Antara News, Otniel Tamindael, Saturday, May 8, 2010 13:40 WIB
Jakarta, May (ANTARA News) - Situated between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, in the intermediate part of the continents of Asia and Australia, Indonesia is proud of organizing annual sailing rallies for the tenth year.
Called Sail Indonesia, it is an annual sailing rally that usually departs from the harbor of the Australian Northern Territorial City of Darwin in the middle of July and is followed by a three-month program of linked events across the country.
The events this year are managed jointly by the Indonesian Navy, the Indonesian Marine Foundation (Yayasan Cinta Bahari), the Indonesian Sailing Federation, Sail Indonesia, and Sail Banda.
Sail Banda 2010 was officially launched in the eastern Indonesian scenic city of Ambon for implementation from June 12 - August 17 this year.
At a ceremony to launch Sail Banda in Ambon on Friday night, April 16, 2010, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad called on all parties to support the event and to make it a success.
Fadel said the international marine event was named Sail Banda because the Banda islands bear particular historic meaning with countless relics lying scattered across the islands, serving as reminders of the days when Banda was once a major producer of a valuable commodity over which ancient world powers fought protracted wars.
But what comes next after the eagerly awaited event of Sail Banda 2010?
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad at Senggigi resort on Lombok island in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province on Thursday said he had made Sail Lombok-Sumbawa 2012 part of his program to support development of the tourism sector in the province.
"It will be West Nusa Tenggara`s turn to host an international marine event, namely Sail Lombok-Sumbawa, in 2012," Fadel Muhamad said after witnessing the harvest of Lombok pearl cultivation product with Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik.
The pearl harvest was part of Lombok Sumbawa Pearl Festival 2010 which was centered at Sentosa Hotel on Senggigi tourist resort in Lombok Barat district.
Fadel said the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry would continue to organize a sail event every year.
Last year was Sail Bunaken event in North Sulawesi and this year a similar event would be conducted in Maluku as Sail Banda 2010, next year it would probably be moved to Central Sulawesi as Sail Togean 2011, and in 2012 it will be called Sail Lombok-Sumbawa 2012 in West Nusa Tenggara.
Head of the Central Sulawesi cultural and tourism office Suaib Djafar said in Palu late last month that the office would organize Sail Togean 2011.
Djafar said the Central Sulawesi provincial administration would learn from the experiences of North Sulawesi in organizing `Sail Bunaken` and Maluku which would hold `Sail Banda`.
The Togean island chain is an ecological wonder located in Tojo Una-Una district Central Sulawesi, about a 10-hour`s journey from Palu, the province`s capital.
It is an archipelago of 56 pristine coral and volcanic islands and islets located in the Gulf of Tomini in Central Sulawesi, with surrounding coral reef supports a rich, diverse marine life and life over the surface.
Actually, the Togeans are the only place in Indonesia where you can find all major reef types in the same place; atoll, barrier and fringing reefs.
After Sail Togean 2011, it will be West Nusa Tenggara`s turn to organize Sail Lombok-Sumbawa 2012.
Meanwhile, West Nusa Tenggara Governor Zainul Madji said he would continue to make things ready for the implementation of Sail Lombok-Sumbawa 2012.
He said the provincial administration would make every effort to improve supporting facilities of electricity, clean water, and telecommunication for the international marine event in the province.
"Besides hosting Sail Lombok-Sumbawa 2012, West Nusa Tenggara will also be ready to organize International Seaweed Forum in the same year," the NTB governor said.
West Nusa Tenggara Culture and Tourism Office spokesman Lalu Gita Ariadi said the province had all supporting facilities to make the international marine event of Sail Lombok-Sumbawa 2012 as success.
"We have all supporting facilities, we have potential, and therefore we want to host the international marine event in the province," Lalu Gita Ariadi, di Lombok, on Friday.
He said such an international event would be participated in by hundreds of participants from various countries and therefore he has proposed that West Nusa Tenggara host the event in 2012.
"Sail Lombok-Sumbawa 2012 will be a precious moment for West Nusa Tenggara to promote its abundant tourism potentials," Gita Ariadi said, adding that he had sent a letter of request to the Culture and Tourism Ministry to host the international event.
According to Gita Ariadi, Sail Lombok-Sumbawa 2012 would be a good momentum for West Nusa Tenggara to net even more tourists into the province.
