The Story of ‘Passandeq’ Challenging Stormy Waves

The thrilling and ironic story was told by the ‘sandeq’ sailors in the 2022 Sandeq Festival across the Makassar Strait. The ‘passandeqs’ were always proud to set sail, become fishermen and respect the sea.

KOMPAS/STEFANUS ATO

Sandeq Pangoli's boat will rest on the coast of Pambusuang Village, Balanipa District, Polewali Mandar Regency, West Sulawesi Province, on Friday (22/7/2022).

Paris had just finished rolling up the sail of the sandeq he was riding on. The 67-year-old man said it was his first experience navigating the Makassar Strait on a sailboat. He and seven team members navigated traditional Mandar vessels that had no engine and only relied on the wind.

He departed from his village, namely Silopo beach, Polewali Mandar regency, West Sulawesi, on 31 August 2022. From there, he and his team sailed the Makassar Strait to Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. The festival was held by the provincial government of West Sulawesi with the theme "Indonesia Supports the IKN Nusantara".