Cruising in Thailand

[tjfmmaes]

Hi all

I am going to go sailing in Thailand with the friendly folks at Sunsail. Does anyone have any experience in going there? Tips, tricks, do's and donts would be greatly appreciated as there seems to be a myriad of choices.

All help would be welcome.

Thanks

Thomas

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[Twister_Ken]

Cluck off

Don't consort with any chickens!

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[bullen]

We have been sailing there twice with Sunsail. We went in August 01 and 02 . The weather was variable but mostly sunny with good wind. Just a few squalls to keep us on our toes. We got Sunsail to do the provisioning before we arrived so most of the stuff was stowed and cold. Otherwise provisioning can be a problem,especially beyond Phi Phi and also some facilities were not open in the "off season".We did have a few problems with an older yacht but this was always sorted quickly when we were in easy range of the base. Once again , further south we had to do running repairs ourselves. It was a great holiday but certainly it is for the more adventurous, a bit like back packing on water! Our teenagers thought it was the best ever. The food is so cheap,Thai of course,and by about day 10 some were in need of something other than rice or noodles.

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[sailbadthesinner]

i had friends do that
it was septmeber time and it rained alot
also they spent alot of time rowing ashore as the boat had to be anchored a long way off as they bays shelved very gently leaving the a long row home ( too shallow for outboard)
it was pretty but basic
few restaraunts and not much doing in the way of lively harbours
even tho it ewas their honeymoon they found it a bit quiet
but it was beautiful and challenging and in their opinion worth doing
ditto the comment about back pack sailing

<hr width=100% size=1>My wife wanted tender treatment, so i stowed her whilst at sea

 

[davel]

Yep, chartered with Sunsail from Phuket in August. Hot with some showers and mixed wind - sometimes blew like stink, sometimes it didn't but enough for good sailing overall. We chartered a cat because of the shallow water and we're glad we did, we had no problems getting in anywhere.
Provisioned at a HUGE Tesco's about 5 miles from the Sunsail base, then again at Phiphi Don, otherwise had no real problems finding great cheap restaurants in fabulous settings.
We took 3 weeks with one week spent exploring inland and 2 on the water.
Well recommended.

<hr width=100% size=1>Dave L.

 

[tjfmmaes]

Thanks for these replies, really helpful. As far as destinations go, do you have any advice or is it all beautiful? Also, what are the best places to go for a bit (even a tiny bit) of entertainment?

Thanks

Thomas


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[davel]

It's all beautiful but the most stunning area (IMHO) is the area north of Phuket - Ao Phangnga. This is where you get those fantastic limestone rocks rising vertically out of the sea, as featured in movies! This area is also very shallow (average depth is probably about 3 meters). The place was virtually desterted when we went there apart from friendly fishermen in their "James Bond" boats (these are long canoe type boats with huge engines on the back and a 12ft propshaft extending into the water) who sold fresh fish and enourmous prawns for next to nothing.

Phiphi Don has all the nightlife you'll need. This is a gorgeous island which is now firmly on the backpackers trail and is full of bars, restaurants, live music, market traders, day trips etc etc. It's a great place and fairly central so you can come back if you feel you need a further shot of civilisation - we stopped three nights out of 14.

I have a chart showing our route over 14 days. Send me a pm if you'd like an electronic copy. It should give you a good idea of the cruising area.

<hr width=100% size=1>Dave L.

 

[BrianJ]

Had six wonderful years there..
Be polite
Never touch a Thai on the head ( its sacred)
Never point your feet at a Thai.. its very rude
Try to pick up a few words like " thank You" in Thai ( Males say a different thing to females ) there are two genders in the Thai language...
By all means bargin for almost everything.. they expect it and respect you for it...

Thais are lovely people ... but have been spoilt a little by the USA forces when they were stationed in Sattaheap..
Diving is amazing..warm water ,100' visibility and no wet suits required..enjoy it and tell us how you get on.
BrianJ

<hr width=100% size=1>BrianJ