MV Indies Trader
"The MV Indies Trader is the most capable, no bullshit, surf charter boat on the planet" exclaims Martin Daly "I'm excited to get it back to its original stomping grounds in Sumatra. As we have moved into the upper end of the surf charter market over the years I'm stoked to be able to give the regular bloke a chance to share our experience with an affordable surf trip on a boat that is a huge part of surfing history."

The MV Indies Trader offers the most authentic surf charter experience in the world. During the course of the 1980's and into the early 1990's Martin and the MV Indies Trader were responsible for discovering the vast majority of surf breaks along the Sumatran coastline including many waves in the Mentawai Islands. For the last 8 years it has explored the world with the Quiksilver Crossing discovering over one hundred more waves on its journey. Now you can become part of history and secure your slot on one of the most distinguished exploration vessels in surfing history!

There is no better value in the surf travel!

MV Indies Trader brochure: http://www.indiestrader.com/pdf/high/indies1.pdf

Standard Trip (Mentawai Islands): The standard trip duration is 12 days / 13 nights, two days longer than most of our competitors. We stay out for these two extra days to ensure that our guests have the opportunity to surf at least one solid swell during their stay, but in all likelihood we usually encounter two, sometimes three significant swell events during our scheduled charter dates. If you're going to travel halfway across the world those two extra days are worth their weight in gold. 8 guests maximum.

Extended Trip (North Sumatra): The extended trip duration is 14 days / 15 nights and designed to take you way, way off the beaten track. North Sumatra consists of five distinct island groups: the Banyaks, Hinakos, Nias, Simuelue, and Telos. Whereas the waves in the Mentawai Islands are ideal for surfers looking for a quick, surgical strike in a short period of time - the waves in North Sumatra are more spread out and require a laid back attitude and temperance. In general. a good number of spots in North Sumatra are larger than the Mentawai's - the waves are slightly more fickle, but fortunately most spots remain virtually empty with the exception of Nias and its surrounding area.

Due to the sensitive nature of this area Indies Trader Marine Adventures will not be posting a huge amount of information, photos, or video about this area. We'd like to keep it as much of a "secret" as possible. It's up to you to decide if you're ready to embark on the ultimate surf charter trip - we're confident that a trip on the "MV Indies Trader " can make it happen.


Technical Specifications
Vessel Type: Diving and Survey
Construction: Steel with aluminum wheelhouse
Length Overall: 75 feet (22.86m)
Year Built: 1972 KB Welding, Brisbane, to Commonwealth of Australia
Year Rebuilt: 1992 Pandan shipyard, Singapore,
Weight: 95 tons
Cruising Speed: 9 knots
Range: 5000 nautical miles
Auxiliary Boats: 17 foot Runabout with 60hp Outboard - 2x1200hp Yamaha Waverunners
Safety Certificates: Vessel holds Honduras Safety Certificate, International Loadlines Certificate, Ship Safety Radio Certificate, and is surveyed annually.
Safety Equipment: 2 x 10 man life rafts, 1 rescue boat, 18 life jackets, handflares, Parachute flares, Red Signal Smoke, dual frequency EPIRB distress beacon, 8 life rings with strobes
Accomodation: 4 x two berth air conditioned (total 8 passengers)
Crew: Captain, engineer plus four crew.
Entertainment: 30 inch flat screenTV, VHS, Laser Disk, DVD, Stereo, BOSE Sound System
Communication: Marine Radio (SSB Main/SSB Stab=ndby/VHF/4xhandheld), Inmarsat telephone and fax - Internet capable


2008 Schedule


Pricing
Available upon request.

Price Includes:

 

How to Book
If you are interested in booking your next surf adventure on the MV Indies Trader all you need to do is follow the instructions below. For detailed information about going on one of our surf charter trip from A-Z please visit our "Travel Information" page.

1. Make Contact: The first thing you need to do is contact us with your requested dates using the contact information at the bottom of this page. We are available 24 hours a day to handle your needs. In general we do not handle individual bookings - the boat is available on a daily rate basis and can accomodate up to 9 guests.

2. Confirm Dates and Make Deposit: Once we have confirmed your dates we require a 50% deposit to secure your booking. This deposit is preferably made by wire transfer to our account in Singapore; Bookings originating from the United States and surrounding areas have the additional option of writing a personal check or money order. Please read over our "Terms and Conditions" for detailed payment information.

3. Fill out our Online Booking Form: Now that your dates are set and your payment is in we need to get some basic information from all of the members in your group. This information will be used to secure the necessary permits to allow you to travel in the Mentawai Islands or in other areas we are traveling. Please visit our "Make a Reservation" page for an in depth look at the information we collect. This step is interchangeable with Step 2 - you can do them in any order.

4. Book your airline tickets: Indies Trader Marine Adventures is now equipped to handle all of our United States guests flight details - we will work directly with you to find the appropriate flight and schedule for your group if you need us to. Otherwise, you are more than welcome to handle your travel details on your own. Please visit our "Travel Information" page for detailed flight information - where you need to fly into, and what are the available options at your disposal.

5. Make final payment: You final payment is due two months prior to your trip's departure. Once that's in along with the information from our online booking form you're all set to go!

