Sail Asia

In early August we spent a week sailing through the beautiful islands in the Andaman Sea to the east of Phuket in Thailand. Not only is this area renown for its amazing scenery and crystal clear tropical waters, it is also a relatively safe and easy place to navigate through.

Our boat was a Tiki 30 catamaran designed by James Wharram of the U.K. Wharram catamarans are often referred to as the “Landrovers” of the seas because of their no-nonsense designs that combine great stability with easy handling. Since our entire crew consisted of myself, my wife Sunny, and our three young children, and we had never chartered before, stability and ease of operation were a priority for us. Wharrams also provide a relatively large amount of deck space which can be a luxury on extended voyages.

We chartered the Tiki 30 ‘Veni Vidi Vici’ from Makz at Siam Sailing in Phuket. From our initial communication with Makz, he worked to insure that all aspects of our trip would go smoothly. For starters, he arranged for our transportation from the airport to the boat with a stop off at the local hypermarket to pick up our food and necessities for our voyage. He also let us stay on board the night before our departure so that we could take off as early as we wanted on the day our charter was to begin.

The Veni Vidi Vici

After our arrival at the picturesque bay where Vendi Vidi Vici was moored, Makz helped us to get all of our luggage and supplies aboard and then proceeded to give us a very comprehensive introduction to the boat. This was followed by a break for dinner at nice little beachside cafe, and then an equally comprehensive introduction to the locality which we would be sailing through, with recommendations from Makz regarding specific places and activities that we might enjoy.

By the time we had put together a route that made sense for the amount of time we would be on the boat and our personal interests, the sun had gone down and our boys were eager to get back aboard so that we could get everything ready for an early departure.

The next morning we woke to beautiful clear blue skies and a very steady breeze. After breakfast and a short swim, we started the engine, pulled up the anchor, and officially started our voyage.

Makz had told us that the main on our Tiki could be raised with the wind coming from any direction. So as soon we rounded the fish trap buoys that marked the entrance to the bay, and had good 15 knot wind from our port side, I went forward to lift the main. It does go up easily enough, but the wind was pushing the gaff outside of the shrouds which prevented the sail from being raised all the way to the top. After two failed attempts to do this, we simply pointed into the wind and pulled up the main with almost no effort.

As this was our first time to charter a catamaran, and the first time on this boat, we decided to sail under main alone for awhile to get a feel for the boat. According to our GPS we were heading north at speeds between 5-6 knots. The boat was handling well and after some time we decided to raise the jib as well. This increased our speed to 7-8 knots with no more discernible heal in the boat.

Our first planned stop was Koh Rang Noi, about 12 kilometers to the north. It was easy to navigate with the charts provided by Makz and plenty of visual cues along the way. We reached Koh Rang Noi, which is a pristine little island, and tucked in closely behind the east side of the island to get shelter from the wind.

We didn’t go ashore, but according to the Andaman Sea Pilot Book, the island offers plenty of amenities including food, kayaking, biking, hiking, and some very nice beaches on the South West side of the island. We opted for a simple lunch aboard and then again set sail for the North.

Our afternoon sail was almost identical to our morning sail with the exception that the wind picked up to 20+ knots and the scenery became more dramatic. This is the area where the islands and rock formations rise hundreds of meters straight out of the sea. It was amazing to see trees and plant life that have found a way to attach themselves to these sheer cliffs.

Our speed picked up to 8-9 knots and we arrived at Koh Hong, where we had planned to spend the night. The anchorage at Koh Hong is in the cover of three small but closely grouped islands that offer both protection from the wind and an easy and secure place to drop the hook. We were successful on our first attempt and, in spite of changes of wind and tide during the night, found our anchorage to be quite secure.

Anchorage at Koh Hong

As the sun began to set we started our dinner preparations and the boys tried their hands at fishing. They used the pole, which was outfitted with some simple jigging tackle, that Makz had provided with the boat. It wasn’t long before they had landed a couple of fish that were large enough to become part of our dinner.

The next morning we followed Makz’s suggestion of taking our dingy into the hong at Koh Hong. A hong is an enclosed bay inside of an island. In this case the small bay was encircled by walls that rose a hundred meters straight out of the water. Inside the hong you are protected from the wind and all is silent except that any noise you make echoes of the walls. For this reason, and to protect the hong from damage caused by wave and sound vibrations, all those that enter are supposed to turn off their engines and move around with paddles.

We soon found a small cave and entered as far as we could go with our dingy. This small cave then opened up into another hong which can be explored as well. To me, the most impressive part of our explorations was the almost psychedelic rock formations and how they intermingled with the roots of trees that had managed to find a small ledge to call home.

Later in the morning we returned to our boat and set sail, again to the north, for Koh Pan Yi. Along the way we hit our first squall where the wind picked up dramatically and visibility was reduced to about 50 meters. Fortunately, we dropped our sails before it hit and simply motored for the few minutes that it lasted.

The Veni Vidi Vici under sail

As we continued to Koh Pan Yi, we passed by the island that has been nicknamed “James Bond Island.” This is the island that was shown in the 1974 James Bond movie, “The Man with the Golden Gun.” It is a major tourist destination now with literally thousands of tourists visiting the island daily during the peak season. For this reason, and because visitors have to pay an entrance fee, we decided not to stop. We did however cruise close enough by to see all the trinket and souvenir stands that lined the entrance to the island. We were glad we gave it a miss.

Koh Pan Yi, which sits at the mouth of a good sized river, is famous as the “Sea Gypsy Village.” However, the people that live in this village are not actually gypsies. The village is built entirely on wooden platforms and has restaurants, shops, a small hostel, and lots of housing for the locals. We were told by one resident that the village had been established almost 400 years ago by several families that found the area to be good for fishing.

