Dayskipper in Thailand

[pmagowan]

Hi,

I am off to Thailand at the end of this week for a 2 week sailing holiday. The first week I will be doing day skipper and my friends will be doing competent crew. The second week I will be the skipper as we hire a boat. We are sailing out of Phuket. Does anyone have any experience of this and any hints and tips both of sailing in Thailand and the day skipper course. I have bought Tom Cunliffes book. I have sailed all my life but have never done any qualifications other than a sailing dingy course as a child.

Thanks in advance

 

[telford_mike]

Sounds like a wonderful trip!

I'm sure you'll find day skipper enjoyable. It's not particularly demanding - basic boat handling, safety, nav and showing that you can control, communicate with and motivate your crew. With luck you'll get a good instructor and you'll learn a few new tricks.

Really enjoyed my DS, despite it being in chilly Devon. Thailand would be wonderful!

 

[explores]

Didn't do the day skipper course,but did two weeks in Thailand from Phuket. I have no qualifications only experience. Wonderful holiday,you will manage easily,go for it.

 

[Sans Bateau]

You will pass, you only have to turn up to be able to pass.

Friend used to be a DS instructor/examiner out there and would often protest to the resort manager that a particular individual should not be signed off as being competent, only to be told that the candidate will have spent a lot of money with the company for his 'holiday' and he must not go away disappointed. Yep, you'll pass, dont worry.

 

[flaming]

Did a week sailing out of Phuket with Sunsail. Amazing place!

I'm sure you'll get a very thorough brief from the charter company on where to visit etc, all I would add would be to keep a close eye on the trawlers. It took me a while to cotton on to the fact that they are predominantly pair trawlers, since their adherence to the Colregs in terms of dayshapes is exactly zero....

And make sure you get charcoal. Several times we were anchored up and local fishermen would appear and barter for fresh, straight out of the sea, prawns. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

 

[Sybarite]

Hi,

I am off to Thailand at the end of this week for a 2 week sailing holiday. The first week I will be doing day skipper and my friends will be doing competent crew. The second week I will be the skipper as we hire a boat. We are sailing out of Phuket. Does anyone have any experience of this and any hints and tips both of sailing in Thailand and the day skipper course. I have bought Tom Cunliffes book. I have sailed all my life but have never done any qualifications other than a sailing dingy course as a child.

Thanks in advance

Pray for guidance....

 

[pmagowan]

Thanks guys, sounds like it will be fun. I am not really worried about the day skipper. I am a skipper on my own boat which I sail up the west coast of Scotland most years but I don't have any paperwork. I am not keen on certificates but the others wanted to do competent crew so it seemed wise to get dayskipper and then it makes it easier to rent a boat in the future. The rest of the crew are complete novices so a week getting used to sailing with an instructor is no bad thing. It will also allow me to familiarise myself with the waters before i take control. Thanks again for your reassurance.

 

[Keef]

Hi,

I am off to Thailand at the end of this week for a 2 week sailing holiday. The first week I will be doing day skipper and my friends will be doing competent crew. The second week I will be the skipper as we hire a boat. We are sailing out of Phuket. Does anyone have any experience of this and any hints and tips both of sailing in Thailand and the day skipper course. I have bought Tom Cunliffes book. I have sailed all my life but have never done any qualifications other than a sailing dingy course as a child.

Thanks in advance

I did my DS there and in Malaysia. It was lovely.

Hints for Thailand -

Security can be a concern. Don't get be paranoid about it, but stuff can go missing. Phuket Yacht Haven has good security, but I've heard tales of villains getting on boats and nicking stuff of them when the at anchor
It'll be hot so make sure you drink lots and lots of water and keep the crew well hydrated too
Tidal streams can be quite strong in places so take them into account when passage planning
Avoid the touristy areas as they're quite expensive and can be noisy, dirty and crowded
Keep a good look out at all times for fishing boats and pots. Frequently they completely ignore colregs, rarely show lights at night, the pots are often badly marked and in some areas there are loads of fishing boats to watch out for
I didn't really like Phuket itself that much, but many of the islands nearby are lovely.
I'd suggest getting or making sure the charter boat has a good pilot book. Maybe buy one so you can get an idea of where you want to go cruising on your charter before you go. A lot of the snorkeling isn't great around Phuket, but nearby is Ko Racha which is really nice for snorkeling. There is also a very nice restaurant near the beach too. There are many beautiful anchorages and places to go near to Phuket.

DS course - My instructors were great. Planning is a big part of it, but don't spend too much time pouring over charts and missing out on sailing. Plan early and look carefully for any hazards along the way. My instructors (quite rightly) gave me the task of getting from A to B and it was usually quite a challenge and always involved having to avoid barely submerged rocks and or other hazards. As the skipper I guess they want to see you delegating tasks and giving clear instructions to your crew. I must have got it about right as I passed it after only a few weeks intensive sailing.

 

[pmagowan]

Just an update:

First, thanks for all the advice it was really helpful.

The dayskipper week went well and there was nothing much that I didn't know already but it was good revision and also good to encourage good practice. It felt a bit like doing a driving test after 10 years behind the wheel. It was good fun and the crew were all doing the competent crew course and got a lot out of it.

islands were amazing, people lovely and food great. Bangkok was great for a few days on the town.

 

[richgiddens]

Just an update:

First, thanks for all the advice it was really helpful.

The dayskipper week went well and there was nothing much that I didn't know already but it was good revision and also good to encourage good practice. It felt a bit like doing a driving test after 10 years behind the wheel. It was good fun and the crew were all doing the competent crew course and got a lot out of it.

islands were amazing, people lovely and food great. Bangkok was great for a few days on the town.

I'm off to Thailand on Wed with no sailing factored in. aaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!

 

[emmalina]

Been sailing around here for the last 10 years . Only advice or change from europe is don't expect colregs to apply around SE Asia.
But in all that time only been hit once ! Great part of the world !