48
the BOAT TRIP

The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

Panaitan Lightbox

Citation preview

Page 1: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

theboat trip

Page 2: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

Cover shot: Daniel Jones.

Page 3: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

Photos by NathaN LawreNce • story by Leo MaxaM

as you recall, you were lying on a beanbag chair in the upstairs lounge,

playing shaun Palmer’s Pro snowboarder on the X-Box 360. the boat chef

had just handed you a Bintang chilled to perfection and announced sunset

hors d’oeuvres out on the top deck. it was the perfect ending to yet another

luxurious day on your monster surf charter yacht — until you peeked out

the window and saw that the waves were still hopelessly flat.

that’s when you swore to never again save all year for a $4,000 boat

trip where you spend more time fishing and playing video games than surfing.

Editor in Chief travis fErrÉ

Managing Editor stuart CornuEllE

associate Editor taylor Paul

Photo Editor PEtEr taras

associate Photo Editor jiMMy wilson

art Director Chato aganza

art Director sCott ChEnowEth

online Editor jason MillEr

EDITORIAL

Page 4: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 5: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

this year you and your mates have left the chef and surf guide behind. once it was clear that the swell,

tide and wind were all in alignment, the trip came together in less than 24 hours. You sprang the news

on your girlfriend and were out the door before she had time to protest. You told your boss there was a

family emergency and hopped on a redeye flight to the equator.

now you’re stepping over fish heads and oil drums on the shores of a third-world harbor, which

apparently doubles as the town dump. You’re looking for a fishing boat to take you to an offshore island.

Page 6: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

Given the size of this swell, there

should be barrels out there wide enouGh

to fit last year’s meGa yacht.

Page 7: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

Given the size of this swell, there

should be barrels out there wide enouGh

to fit last year’s meGa yacht.

Page 8: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

DeDe surYana.

Page 9: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 10: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

Mikala Jones.

Page 11: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 12: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 13: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

waves

You don’t head out on a rickety fishing boat in the middle of the ocean to surf beachbreak. You’re here to get barreled over coral reef. the waves are heavy and the bottom is alive. if you hurt yourself out here, it’s up to you and your mates to do the necessary repairs. super-gluing shut reef punctures to the head. stitching a shredded lip back on with fishing line. it happens. unlike on most package boat tours, the fishermen from whom you hired the boat don’t require you to take out a travel insurance policy. in fact, they don’t seem to give a damn if you make it back at all.

the

Page 14: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

DeDe surYana.

Page 15: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 16: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

Bol.

Page 17: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 18: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

Garut WiDiarta.

Page 19: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 20: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

DaMien FahrenFort.

Page 21: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 22: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

the indies trader it ain’t. the paint is peeling. the deck is rotting. the stench of diesel fuel fills the small cabin. there’s no GPs or radio, and you wonder how on earth the driver manages to make the overnight crossing to these small islands in the pitch black. there’s no aC or fan, which makes the occasional ocean breeze at night feel like a gift from the heavens. the shower is a drum of brackish water with a pouring cup inside. until you return to the mainland, you’re living like an indo fisherman.

boat

DaMien FahrenFort.

the

Page 23: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

boat

Page 24: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 25: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 26: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

companythe

Page 27: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

the only “alone time” you get on this trip is inside the tube, so it’s a good thing you came with solid mates. there are four of you living in an 8’ x 25’ pen at all times. the cabin is essentially an extra-large coffin. it can fit three people sleeping side by side like sardines in a can. the fourth person sleeps on the deck, or on the roof if it looks like a clear night.

company

DaMien FahrenFort.

Page 28: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

Mikala Jones.

Page 29: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 30: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 31: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

Four local fishermen make up the boat crew. to them, you and your mates are just another big catch, like a school of tuna hauled up in the net. Fish or surfers, either way it means plenty of cigarettes and hookers when they get back to port. they sleep in the engine room next to greasy gears and smelly fishing nets. the only thing they do more than sleep is smoke and fish. You never see them without a ciggy in the mouth and fishing line wrapped around the palm. For the most part, they are indifferent to you. they bathe naked in plain sight and scrub their tidy whiteys on the front deck. there’s no room for modesty on the high seas.

crewthe

Page 32: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

DeDe surYana.

Page 33: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

sequenCe Continues...

Page 34: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

sequenCe ContinueD...

DeDe surYana.

Page 35: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 36: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 37: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

if the fish are biting, you eat fresh catch of the day with rice. if not, it’s noodles and PB&J. You managed to stock up on beer during the 10-hour drive from the airport to the harbor. in this corner of the Muslim world, it was harder to track down than osama Bin laden. You meet one group of surfers who have been at sea for three weeks eating nothing but rice. When you invite them over to your boat for a cold brew, they scamper aboard like shipwreck victims who just spotted a rescue plane. one of them even offers you his brand new al Merrick for a case of beer. the cooler and ice are your lifeline to a decent meal — cold drinks, cheese, non-moldy bread. if you run out of ice, it’s just noodles, noodles, and more noodles. Fortunately, everything tastes better when you’re surfed-out, hungry, and on a boat in the middle of nowhere.

[Don’t eat the snakes.]

foodthe

Page 38: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

DYlan lonGBottoM.

Page 39: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 40: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

You’ve never surfed this much in your life. there really is no alternative, other than eating, sleeping and watching your toenails grow. For fun, you borrow some hand line from the crew and try catching small reef fish. occasionally you spot other fishing boats, dragging nets along the sea floor. You see poacher boats stacked with wire cages. they come to these islands to steal monkeys, birds and reptiles from the jungle and sell them on the black market. there are pirates in these waters too, and the crew keeps your boards stashed below and out of sight to avoid any unwanted attention.

daysthe

Page 41: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 42: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

it feels like the night is never going to end. You’re balled up in the muggy cabin, rolling back and forth with the rocking boat, trying not to bump into your mate. the boat rocks like a rubber ducky in an angry child’s bathtub. You try to fall asleep by counting the number of rusty hooks and nails poking out from every surface, but you lose count every time. at least you were smart enough to bring along an air mattress. Your friends aren’t so lucky. one has his face buried in the ringworm mats so graciously provided by the crew. the other is wrapped up in a boardbag-and-towel burrito. tonight you’re feeling anxious. You climb up to the roof of the cabin and lie down under the canopy of stars. You think about how good a hot shower would feel right now. Grilled shrimp tacos and a cold margarita. the taste of your girl’s lips. then you return to the only thing that ever helps calm your spinning head, the reason you signed up for this survival mission in the first place: that first spinning tube you’ll pull into when the morning light warms the black sea.

nightsthe

Page 43: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 44: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 45: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

Matt CaPel.

Page 46: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

Matt CaPel.

Page 47: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox
Page 48: The Boat Trip - Panaitan Lightbox

bask

endthe