Indonesian Connections - Sama Biasa and Australia's Borders

In July 1980, Amin Pello and his crew of six sailed Sama Biasa from the Indonesian island of Roti bound for Ashmore Reef, off the Australian mainland, in search of fish and trochus shell.  Fishermen on Roti do not own land and must make their living from the sea. Amin was part of a tradition of Rotinese fishermen who have been visiting reefs and islands off the northwest coast of Australia for over 200 years. Ashmore Reef is only about 75 nautical miles from Roti. His vessel, Sama Biasa was built about 1954 on Roti. It is made from local teak which has been cut and crafted to shape by shipwrights using tools they either made themselves or were made for them by the local blacksmith. In the cabinets here you can see examples of the drills they used to make holes for the wooden trenails used to hold the vessel together. The sails are made from nylon fabric which is used to make ricebags. The sails do not last long and new sets have to be made every few months. The anchors were made from pieces of scrap steel with the shank of one being the camshaft from a Chevrolet engine! The paint is homemade from coconut oil blended with other materials to colour and thicken it, including ground coral. Teredo worms will not eat coral. By mixing coral with the paint the vessel’s underwater section is protected.