Sailing in Phuket - yachts and boating
One of the main reasons to come to Phuket is for the spectacular sailing and boating. The province is positioning itself as a major cruising ground with the addition of several marinas. Currently, there are four completed marinas: Boat Lagoon, Royal Phuket Marina, Yacht Haven and Ao Por Grand Marina.
However, sailing boats in Phuket also moor off Ao Chalong in the southeast (where there is also a small government-run marina next to the pier) and in Ao Po in the northeast of the island. Other marinas are supposedly in the works, many of them private, but so far there have been no firm go-aheads on any of these.
In Phuket there is sailing all year off the east coast, in the well-sheltered Phang Nga Bay, while the Andaman Sea off the west coast can become too rough for all but the most competent sailors during the wet season. Phuket is home to three major regattas, with the most famous being the King’s Cup Regatta, celebrating the King’s birthday in early December. Around Chinese New Year at the end of January, the Phang Nga Bay Regatta is a favourite, touted as the ‘fun regatta’. The wet-season regatta, Phuket Race Week, is the newest and most challenging, with lively seas and sometimes howling winds.
Even if you are not an avid sailor, you can enjoy the delights of boating by chartering a yacht for a day of sailing in Phuket – with or without crew - or joining in on a boat tour. One company offering a smaller tour that will suit those who prefer a more personalised experience that will fit most budgets is Phuket Sail Tours. Owner Mark Pendlebury aims to provide a family-type atmosphere on the boat, which carries a maximum of 10 passengers on daytrips or six on overnight trips. Another decent charter company with several fun catamarans is Andaman Sea Club.
We would also like to recommend the services of Phuket Sailing, who specialise in chartered cruises throughout Thailand, and also Myanmar (Burma), India and Malaysia. Expect unforgettable cruises to deserted beaches and rainforest islands on very well equipped yachts, all for a reasonable price. See their website, Phuket Sailing, for more details, or Tel/Fax: +66 (0) 7628 9656.
In Phuket there are dozens of boats of all sizes for charter, many of them offered through a variety of different companies. Try Asia Marine for one of the widest selections.
For those who want to learn to sail, Phuket has the perfect conditions. Yachtpro offers the widest selection of courses,with accreditation from the American Sailing Association, International Sailing Schools Association, Australian Yachting Federation, US Sailing and the Canadian Yachting Association and Sail in Asia offers training to IYT (International Yacht Training) standards, while Sunsail goes British with Royal Yachting Association-accredited courses.
Many cruise operators provide sunset cruises and one of the most spectacular ways to watch the sun set is from the deck of a junk. The Nakalay Junk runs a day cruise as well as a sunset cruise. Chartering the entire boat is possible, but costly. Another junk, the June Bahtra, provides similar service.
For nostalgia, get aboard Seraph, a beautifully restored 100-year-old Danish fishing ketch, for day trips, sundowner trips or longer voyages. Join-in day cruises can also be taken aboard Jabuticaba, a Turkish-built two-master that the owners tout as the “party” boat. These are available for booking through many local travel agents.
For something a little different, you can try an inland cruise with River Rovers, which travels through shallower, inland river routes to areas less frequented by tourists. Their tours include kayaking and visiting the sea gypsy villages and learning about the ecosystem of the weird mangrove forests.
Traveller tale: Sailing the Andaman coast
The best way to appreciate Asia’s prettiest coast is from the water aboard a day charter... more