6. Show up: Rule #1 is to remember to not miss your flight...believe us, it can happen to anyone. Once you've made it on the right flight, endured a trip halfway across the world, and landed in Padang we will be there to pick you up and take you to your surf charter vessel. Again, check out our "Travel Information" page for the complete rundown of this part of the process.

7. Surf: Once you're on the boat everything is taken care of - the only thing you need to worry about is what board you should ride and how you want to drag your hand in the barrel - fingertips up or out? Want to know what kind of waves to expect? It's all right here.

Contact Information - International
MV Indies Trader
Indies Trader Marine Adventures
629 Camino de los Mares #101
San Clemente, CA 92673
E-mail: adventure@indiestrader.com
Toll Free: (877) 808-0813
Local: (714) 369-8108
Mobile: (714) 478-2487
FAX: (949) 493-2770
Contact Name: Anthony Marcotti

Indonesia
Main Office - Indies Trader Marine Adventures
PT Surfindo Maritim Nusantara
Jl. Teuku Cik Ditiro #10
Jakarta, 103 5 0 Indonesia
Tel. +62 8126644310                                
email : jason@indiestrader.com

 

About the Crossing
In March of 1999 Quiksilver launched a refitted MV Indies Trader on a voyage of discovery. Her mission was fourfold:

What is the Quiksilver Crossing?
The Quiksilver Crossing is a voyage of surfing discovery on board the surf exploration vessel, the Indies Trader.  The boat left from Cairns in Queensland, Australia in March 1999 and has journeyed east across the South Pacific, Indonesia and the Mentawais, across the Indian Ocean to the Maldives and South Africa, through the Mediterranean to Europe, then on to Brazil and up to Central America and the Caribbean.  The Crossing has just recently completed a tour of the east coast of America, which included a trip to Canada via the Great Lakes before heading back down to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi river.  Currently the Crossing is again exploring for surf in the Caribbean.

As well as exploration, scientific data is being collected on isolated reefs and this is being collated for the United Nations-supported Reef Check program. Another important aspect of the Crossing is respect for, and interaction with, local cultures.

Why undertake this expedition?
By nature, surfers travel to explore and find new surfing areas. At Quiksilver we are passionate about surfing and we would like to see more areas around the world preserved primarily for surfing. Surfing can be a low-impact activity as opposed to other activities like extractive fishing, using dynamite and cyanide poisoning, which is short-term gain and obviously destructive, or overwhelming tourism which has little or no regard for the local people and environment.

With the Crossing we hope to contribute to environmentally friendly, and sustainable, practices in regards to surfing in locations which are basically pristine. To do this, we have to start with a baseline of knowledge. At Quiksilver we don't pretend to have all the answers but by making berths available on the Crossing for marine biologists, and other scientists, we are endeavouring to increase the knowledge of the intrinsic value of the various locations so they can be preserved for future generations.

Who is on the boat?
The full complement is 13 people. The crew consists of the captain and the cook and three Indonesian crew members. There are also eight berths in four cabins and the people usually change every two weeks. The usual makeup of a trip is four surfers, one marine biologist, a stills photographer and a cinematographer. Sometimes a writer is on board, or else another stills photographer or surfer.

Who decides where the boat goes?
The Crossing route is determined by a small management group including the captain of the Indies Trader, Martin Daly, project director Bruce Raymond, from Quiksilver International, and the pro staff including team managers and sponsored surfers. They take into account weather forecasts, marine charts and the distance between island chains.

What about keeping locations confidential?
This is a very important aspect of the Crossing. While the basic route is outlined, no specific references are given in regards to surf spots. The primary aim of the Crossing is to explore new regions and to avoid populated surfing areas as much as possible. Everyone connected with the project respects keeping known and unknown surf spots a mystery. In fact, everyone who is invited on board the Crossing must sign a confidentiality agreement not to disclose locations.

What is the basic daily routine?
The prime objective is to go surfing. The boat moors overnight in a safe anchorage out of the weather and hopefully near a prime surf spot. If the swell is up, everyone goes surfing. If there is no swell, the marine biologist on board may lead a Reef Check expedition, documenting the condition of a nearby reef. Meanwhile, the regular crew work on the upkeep of the boat. A usual two-week trip involves scouting for new locations, sometimes in the dinghy to check spots near the main anchorage.

What type of boat is the Indies Trader?
The Indies Trader is a 75-foot diving and survey vessel constructed of steel with an aluminum wheelhouse. It weighs 95 tonnes and has a cruising speed of eight knots. It was originally built in Brisbane, Australia, in 1972 and was rebuilt in Singapore in 1992. In 1999 it was specifically customized for the Crossing and has been painted with a Polynesian motif.

How long can the boat stay at sea?
The boat has a range of 5,000 nautical miles and can stay at sea comfortably for a month. Usually though it comes to shore every two weeks to re-provision and change passengers.

How many people have been on the Crossing so far, and how much surf have they found?
More than 360 people have joined the boat since March 1999. They have discovered and surfed 98 new world-class waves. The boat has traveled approximately 84,000 nautical miles since leaving Cairns (the distance around the Equator is 21,638 nautical miles).

 

Relevant links for the Crossing:

© 2008 Indies Trader Marine Adventures ::: All rights reserved

U.S.A. 877-808-0813 ::: adventure@indiestrader.com