In 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. Organiz-ing 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 pro-moting 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 stylis-tically 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

19keel for Silolona, was laid out on a local truck deep in the jungles of Sulawesi, Indonesia, where the sheer weight caused the trucks chassis to groan and the front end of the truck, to rise into the air precariously. Patti famous-ly exclaimed; ‘If I had known more, I wouldn’t have done it’’ – with an infectious laugh at the very recalling of that moment.

Patti recounted in her journals of the early days of the build, where in a remote part of Sulawesi, the boat builders and Patti set up a makeshift camp using jungle vines and bamboo, in which she lived and worked alongside the Konjo builders until Silolona’s completion. What was created was a masterpiece – All 164ft of Silolona with its mesmerizing black sails, intri-cate native carvings and its keeping with Indonesian traditions, both architecturally and in terms of interior design - the result was a breathtakingly beautiful float-ing piece of history and tradition. Exactly what Patti had set out to achieve.

With the completion of Silolona came the birth of her company Silolona Sojourns in 2004, which since inception has become a house hold name. Providing guests with a unique insight into the traditions and cul-tures, of both Indonesia and the other South East Asian destinations Silolona Sojourns now operates.

Patti's knowledge of Indonesia was exceptional: she was extremely passionate when leading her guests into the heart of Indonesia. She was a fluent speaker of Indonesian and had some knowledge of the region's na-tive tribal languages . Leading earlier experiences, Patti brought far flung exotic destinations alive, in a way that was as much part of the experience as was travelling on the phinisi itself.

Patti’s handpicked crew (which remarkably still comprise many of the original crew from the very beginning), deliver exceptional experiences and interactions, under the very guidance and vision, Patti trained them to deliver – building bridges and lifelong friendships, between foreign and Indonesianguests and local communities.

Following the success of the Silolona, Patti went on to build a second phinisi – Si Datu Bua (Be-loved Princess) in 2012. Using the same Konjo builders, on this build she brought in her son Tresno, to con-ceptualize a smaller phinisi, using the same concepts of tradition combined with modern standards and comforts.

In late 2017, serious health issues forced Patti to step away from the buisness and return to the US for medical care. She retired and enjoyed her many passions; having achieved what many thought was unachievable. Not only did she build the ultimate phinisi, she scaled the business, to cover five other destinations in South East Asia, delivering the same style, guest service and authenticity of her Indonesian sojourns. Handing over the helm to her son Tresno, she announced he would become CEO of the company in late 2019 – Tresno was the perfect choice to take the company into the future. A naval architect with an-other successful boat business under his belt, Tresno has spent most of his life living in and exploring Indonesia. An adventurer and family man, Tresno recently welcomed a new generation of Seerys into the family, with the birth of his daughter Phoenix.

Whilst Patti’s death has left a hole on the private charter world, both Tresno and the Silolo-na Sojourns team continue her legacy. Currently sailing in Komodo Archipelago and Raja Ampat, Silolona Sojourns is not only coming to terms with a great loss, but it is also at the forefront of continuing to evolve, to live out Patti’s vision. Patti made it clear she wanted Silolona Sojourns to continue to grow, through the building of more phinisis cruising in South East Asia’s waters. With the travel and yachting industry facing one of its most difficult peri-ods as Covid-19 continues to cause difficulties for travel globally, the yachting and travel world looks to be an exciting and adventurous place to be as we go into 2021.

Patti, your spirit will always shine through on the exquisite phinisis you built; thank you for the wonderful floating legacy you left us – we shall miss you greatly.