CELESTIA

Celestia — 45m (148ft) custom phinisi, Indonesia Celestia belongs to a lineage rather than a production line. She was built by hand in Bulukumba, on the south coast of Sulawesi, by boatbuilders working within traditions recognised by UNESCO and passed down over centuries — then modernised and reimagined by an experienced team for contemporary charter. The result is a 45-metre custom-designed phinisi that reads as authentically Indonesian while answering the expectations of guests who charter internationally. She accommodates 14 guests across seven cabins. The layout centres on owner's cabins, complemented by two cabins with a double bed and two cabins with twin beds — a useful spread for families travelling together or groups of friends who don't all want the same thing. Detailed bed configuration is available on request. Aboard a phinisi, the pace of a charter is set by the archipelago itself. Days unfold between anchorages; evenings tend to settle into something quieter — dinner on deck, the hull moving gently underfoot, and a night sky largely untouched by light pollution. Private beach dinners and massage treatments can be arranged, and nature hikes ashore open up the interior of islands most itineraries only pass by. An in-house crew of 17 is the real measure of the operation. That ratio — more than one crew member per guest — is what allows Celestia to run dive operations, shore excursions and service simultaneously, in cruising grounds where self-sufficiency is not optional. Celestia sails the Coral Triangle: Raja Ampat, Komodo National Park, the Spice Islands and beyond. The diving here is genuinely world-class, and the yacht is equipped accordingly, with snorkelling, paddle boarding, kayaking, water-skiing and wakeboarding alongside the dive programme. Birdwatching, island-hopping and stargazing round out days that rarely need much scheduling.