Vhale
Outdoor dining room
The long teak table with the U-shaped bench, where lunch after Pink Beach runs on into the second coffee.
Vhale Phinisi
Vhale: the figures
Updated 4 November 2026
Vhale is a wooden phinisi sailing the Komodo islands from Labuan Bajo, with 12 cabins in 5 kinds, a crew of 9 and standard beds for 28 guests. This page gives her figures, her decks and her equipment in one place. The rest of the specification is confirmed on request.
Vhale in figures: beam, speed, engine and water
A specification page earns its keep by being plain, so the figures come first. The table below gives the beam, the cruising speed, the engine and generator, the fresh water and the fuel, and it lists the cabins, the crew of 9 and the safety kit.
The rest of the specification is confirmed on request, and the bathroom arrangement in Azure and Coral is confirmed in writing before you pay.
| Beam | 6 m |
|---|---|
| Cruising speed | 7-11 kn |
| Engine | Mitsubishi 8 DC 11 |
| Generator | Mitsubishi PS120 |
| Fresh water | 15000 L |
| Fuel | 5000 L |
| Tender | Yamaha 40 HP |
| Crew | 9 |
| Safety equipment | life jackets, life raft |
Checked 4 November 2026
Twelve cabins in five kinds, three decks high
Twelve cabins are easier to picture as three floors of a narrow wooden house. The two Atlantic cabins and the two Azure cabins share the upper deck, which is where the balconies are: an Atlantic cabin holds a queen bed, an extra bed if requested, a balcony of its own and a private bathroom, for two to four guests. Azure has a queen bed and, on request, an extra one, for two or three.
The main deck holds the two Oceanic cabins and the two Pacific cabins. Oceanic keeps a queen bed, an extra bed on request and a private bathroom, for two or three; Pacific keeps a queen bed and a private bathroom, for two. The lower deck belongs to Coral, four bunk rooms with one double and one single bed, for three apiece. For the bathroom of an Azure or Coral cabin, ask us and the answer follows in writing.
Two dining rooms, a day bed and a speaker for the evening
The social life of a phinisi gathers in a few known places, and Vhale has each of them. There is an indoor dining room, with a wooden table and bench seating, and an outdoor dining room with a long table and a U-shaped bench under the deck roof, so a meal can follow the weather from one to the other. There is also an outdoor chill area with a day bed, and a sundeck above.
For the evening the boat carries a speaker and a karaoke set, and for the daylight two paddle boards and the snorkel gear. A refrigerator and a water dispenser mean the free-flow water, tea, coffee and milk do not depend on anyone remembering to ask. When the second coffee arrives is a matter for Vhale's crew.
Each space, photo by photo
Outdoor chill area
A U-shaped bench round a low table, with the harbour and the hills for company, for the hour after lunch.
Foredeck day bed
The striped day bed at the bow, claimed by the first person back from the swim.
Covered day-bed lounge
A navy day bed under a roof, open to the sea, where the evening ends with the speaker turned low.
Chart plotter, radio, tender and life jackets
Behind the wheelhouse door the equipment list is short, and pleasingly specific. Vhale carries a Garmin chart plotter and an Icom marine radio, a Yamaha tender for the short hops that the big hull should not attempt, life jackets, and a life raft. The table below sets them beside the engine and the water tanks.
The facilities cover snorkel gear, not scuba equipment, so a diving party should ask us first. Equipment is the least romantic page of any boat, and the most useful.
| System | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| Air conditioning (all cabins) | Fitted | In every cabin |
| En-suite bathrooms | Fitted | Atlantic, Oceanic and Pacific cabins; ask us which bathroom arrangement your Azure or Coral cabin has |
| Private balcony | Fitted | The two Atlantic cabins only |
| Indoor dining room | Fitted | A wooden table with bench seating |
| Outdoor dining room | Fitted | Long table and a U-shaped bench under the deck roof |
| Outdoor chill area with a day bed | Fitted | On deck |
| Speaker and karaoke set | Fitted | Included |
| 2 paddle boards | Fitted | Included |
| Snorkelling gear | Fitted | Included |
| Refrigerator and water dispenser | Fitted | On board; free-flow water, tea, coffee and milk |
| Tender boat | Fitted | Yamaha 40 HP |
| Navigation and radio | Fitted | Garmin 585S and Icom IC-M220 |
| Life jackets and life raft | Fitted | On board |
| Guide and documentation (mirrorless, drone, GoPro) | On request | Open trip: included. Private charter: on request, quoted separately |
Nine crew, and a captain who picks the anchorage
Vhale sails with a crew of 9. The people on board belong to Vhale and not to us: they are Vhale's crew, and the captain among them has the last word on the sea.
That word counts for most at dusk, when Vhale lies at anchor wherever the captain judges the weather kindest, and that is why no itinerary of ours names the bay. If the wind turns, the quiet cove becomes a different quiet cove and dinner is laid a little further along the coast. Nine people aboard, and one of them decides where the boat sleeps.
FAQ
Is Vhale a quiet boat for a small party?
Vhale has 12 cabins and standard beds for 28 guests, with 9 crew. She is built for a big table. A small party can book a single cabin on the Monday or Friday trip, and then shares the boat with other guests.
Is the air conditioning on all night, and what else should I ask about a cabin?
Every cabin is air-conditioned. For the bathroom arrangement of an Azure or Coral cabin and the window of a given cabin, ask us, and we confirm each point in writing before you pay.
Where do I find Vhale's beam, speed and engine?
In the specification table at the top of this page: beam, cruising speed, engine and generator, fresh water and fuel. The rest of the specification is confirmed on request.
Check availability — Vhale
Bookings for Vhale are made with the Komodo Explorer team in Labuan Bajo; the boat sails with its own crew of nine.