Sept. - Oct. 2011 - The Coastal Passage Home Page

Lynelle & Lloyd, onboard Chappie
share their knowledge of Phuket,
Thailand, and the breathtaking areas
surrounding this part of the world.
Hello
Phuket!
By: Lynelle Parker suitable for the prevailing seasons. In the NE
Photos by: Lynelle & Lloyd, SY Chappie monsoon you can linger along the west coast
in the beautiful bays of Patong, Karen, and
When we sailed into Ao Chalong Bay on the Kata or Nai Harn in the south, and Kamala,
southeast corner of Phuket Island on the 2nd Bang Tao, and Nai Yang Bay in the north.
Jan 2003 we dropped the anchor, walked Wall-to-wall white powdery sand, clear water
back into the cockpit, looked at each other
and said, "We're home". Leaving Darwin last
and cool breezes make it hard to leave.
year in August, we talked of having Xmas The nightlife of Patong will keep you busy
2002 in Thailand. But for one reason and into the wee hours of the morning and during
another, we arrived a week late. It didn't the day Patong is a very busy little township
matter, there would always be next year. with no end to the restaurants, shops, hotels,
Twelve months on, we are still here, still loving guesthouses, and bars, bars, bars. For a laid
it, and contemplating yet another year in back pair of Aussies like us, it's a bit of a zoo
these waters. really, but we love the atmosphere, and a
night ashore is always included when we visit
There is definitely a "line in the sand" here.
When you reach Phuket Island it’s decision
the west coast.
time. The best part is you have so many The southern end of Patong Beach is the
choices. Maybe a little sortie west to Sri most popular anchorage on the west coast,
Lanka, Maldives, Chagos, and across to the particularly around Christmas. Anchored in
east coast of Africa before returning to Patong on New Year's Eve, a spectacular
Thailand. A few months could be spent fireworks display ashore will take your breath
exploring the eastern shore of the Malay
Peninsula and further east to the Philippines.
away.
But if you have time constraints and need to The beaches on the west coast are
move on either to South Africa or up into the sometimes wall-to-wall beach umbrellas
Red Sea, there will only be sufficient time for where after a rollicking night out you can lie
a spin around Phang Nga Bay, perhaps a for hours with food, drinks, and massage beds
quick trip into northern Thailand, and a short right at your fingertips. One could spend days
sortie into Vietnam or Cambodia, then its time
to reprovision and get ship-shape for the next
ocean passage.
But we had no intention of moving on and for
us it's been a leisurely 12 months just
"pottering" around the shores of Phuket Island
and the west coast of the Thailand Peninsula.
Just 8 degrees north of the equator, Phuket
is considered by most cruisers to be an ideal
place to season over, recoup, regroup and do
some serious land travel. The island's
weather is tempered by cool northeasterly
breezes from November to March, and by
fresh on-shore winds in the summer months.
The Island has excellent anchorages
and even weeks in these little bays, we know,
we've tried it.
Life is a little more laidback on the eastern
side of Phuket Island. Ao Chalong Bay on
the southern end of the island is a protected
anchorage all year round. You can find
everything here that you will ever need, and
life can become very established (you can
stay forever, and some people have done just
that!!). Dingy access is a bit tricky when the
tide is very low (a mud flat comes to mind),
but once ashore provisioning and having
repairs carried out is no problem.
continued next page...