Inside Vhale: a phinisi with 12 cabins and 2 balconies, counted

I like to learn a boat the way a guest meets it: up the gangway, through the shared rooms, down to the cabins and finally up to the deck where the afternoon is spent. Vhale rewards the walk, because she is built around a big party rather than a handful of couples.

Three numbers carry the rest. Twelve cabins, in five kinds, spread over an upper, a main and a lower deck. Two private balconies, and both belong to the Atlantic cabins. Nine crew, and they are Vhale's own.

Everything below is drawn from the boat's 2026 specification, reissued on 8 October 2026, and from the photographs in her gallery. Where a detail matters to your particular party, such as a bathroom, a bed or a flight of steps, we settle it with you in writing ahead of any payment.

Each kind has its own deck, its own beds and its own guest range.

• Atlantic ×2, upper deck: a queen bed with an extra bed on request, 2 to 4 guests, an en-suite bathroom and a private balcony. The only balconies on board.
• Azure ×2, upper deck: a queen bed with an extra bed on request, 2 to 3 guests.
• Oceanic ×2, main deck: a queen bed with an extra bed on request, 2 to 3 guests, en-suite.
• Pacific ×2, main deck: a queen bed for 2 guests, en-suite.
• Coral ×4, lower deck: a bunk room with one double bed and one single, 3 guests. Good for friends, cousins and a parent with a child.

Every cabin is air-conditioned. On standard beds the boat sleeps 28: eight queen cabins at two guests each and four Coral rooms at three. For Azure and Coral, ask us which bathroom arrangement your cabin has, and the reply travels in writing with your quote.

On a boat of this size the shared spaces do more work than the cabins, and Vhale has a generous set of them.

• The indoor dining room: a wooden table, a navy bench and windows onto the bay, for the hot hour or a breezy evening.
• The outdoor dining room: a long teak table and a U-shaped bench under the deck roof, which is where lunch tends to run long.
• The outdoor chill area: cushions and a day bed in front of the wheelhouse, under the wooden VHALE sign.
• A speaker and karaoke set, a refrigerator and a water dispenser for the free-flow water, tea and coffee.
• Two paddle boards and snorkel gear for the swims between stops.

Two boards among twenty-odd guests means taking turns, and in my experience the turns are half the fun. Plan them over breakfast on the first morning, before the cousins plan them for you.

The working side of the boat is listed plainly. A Mitsubishi 8 DC 11 main engine and a Mitsubishi PS120 generator, a Garmin 585S for navigation and an Icom IC-M220 radio. She carries 15,000 litres of fresh water and 5,000 litres of fuel, cruises at 7 to 11 knots and has a beam of 6 m. A Yamaha 40 HP tender runs the short hops between hull and beach.

On the safety side, life jackets and a life raft are part of the boat's kit, and a life ring hangs on one of the posts by the outdoor table.

If your party includes small children or anyone who needs a particular size or arrangement, tell us the ages and needs when you book. The answer reaches you in writing ahead of any payment, long before the jetty.

With the walk done, the choice of cabin usually sorts itself out by who is coming.

• Couples who want a private corner: the two Atlantic cabins, with their balconies on the upper deck.
• Grandparents or anyone who prefers fewer steps: start with the main deck, where Oceanic and Pacific sit beside the dining rooms. Tell us who needs what and we plan the cabins around it.
• Friends travelling light, or parents with a child: the four Coral bunk rooms on the lower deck.
• A whole party of twenty or more: the whole boat, with all twelve cabins yours to assign.

On the open trip each seat is sold by cabin type, from the Coral sharing berth to the Atlantic balcony cabin, and confirmed live on WhatsApp before any payment. On a private charter you hand out the twelve doors yourself. Either way, send us the list of names and we return the plan in writing.