The History of the „Sunshine“
It was a long-cherished dream of Anke and Salmon to open up further dive sites and diving areas with a safari ship in addition to the Blue Bay Divers resort.
This special combination – dreamlike island with nearby dive sites and several-day safari tours in North Sulawesi and beyond – offers diving experiences of a special kind.
In December 2009 Anke and Salmon travelled to Bira (South Sulawesi) for the first time to gather information about shipbuilding, shipbuilders, prices and conditions. Three months later there was a long meeting with Haji Andi Ahmad Nur, contract partner and project manager in Makassar. Ankes and Salmon’s ideas and wishes were merged on many drawings and constructions with Hadji’s decades of experience in shipbuilding.
Thus the first version of Sunshine was created on paper. Already in March 2010 the keel was laid, and with much manual work and skill the ship grew from month to month.
The hull was made completely of ironwood (Kayu Besi), the superstructures and interior fittings of teak and other hardwoods.
In September 2010 the time had come. Launching. Over two weeks, many helpers, many steel ropes and sandbags were needed to let the heavy ship slide into the water.
Further interior work was then carried out in the port of Bira and at the end of February 2011 the KLM Sunshine was transferred to her home port, the Blue Bay of Sahaung.
Since then, the Sunshine has been sailing in the waters of North Sulawesi, Sangihe, Buyat Bay and Halmahera.