About Angelica
We keep the Angelica just off Kelor by first light, letting the tide carry us in smooth and quiet – no anchor drop needed when you time it right. At 38 metres, she’s long enough to ride out the Komodo currents without rocking guests from their sleep, but nimble enough to tuck into secluded bays like Sebayur or Taka Makassar where bigger boats can’t turn. I’ve sailed these channels for eighteen years, and I’ll say this: a well-balanced phinisi like Angelica, with her twin 420HP diesels, makes all the difference when you’re threading between reefs at slack water.
Angelica carries seven cabins, each named after Indonesian crafts – Candi, Batik, Keris – and laid out across two decks. The Candi VIP cabin sits forward on the main deck with extra headroom and a private layout that we reserve for guests who want more space. The four Master cabins – Batik, Keris, Wayang – each sleep two with en suite showers, twin beds or queens, and individually controlled air-con that runs all night without strain on the system. Families use the Sasando cabin – two connecting rooms with a shared door – while Tenun and Tari are compact but well-ventilated private doubles, often taken by solo travellers sharing costs in a pair.
On a standard 3-day run, we pick up guests in Labuan Bajo by 11am, serve lunch as we cruise south to Kelor, and drop anchor before sunset for a short hike to the island’s ridge. Day two starts at Padar before dawn – we land at 6:30am when the light’s flat and golden, then return to the boat for breakfast at anchor off Komodo Island. By mid-morning we’ve shuttled guests ashore for the ranger-led dragon walk, then moved to Pink Beach by noon for swimming and kayaking. After lunch, we reposition to Manta Point – usually Batu Bolong – where the current brings in the cleaners, and our crew marks the drift zone with a surface buoy. We finish that day at Kalong Island, watching the bats pour out at dusk from the mangroves.
Day three is for the north: Taka Makassar’s sandbar at low tide, then Kanawa for a final snorkel over the reef slope where the blue starts. We serve coffee and light snacks before heading back to Labuan Bajo, arriving by 3pm. The jacuzzi on the upper deck gets used most on this leg – warm water, gentle wake, and everyone relaxed after three days of precise anchoring and clean dives. We carry full snorkel sets for all sizes, two kayaks, and safety gear that includes VHF, EPIRB, and a 4.2m rescue dinghy with 40HP outboard. Our galley runs on propane with a backup electric oven, and meals are served buffet-style – think grilled reef fish, jackfruit rendang, local mangoes when in season.
