'Samudraraksa', mission possible

A cheerful atmosphere prevailed during the conferring of the Satya Lencana medals by President Megawati Soekarnoputri to the crew of the Samudraraksa traditional sailing vessel at the State Palace recently (The Jakarta Post, March 27).

Indonesian sailors aboard the Samudraraksa proved themselves to be the sons of a maritime nation when their ship set sail from Jakarta on Aug. 15, 2003, sailing across the Indian and Atlantic oceans for 11,000 miles, or 20,372 kilometers, and finally mooring at the port of Accra, Ghana, on Feb. 23, 2004.

Thanks to Philip Beale, former British Royal Navy seaman, and Australian maritime adviser Nick Burningham, who designed the ship based on reliefs found in the Borobudur temple in Magelang, Central Java, together with Indonesian traditional shipbuilder As'ad Abdullah and his assistants of Kangean Island in Sumenep, Madura, East Java, who built it. The wind-propelled vessel has no iron or nails in its construction, using only wood and coconut fiber, and made its way through Africa without significant damages.

The once-dubbed mission impossible, as the Samudraraksa -- meaning a ship that can protect and secure the waters of the archipelago -- is only 18.29 meters long and 4.5 meters wide with two rectangular sails and two outriggers. The ship had cast doubt from the beginning, especially among Indonesians, but became a mission possible when its crew returned to the country safely.

What has been achieved by this six-month voyage and expedition tracing the Cinnamon Route from the archipelago to Africa is none other than showing the world that ancestral Indonesians had traded with Africans centuries ago.

People can view the replica ship -- which might be an additional delight to visitors of Borobudur -- at the temple complex, when it is parked there a month or two from now.

M. RUSDI Jakarta