It's been a long time since my last post. The last few months have been pretty busy.
Now that we've finally been able to catch up on our dream wedding, I've got my head free again after all the wedding planning. Organising a wedding like this from the other side of the world is not that easy. We had a magical day, with sunny weather, lovely guests and great surprises. We wouldn't have changed a thing, everything was exactly as we had wished.
After sailing in Bali at the beginning of last year, we had chosen another sailing trip for the end of 2023. This time we went to Thailand. Starting in Phuket with our skipper Peter and his catamaran AlienKat. A Fontaine Pajot Athena, 38 feet.
We sailed from Phuket to Ko Raya on the first day with lots of waves and 20 knots of wind.
About 12 nautical miles and I wasn't feeling well at all. Denny didn't mind the rocking, but I started to feel a bit sick. After anchoring on the east side and taking the dinghy ashore, we walked across the island to the west side. Here the waves rolled in and we found a nice restaurant in the cliffs. We went back on board in the dark and to bed.
Day 2 briefly brought us over 50 knots of wind and rain from astern and took us 55 nautical miles further to Ko Rok. Our skipper cooked for us in the lee of the island and we were glad to have arrived. We spent the third day at anchor and had a look round the island. Ko Rok is actually two islands, only one of which can be entered. The main office of the Ko Lanta National Park is on the island. Apart from that, you can go snorkelling and diving here. Denny even saw a small shark or a barracuda while SUP'n, he wasn't quite sure... There's no restaurant there, so our skipper had to get back to work. It's not that we didn't cook, or at least help. We asked and tried to help. Peter was very independent and we were allowed to indulge ourselves.
We sailed again on day 4. Just under 23 nautical miles, over to Ko Kradan with a stopover on Ko Muk. Here you could swim through a cave into an old pirate hideout. There were no more gold pieces, but huge leaves and thrills. Because I didn't dare swim through the dark (who knows what's in the water), I let the two men push me through the tunnel on the SUP. It was so narrow that I had to lie down. Then we went on to Ko Kradan for dinner. As we were in the off-season, all the resorts were still closed. But the kitchen at Genta in the Reef Resort was already open. Even though there were no guests yet, the staff had to eat something. We were allowed to join them at the table.
From Ko Kradan we set off under spinnaker and through a lot of rubbish in the water to the 5 islands - Koh Haa. As we even had to push the engine at the end, it didn't rock so much and I was able to enjoy the 5th day without seasickness. The tiny islands, far away from any tourist facilities, are surrounded by crystal-clear water and an incredible number of colourful fish. Here, too, we were almost alone, with only one other boat moored overnight at one of the moorings.
From loneliness to overcrowding, from Koh Haa to Phi Phi. The film ‘The Beach’ was shot on Phi Phi and since then it has been packed with people. The Beach can be visited by excursion boat. There were so many boats that you can almost walk across the water without getting wet. As we wanted to eat in a restaurant in the evening, our skipper tied up to a mooring and we went ashore together with the dinghy. Cocktails, people, supermarkets, massage salons, pharmacies and even McDonalds. Suddenly being back in civilisation was somehow exhausting.
Very early in the morning we travelled from Phi Phi via Chicken Island to Ko Yao Noi. Chicken Island is so named because there is a rock there that looks like a chicken's head from a certain angle. We didn't stop there though, just admired the rock once. Although there are also coral reefs there, the water is so ‘murky’ that you can't see much when snorkelling. Some of the corners there are like a motorway. The tourists are taken by longtail and speed boats to the snorkelling spots marked off with buoys, everyone is given diving goggles, fins and a red life jacket, then everyone is sent into the water for 30 minutes and the boat picks them up again later. Even in the quiet low season, we found this quite stressful just watching...
Ko Yao Noi was quieter and more rustic again. Here we had dinner in a restaurant and were able to watch hornbills.
On day 8, we sailed 30 nautical miles from Ko Yao Noi to Ko Mai Thon with a good wind. There is a hotel and a few goats on the small island, nothing more. Denny was out on the SUP and I enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Day 9 and 35 SM further on Ko Racha Noi we got our diving goggles and fins out again. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see. Although we were probably very spoilt by our experiences on Koh Haa. But the island has a very small white sandy beach and is uninhabited. It was exactly the right choice for our last full day on board.
On our last day, we sailed another 22 NM. Our skipper has his mooring in Chalong Bay and that's where we were due to disembark.
In total, we sailed around 241 nautical miles over the 10 days, experienced almost all kinds of weather, from sunshine to storms and rain, and were treated to culinary delights by our skipper for 10 days. We liked Koh Haa the best. The water was the cleanest here, there were hardly any people and you could stargaze. There was neither a restaurant nor a jetty. There were only a few moorings where visiting boats could moor, which also limited the number of visitors. In the high season, the diving boat, which is moored there (we assume all year round), is looked after and managed by the national park rangers. When we were there, nobody was on board.
We captured our Thailand sailing adventure on film again. That also took quite a long time, in addition to all the preparations for the wedding ;) But it's finished and we hope you enjoy watching it. Please leave us a like.
Hugs & Kisses
Anja & Denny
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