The legendary Indonesian Barquentine, Tall Ship Dewaruci, set sail once again from the Koarmatim Pier in Surabaya on Tuesday, August 13, 2013 for a 60 days’ voyage to October 10, 2013 around the Australian continent, joining the International Tall Ship Race.

The route will take Dewaruci from Surabaya, East Java, to Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, then entering Australian waters from Darwin, Perth, Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney, Auckland (New Zealand), Brisbane, Cairns before returning to Darwin.

During her voyage around the land of down under and New Zealand, all the crew and Indonesian Navy cadets will conduct official visits to local authorities while promoting Indonesian art and culture, and tourist destinations. Having sailed since 60 years ago, Tall Ship Dewaruci has made a reputation not only as an extraordinarily tough ship, but also for her crew and cadets who are adept at offering fascinating art and cultural performances. In Europe, the ship even has her own loyal fans who always come whenever the ship makes port.

Admiral Marsetio from the Indonesian Navy said that the voyage has a special mission to promote Indonesia’s many tourist attractions under the tagline “Wonderful Indonesia”. Through such efforts, it is expected that the number of tourists from Australia to Indonesia will increase.

At the casting off ceremony, an official agreement between the Indonesian Navy and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy was signed to jointly further enhance tourism promotion overseas. The agreement was signed by Navy Chief Admiral Marsetio and Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sapta Nirwandar, aboard Dewaruci.

Responding to the invitation from the Australian Sail Training Association to attend the Australian Navy’s Fleet review, the Tall Ship Dewaruci has truly placed the Indonesian Navy among the world class Navy. In this voyage, the ship carries 82 crew members; 6 additional personnel dealing with Intelligence, information, Health, and Special Forces, and 10 cadet escorts. As a training ship, Dewaruci also brought along 98 Navy cadets of class 60 led by Naval Major Agus Prapto, who will also conduct practical training of Kartika Jala Krida (KJK) Sailing Voyage.

The KJK Sailing Voyage is aimed to build character and strong mentality of Navy cadets to prepare them for future duties as Naval Officers. Training will provide cadets with moral sense, discipline, professionalism, and sense of responsibility needed for their future. The voyage is also a means to apply lessons received in class and to perform the task as Indonesia’s ambassadors, who are able to engage in international relations.

The Tall Ship Dewaruci cast off in an official ceremony led by Indonesia’s Navy Chief Admiral Marsetio accompanied by Commander of the East Indonesia Fleet, Agung Pramono, Governor of the Navy Academy, I.N.G.N Ary Atmaja, and other Navy officers. Present in the ceremony were also the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sapta Nirwandar, the Director General for Tourism Marketing Esthy Reko Astuti, and Director for Tourism Branding, Ratna Suranti, besides family members of the crew and cadets.