The main business now would seem to be tourism. There are several large restaurants that are completely packed with thousands of tourists everyday at lunch during the high season. The fish that is served is mostly farmed, and the prices were definitely not cheap. Fortunately, as it was not the high season, we didn’t have to fight the crowds and could enjoy a relaxing meal.

River Cave

However, as we approached Koh Pan Yi we were hailed by a local resident in a long tail boat. He wanted to guide us in to the anchorage, which he did quite well. However, he then proceeded to try to sell us high priced tours and even wanted to charge 200 baht to shuttle us from our boat to one of the restaurants lining the village. The next time we visit this area, we will forego the escort and, as the anchorage is very straightforward and secure, do the navigation ourselves.

Motoring up a river near Koh Pan Yi

This was adventuring at its best. We saw only a few other boats and people all day and we were constantly viewing amazing rock formations and plant life that we’d never seen before. Some time later we returned to our boat and, after a short nap, backtracked a ways down the river and then headed up another branch. This path led onward, deeper and deeper, into the mangroves until at one point we had land within 5 meters of each side of the boat. But, just when we wondering if we could continue on, we came around a bend and found ourselves out in the main river that would lead us back to Koh Pan Yi.

An hour later we were back in Koh Pan Yi watching the sunset and preparing to go ashore for dinner. The anchorage, just opposite the restaurants, was empty except for one other sailing boat. It is a very peaceful place to spend the night, expect for the fact that we had a strange buzzing sound in both of our hulls. We looked for possible problems with our electrical system to no avail. We then phoned Makz who told us that barnacles and other types of marine invertebrates sometimes make a buzzing sound in the water which can then resonates through the hull of a boat. I thought maybe he was pulling our leg, but upon our return home I found the following article that suggests he may have been right:

http://www.dosits.org/animals/produce/1i.htm

The next morning the barnacles had gone silent and we pulled up the anchor and began a 20 kilometer trip towards Krabi. This was perhaps our best day of sailing as we averaged close to 8 knots with speeds topping out at a little over 10 knots. We probably could have gone faster, but due to my being unfamiliar with the boat, I didn’t feel comfortable pushing it any more. But, even at 10 knots the boat handled extremely well and had very gentle motion. And, since it is set up with a tiller and tiller extenders on both sides of the boat, you can sit or stand in a variety of locations.

Another nice thing about this day is that it took us by a wide variety of islands. We passed to the north of Koh Yao, and right next to Koh Hong (not the same Koh Hong where we spent our first night). There were plenty of places to stop and simply enjoy the scenery. Also, it should be noted that the water gets much clearer as you move south away from the river in the north. So if you like snorkeling, you will have more fun the farther south you go.

Islands Near Koh Hong

As we approached Krabi we didn’t feel comfortable attempting our anchorage due to the rather large following seas. So, we altered course a bit and anchored off of Chicken Island. The island has earned this name due to a rock formation that resembles a chicken’s head. Here, again, we found ourselves alone just off a picturesque little beach.

There is line of coral that parallels the beach so don’t get too close with you boat. Likewise, choose a good path with your dingy and be particularly alert when the tide is out. We played for a couple of hours on the beach and returned to the boat after the tide came in so we could get our dingy over the coral.

The next day was our most exciting sail as we had winds in excess of 25 knots and we sailed through an area that is quite exposed. Under main alone we average 8-10 knots as we moved south towards Koh Phi Phi. We had 2-meter seas off of starboard bow which, while looking large to us, didn’t have much affect on our boat. We did get a little wet as the Tiki 30 doesn’t have much freeboard. But inside the deck cabin space, we felt protected, and again, the boat really didn’t heel much.

Once we gained the lee of Koh Phi Phi it was a smooth sail into Ton Sai Bay, the very active area on the south of the island. We tried anchoring here, but ended giving up after three attempts. Instead, we tied up to one of the many mooring buoys that are used by the numerous working boats that call Ton Sai Bay home.

Ton Sai is definitely not a quiet place and, in fact, is the most touristic spot we visited on this trip. However, there are a large number of restaurants, shops, tattoo parlors, bars, and even ATMs. So if you need a quick dose of “civilization,” and don’t mind being surrounded by thousands of other tourists that are constantly arriving via large ferries, Ton Sai is not a bad place.

We decided to rent a bungalow on the beach for a day so that we could take a break from the boat, take proper showers, and let somebody else do the cooking. It was a good decision, and by the middle of the next day we were fully rested and ready to start sailing again.

We didn’t go far this time. We simply motored up the east coast of the island and found a mooring buoy right of the beach from the Phi Phi Island Village Resort. (http://www.ppisland.com/index.php) This is a high-end resort and its beautiful beach and several restaurants pulled us into shore where we stayed for dinner and some live entertainment. I also was able to check the weather and receive an email from Maks with instructions on how best to make the passage back through, what was looking to be, fairly strong wind and seas.

In the morning the weather didn’t look much better, and we were concerned that since we would have to be working our way to the Northwest which would be somewhat against the wind, that the passage would be long and rough. Makz suggested that we sail back to Ton Sai and let one of his crew come and pick the boat up. Then we could either sail along with his crew, or take the ferry back. This, given our level of experience, and the age of our children, seemed like a good idea.

Our Crew

So, later that day we handed the Veni Vidi Vici over to Makz’s crew and took the ferry back to Phuket. The ride in the ferry lasted less than two hours. But after we had checked into our hotel, had dinner, and called Makz, we found out that it took seven hours for the Tiki 30 to make its way back from Phi Phi. I’m sure it was fun, but we were glad we skipped the last leg.

In conclusion, this was a great trip for us. The area is incredibly beautiful. Navigation is relatively simple. And, we had a great boat and received excellent support. Finally, we as a family, had a wonderful time, improved our sailing skills, and created some lifelong memories.