Sailing Thailand - The West Coast is like a sailors favorite dream

The Thai people are very friendly and courteous, there is none of the harassment holiday makers often seem to encounter in some other countries.

Basic facilities such as places to buy fruit, vegetables, fuel and water are found in many places. Also cheap beach restaurants, nevertheless serving mouthwatering dishes can be found on many of the islands.

Phuket, the only developed island on the coast has excellent nightlife, shops, markets, restaurants and, if you like, marina facilities.

Thailand's cruising grounds cater to all tastes

To the SW of our base Phuket you find open water with a few dotted islands such as Ko Racha and Ko Rok Nok. In the SW monsoon sailing can be quite exhilarating here, In the NE monsoon there is usually a steady moderate breeze.

To the South of Phuket there is a 100 nautical miles string of inshore islands, stretching from Ko Phi Phi to the Malaysian border. They offer tranquility and many opportunities for exploring. Highlights are Ko Muk with a fabulous inland lagoon, Ko Petra with spectacular limestone formations and Ko Tarutao, a former pirate’s nest boasting a large formation of caves.

East and S.East of Phuket Island, the fabulous Phang Nga Bay, Krabi and PhiPhi, together form an area of about 500 square miles. It has sheltered sailing in all seasons. The entire area is dotted with grotesque lime stone formations, honeycombed with caves and fringed by mangrove forests. Three major rivers plus a couple of smaller ones flow in the Phang Nga Bay.

This is very much catamaran country: one could cruise here for many months exploring the creeks, going up the rivers and visiting monasteries in caves. A typical feature are the hongs, high limestone islands which have collapsed in the middle leaving a landlocked lagoon. Several of these lagoons are accessible by dinghy at low tide via a cave. Further attractions are Rai Leh Beach, said to be one of the most beautiful in the world and the well known Phi Phi Islands offering gorgeous surroundings as well as great nightlife.

North and North West of Phuket one finds the off shore Similan- and Surin Islands, the latter close to the Burmese border. They offer the best diving and snorkeling in Thailand.

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Phang Nga Bay

30 miles NE
of Phuket 220sq miles of breathtaking surroundings. Numerous limestone formations rising vertically up from the seabed to as high as 350 m (1150 ft) make up a scenery which is unique in the world.

Several of the pinnacles shaped islands feature hongs (Thai for room). A hong is a large space inside such an island with a chimney -like opening to the sky. Try to imagine being inside the crater of a long-dead volcano. Acces to hongs is mostly by dinghy at certain heights of the tide. The atmosphere inside a hong is one of a strange tranquility and sheer beauty .The limestone islands and cliffs are riddled with caves, many of which can be safely explored on foot or by dinghy.

On the shores you’ll find a prolific flora and fauna. In the late afternoons you will often see (and hear) crab-eating macaques (monkeys) on the beaches hunting their favorite prey. Pra Nang more commonly known as Riley Beach lies on what must surely be one of the most beautiful bays in the world. Several of the rivers flowing into the Phang Nga Bay can be navigated quite far upstream by shallow-draught yachts.

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Phi Phi Islands

28 miles SE of Phuket
Twin islands 28 miles off Phuket. Good anchorages, gorgeous scenery, numerous possibilities for eating and drinking out.

Ko Racha

12 miles SW of Phuket
Very popular anchorage. Excellent beach, crystal clear water, several beach restaurants.

Ko Rok Nok

48 miles S of Phuket
Twin islands separated by narrow channel. Anchorage is in the channel. Water gin-clear, good snorkeling and diving. A shrine on the shore has phallus effigies. No facilities. No tourists.

Butang Islands

On Thai/Malaysian border
Unspoilt, off the beaten track group of islands where you can really feel like Robinson Crusoe. Hardly any other boats. Endless possibilities for exploring. Waterfalls and streams to be found on the shores. One of the 18 islands has a tiny settlement and a restaurant. Some quite good snorkeling and diving.

Ko Tarutao

On the Malaysian border. Long history as pirate’s nest, later penal colony, remains of both can still be found. Now National Park. A river can be navigated upstream by dinghy deep into the mangrove forest. Several hiking trails. Take a bath under a waterfall. A number of good anchorages. One small restaurant at national park buildings.

Koh Tarutao is the location of the famous Survivor Thailand series. Come and explore this beautiful unspoilt island with us.

Similan Islands

55 miles NW of Phuket
Archipelago of nine islands, one has a tiny settlement and a small restaurant. Typical for these islands are the massive formations of boulders, which make up weird and spectacular formations. Good snorkeling, considered as Thailand’s best diving area.

Surin Islands

Virtually on Thai/Burmese borderp
Breathtakingly beautiful. Deserted beaches, lush rainforest. Uninhabited saves a small colony of seagypsies.

CLIMATE

Thailand has two distinct seasons: the dry monsoon from November - May with predominantly light to moderate NE winds, temperatures are around 30 degrees C. The wet monsoon from May - October with SE winds, sometimes quite strong, produces a fairly large swell on the open sea. In this season there are frequent squalls which, when cruising in open water, require a skilled crew to cope with them. Large inshore areas still allow sheltered sailing.

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