About Nayara Yacht
We keep the bow light on past midnight during east monsoon runs between Sebayur and Komodo. At 45 metres, Nayara Yacht handles the Linta Strait swell better than most phinisis her size, but we still time the passage for slack water—especially when guests have spent the day hiking Padar’s east ridge. The hull was laid in 2018 in Sulawesi, traditional tuk tuk joinery in the stern, epoxy-sealed hardwood forward. Nayara Yacht draws 3.2 metres, so we can tuck into shallow bays like Taka Makassar when the wind kicks up from Sumbawa.
Most VVIP boats spread seven cabins across three decks. Not this one. One cabin only—master suite, 18 square metres, king bed fixed in place, no conversion. The rest of the space? Open-plan lounge with teak-topped chart table, L-shaped sofa that sleeps two kids under 12 if needed, and a sky deck with padded loungers bolted to the starboard rail. When all 17 berths are taken, we run with two crews: one on watch, one resting below in the crew quarters aft. We’ve had photographers charter the entire boat just for the sunrise position off Kalong Island—no engines running, just drift and shoot.
Day one usually starts with guests arriving on afternoon flights into Labuan Bajo. We meet them at the terminal, skip the jetty queue with our custom clearance board, and board by 16:00. First dive or snorkel goes at Menjerite—reef starts at 1.5 metres, blue starfish clustered around the coral bommies. We anchor on the south side, where the current wraps slow and clean. By 18:30, everyone’s on the sky deck with cold lime sodas, watching the sun hit the ridgeline of Padar.
Day two means pre-dawn steam to Padar. We drop anchor in Batu Tiga Bay by 05:45. The hike starts 30 minutes later—northwestern trail, less scree, better handholds. Back onboard by 08:30, then transit south to Komodo Village for the ranger-guided dragon walk at Loh Liang. We pack cold towels and electrolyte sachets in the day bags—July through October, the inland temp hits 36°C by mid-morning. After lunch, we reposition to Pink Beach for shallow snorkeling above the foraminifera beds, then drift float at Manta Point near Karang Makassar with surface jellyfish lures to draw the rays close.
Final morning, we weigh anchor at 06:00 for Taka Makassar. The sandbar emerges at low tide around 09:00—crab-eating macaques cross from Kanawa on floating debris. We set up the stand-up paddleboards by 08:30, do a gear check for the last snorkel, then head back to Labuan Bajo by 13:00. If the wind’s behind us, we shut the engines and let the sails catch the ridge lift off Banta.
