Atlantic Challenge to showcase Madurese boatbuilder's work

Atlantic Challenge to showcase Madurese boatbuilder's work

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Madura

Boat-maker Muzammil Sholihin looked elated when some journalists
took pictures of a boat that he had made. The boat was set to
participate in the Atlantic Challenge Boat Race in Genoa, Italy
next year. "This is the first time that my work has got so much
attention from the media," he said.

The story behind the boat dates back to 2001 when boat builder
Lance Lee read a book titled Round the Bend, which tells a tale
of European sailors traveling around the world. After reading the
book, Lance was interested to gain deeper knowledge on local
boats made by Indonesian boat-makers, especially the Madurese.

Lance went to Surabaya in 2001, and accompanied by Daniel
Rosyid, the deputy rector of the Surabaya Institute of Technology
(ITS), he visited Madura Island to see how the Madura boat-makers
produced the boats.

Lance then contributed a large fund to an ITS team
participating in a boat race and exhibition in Maine, the United
States in July 2002 and Toulon, France in July 2004, said a
supervisory board member of ITS Maritime Challenge, I Ketut Aria
Pria Utama. At that time, the ITS team used a Portuguese-style
boat made by the ITS boat builder.

This year, the ITS Team and Lance entrusted the family of
Muzammil Sholihin to produce a boat to participate in the
Atlantic Challenge boat race and exhibition in Genoa, Italy.

Muzammil recalled that the order was a stroke of luck for his
family. In the past year, the boat making business in Madura was
in the doldrums as the number of orders was slowing on the back
of the rising price of diesel fuel.

Before last year, the family could produce five to six boats,
at between Rp 15 million (US$1,500) and Rp 17 million each. But,
this year up until August there had been no orders, except the
order from Lance and the ITS team.

"I am also happy that having participated in the boat
exhibition and race in Genoa, more people will know about the
boat-making industry in Madura," said Muzammil.

Lance contributed US$2,000 in July and most of it has been
used to finance the boat building (Rp 16 million or $1,600) and
the rest was used to pay ITS students' operational costs. The
students helped Muzammil build the boat, which was named Lanceng
Madureh, which means (Male) Virgin in Madurese. The boat is 8.2
meters long and 2 meters wide.

Lance also sent his confidante Brian McClellan to supervise
the boat building. McClellan, who has been in Madura since July
15, said that he was amazed by the Madura boat-makers. The boat-
makers have never received training on boat-making techniques but
they built excellent boats, he said.