Choice Sailing Around the Prime Waters of Thailand

September 6, 2009 | Posted by Captain Tim

That the waters around Thailand represent some of the best in the world for sailing and spectacular scenery is beyond dispute. The most popular venue, Phuket, its own destination, owes its reputation as a yachting mecca to the fact that it is on the E-W circumnavigation route and has long represented a backing-up spot, an end haven for sea-weary yachtsmen, especially those from Australia. Many of these became disillusioned with their ocean-going adventure, due to the arduous realities of sailing, which didn’t exactly accord with their often fantasy-laded expectations of life on the ocean wave. For those who favour a slightly less arduous encounter with the sea, however, the islands and shores of the waters around Phuket represent some of the most spectacular sights available around Thailand, notably the Andaman Sea the Ao Phang Nga National Park/Bay and waters off the Thai end of the Malay Peninsula. The one drawback, however, is that these waters have become too popular and it is almost impossible to find secluded spots.

The other major sailing area in the region, the waters of the Gulf of Thailand, on the other hand, whilst not possessing such spectacular scenery, are much less crowded and it is still possible to explore virtually unspoilt islands and inlets along the eastern Thai and Cambodian coasts and sometimes never encounter another boat. It’s a question of either or, however, as crossing from one to the next is a long arduous and time-consuming voyage, well beyond the scope and capabilities of any but the most intrepid of sailors and certainly not within the timeframe of the weekend sailor, as it would take on average 10 days, sailing 24 hours a day at 7knots from Pattaya to Phuket.

Accordingly, we will examine the respective attractions of each, starting with Phuket. Phuket, the Pearl of the South, has enjoyed recent sailing notoriety for at least 25 years, as evidenced by the fact that there are 4 marinas in the vicinity: the Yacht Haven, the Royal Phuket Marina, the Boat Lagoon and the Aochalong Yacht Club. These marinas between them represent home to somewhere in the range of 1000 yachts at any one time. As such, Phuket represents the best developed marine business centre in SE Asia for yacht brokerage or sale, charter and boat refurbishment and repair, as well as the departure point for short adventure or diving tours. Seasonal scheduled yacht trips are also available as far as Sri Lanka, or locally Phuket-Koh Phi Phi-Langkawi-Penang. On the Andaman Sea side, there are also cruises to the Similan and Surin Islands, or various dive venues. For the sailor who wants to venture as far as the Burmese islands of the Mergui Archipelago and doesn’t mind the bureaucratic hassle this will entail, there are a host of spectacular virginal islands to explore. For the ultra-experienced ‘yachty’, who yearns to really get away from it all, in the middle of the Indian Ocean you have the Maldives and the ultimate, the completely unspoilt islands of the Chagos Archipelago, 2,200 miles SW from Phuket, where the only others you’ll encounter will be fellow enthusiasts of the extreme yachting fraternity.

On the other side of Phuket Island, you have the spectacular scenery, caves, sugar loaf islands, limestone formations, sea mountains etc. of Phang Nga Bay, Phi Phi, Krabi, James Bond Island (Koh Phing Kan), and Lanta, creeks, coves, inlets and mangrove channels; all with excellent anchorages near uninhabited islands, most of which have superb diving, snorkelling, fishing and swimming.

In the Gulf of Thailand, on the other hand, what you have is not so much a yachting extravaganza as an ancient trading route up to Thailand’s original deep sea port on Koh Si Chang, which for over 1000 years has played host to dhows, junks, clippers and schooners trading from the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Canton, Singapore, on the one side and Malaysia, India and the Persian Gulf on the other.

For most of this information, Expat Lifestyle is indebted to Captain Tim McMahon, a fully qualified Merchant Marine Master, with over 130,000 sailing sea miles under his belt. Capt. Tim, now of Gulf Charters, was resident in Phuket for many years and now sails out of Ocean Marina. Gulf Charter Sailing School runs three comprehensive and competitive IYT-certified courses: International Crew, International Watchkeeper and International Bareboat Captain, probably the best sailing courses in Thailand, if not SE Asia. Gulf Charter Sailing School has a diverse fleet of charter/training yachts, both keelboats and multi-hulls, including Wharram 52, Jeaneau 43, Benneteau 46, Fountaine Pajot 38ft Athena cat, Fozzano—Oceanis 320, & 3-Cabin Sun Odyssey 42.1, and instructors with many years of combined experience. One of their main training grounds is the very sea around Koh Si Chang and I quote “Gulf Charter Sailing School has a world-class training facility and sailing area where students can develop and improve their sailing skills. A few miles to the north of our Ocean Marina base lies Laem Chabang, Thailand’s primary shipping port, which provides real life experience in dealing with ship and tug boat traffic, navigational aids such as buoys and lighthouses, a traffic separation scheme and a bustling commercial harbour. A few miles to the west, we have Koh Rin and Koh Phai, uninhabited tropical islands in the Marine Park, and a great place to practice traditional navigation methods, anchoring and beach landings aboard the dingy”.

The Gulf of Thailand is essentially the yachting playground of the capital and yachtsmen from the Ocean Marina, the nearest to Bangkok, (home to over 200 yachts, maintenance services, boat builders, charter services, yacht brokers, retail equipment sales etc.) regularly ply their way around Phai, Kram, Sattahip islands, Koh Samet, Koh Chang, Koh Samui and Hua Hin (a 55 mile, day-night trip from Ocean Marina). The waters in the Gulf are far less exposed to yachts than those around Phuket, which means the chances of exploration without meeting other yachtsmen are extremely good.

Capt. Tim really rates the islands around the ancient pirate coast of Cambodia, especially Koh Kut and slightly further down, the Vietnamese island of Hon Tho Chau (Pirate Island). The fishermen and locals on Koh Kut are extremely friendly and welcoming and come out to the boat to greet yachtsmen; something which no longer happens around Phuket. They invite crews to stay in their villages, where they are wined and dined with great occasion.  On one occasion, Capt. Tim saw an ancient Western sea chest and other artefacts in one of the villager’s houses, obviously booty from some long ago piratical pillaging operation, but such piracy is no longer practised. Gulf Charters runs a join-in Cambodian Tour in September, a real hands-on sailing experience, which includes visiting Koh Kut and also Sihanoukville Bay, which is highly recommended.

For details of Gulf Charters Sailing Courses and numerous join-in events contact:

Capt. Tim McMahon, Sailing School Director,

Gulf Charters Thailand Co. Ltd.,

Ocean Marina Yacht Club,

167/5 M4 Sukhumvit Rd., Km 157,

Na Jomtien.

Tel: +66-(0)38 237752

www. yachtmasterthailand.com

Email: tim@gulfchartersthailand.com

Categories: In the Press!! | Tags: | 1 Comment »

Comments