
Conservation International scientists conducting underwater research on manta rays

All of Rascal’s cabins feature flatscreen TVs with a catalogue of over 1,000 complimentary movies and Sonos interactive music systems Up until recently, Rascal was a standalone private charter phinisi yacht hand-built by Konjo boat builders in South Sulawesi in Tana Beru, a remote fishing village in Indonesia where phinisi boats have been constructed for hundreds of years. Together with two other co-founders, Barreto set up Rascal Voyages in 2017 to leverage Rascal’s unique format of private yacht charter and operate across Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, and beyond. Rascal is available for hire starting from US$8,500 ($11,128) for fullboard service per night. The company more recently announced plans to expand its fleet size to six yachts, including the maiden Rascal phinisi, by 2021. According to Barreto, the new vessels will be “same, but different”. For one, they will bear similarities to the maiden Rascal in terms of style and standards, he says. Each will have five double en-suite guest cabins and a range of indoor and outdoor recreational spaces combined with the comforts of a contemporary yacht. Yet, their destinations and itineraries are set to be vastly divergent. Two new yachts are currently under construction, with both scheduled to complete in 2020. While one will serve along the Indonesian waters alongside the original yacht, another will voyage two routes, namely from Thailand to Myanmar, and Singapore to Malaysia. A further three yachts will be completed by 2021 to access the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Thailand with unique itineraries around the Maldives and Cambodia. As for the new manta ray cleaning stations, which Erdmann and his team most recently discovered during their voyage, the ecologist is choosing to remain mum about where they might be found. “It might be that only Rascal will ever know about them because I’m going to keep quiet as to the exact location… We want to provide some areas [in Raja Ampat] that are exclusive to Rascal visitors. Just know that Erik didn’t pay me to say that,” Erdmann insists with a hearty laugh.