On deck, the deck house is erected and the main mast is placed. Others are caulking the hull and deck.
In May 1997, one year after we started construction, six men start digging. In Batulicin boats are not towed into the water. Instead, men dig away the soil underneath thus creating a small canal out of which the boat is eventually pulled. Digging mud is a heavy and dirty job. It takes six men about one month to dig a small canal of 50m tall, 7m wide and 3m deep.
On 27 May 1997, the Ombak Putih is launched. Buginese tradition demands that a goat is ritually sacrificed and its blood scattered over various important places of the ship. She is ready for many safe journeys, but a lot of work remains before we can receive guests. In June we receive the official documents that tell us the Ombak Putih is ours. We already have a small crew and they sail the boat to Surabaya where suppliers are already waiting to install air-conditioners, electricity, bath room fitting, etc.
Finishing in Surabaya
In Tanjung Perak, the old canal-type harbor of Surabaya, the boat slowly starts to look like a real sailing vessel. We place the top masts with the help of a huge crane, and paint the hull white. It takes more than ten layers of paint before the boat really looks white, but we are satisfied for the moment with two layers. On 8 August 1997 we think we are ready to set sail for Bali to start our first trip with guests three days later. A captain of a cargo vessel has other plans, he misjudges the depth of the harbor and blocks the exit. We are trapped behind him. He cannot move and we have to wait for the tide to come in. After waiting one and a half day, we decide to take alternative steps. We rent a few trucks and with the help of the harbor police, the unfortunate boat is tucked away. The Ombak Putih can start her journey.
