Small boat big family exploring Gili Gede, Indonesia – Paul Whelan

My current boat is a 2002 Hanse 311 and buying it was the best decision I have made in a long, long time. Living in Indonesia we had always dreamed of visiting the Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tengara (East Indonesia). The area is world famous for its stunning diving, uninhabited islands, pristine waters, and of course the Komodo Dragons. Now we had our own boat, there was no excuse and in June we finally spent six days sailing our little yacht around the islands of Komodo National Park.

We’re a family of five, with three young children, so it was rather cosy on a 30-foot yacht but that just added to the adventure and our kids love the water so space shortage was never an issue. We explored the islands of Seraya, Rinca, Sebayur, Kanawa and the famed Manta Alley at Makassar Reef. It was by far the most amazing experience we’ve had on board our boat and new adventures are now being planned.

We would highly recommend exploring the area for yourself, Indonesia is blessed with some of the best cruising grounds in the world and despite there not being many yachting facilities you will benefit from pristine waters and deserted islands. There is easy and protected cruising throughout the region. My favorite spot is certainly Komodo National Park, which is easy to access through Labuan Bajo, and you can easily spend a month exploring this area and not get bored. Diving, snorkelling, fishing (outside of the National Park), mountain walks, waterfalls, Komodo dragons, and very friendly locals makes this the perfect cruising ground.