{"id":3310,"date":"2013-02-21T12:29:45","date_gmt":"2013-02-21T12:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sabbatical3.net\/blog\/?p=3310"},"modified":"2025-10-01T16:32:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:32:14","slug":"practically-perfect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sabbatical3.net\/blog\/?p=3310","title":{"rendered":"Practically Perfect"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Koh Ra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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We just spent the last 3 weeks sailing along the west coast of Phuket and then out to sea about 100 miles north and west of Phuket to visit the famous Similan and Surin Islands.\u00a0\u00a0 We had a wonderful time:<\/p>\n

Highlights:<\/p>\n

Koh Miang and Koh Similan<\/strong>.\u00a0 Crystal clear water, beautiful boulders leading down to the sea , jungle, white powdery sand beaches, lots of fish, good snorkeling, great sunsets, trying to get to shore from the dinghy without getting soaked (it was impossible not to get totally wet as the breakers were so big that you had to anchor your dinghy well away from shore and then swim in).\u00a0 Going on waterlogged hikes with Wind Pony and Dedalus\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 after we all ended up swimming to shore holding our hiking shoes up over our heads to try and keep them dry (in vain).\u00a0 Climbing to the top of the look-outs on both islands.<\/p>\n

Dinner tossed to us from a fishing boat in Koh Ra<\/strong> (written about previously). Not raw fish as you might expect, but some chicken on skewers and Thai papaya salad (very spicy) and sticky rice in a plastic bag. The most unexpected gift and gratefully eaten.<\/p>\n

Unexpected discovery of Koh Ra and Golden Buddha Ecolodges <\/strong><\/p>\n

An abandoned looking pier near our anchorage at Koh Ra on the west coast of Thailand (not too far from the\u00a0 Burmese border) turned out to be the gateway to a lovely and partially paved path to a lovely, very rustic ecolodge.\u00a0 There we met Mike and Sue, an English couple on a one month vacation who had just checked into the lodge (non-sailors). We felt an immediate bond with them and ended up spending the whole day together, starting with an amazingly fresh and delicious buffet lunch on the verandah of the eco-lodge with the other dozen or so guests.\u00a0 (Many thanks to Laurie, the German woman who runs the lodge for her kindness) \u00a0A self-guided walk through an easy, but beautiful jungle path was lots of fun, with many wonderful trees, vines, birds and glimpses of monkeys.\u00a0\u00a0 Sue and I bonded over having mothers the same age, and then were delighted to find out that we were born within a month of each other (and she looked so young!).\u00a0\u00a0 After a great walk, lots of conversation, and some tea on the verandah of the ecolodge, they came out to our boat for sun-downers.\u00a0\u00a0 We all agreed that the accommodations on Sabbatical III are a step above the accommodations at the ecolodge\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6. Hey we have electricity any time of day, not just from 6 to 10 pm , there are no spiders or ants in the bathroom, and our toilets actually flush.\u00a0 We said goodbye and the next day sailed down the coast to another ecolodge on Ko Phra Tong (Golden Buddha Island) that we knew Mike and Sue were headed to a few days later.\u00a0\u00a0 It was amazingly beautiful but too rolly an anchorage to stay for more than one night, so Mark and I \u00a0just spent the day there enjoying the 10 miles of golden sand beach, the delicious lunch on shore and then we left a surprise note for Mike and Sue to find when they checked in.\u00a0\u00a0 They later e-mailed us their puzzlement to hear upon arrival that someone had left a note for them.\u00a0 All they could think was, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But who in the world even knows we are here?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n

Our position was N 09 14.377 E 098 18.975 at Koh Ra and N 09 07.771 E 098 15.128 for Golden Buddha<\/p>\n

Other sailing notes :<\/p>\n

Koh Miang in the Similan Islands was lovely, but quite rolly.\u00a0 Still worth a visit if conditions are calm and you can get a mooring ball that is well tucked into the bay (no anchoring allowed there). There are a set of mooring balls on the west side of \u00a0Koh Payu Island, which is just north of Koh Miang, which might be useful under some conditions. Restaurant on beach. Expect to get wet so go to shore in your bathing suit.<\/p>\n

Our\u00a0 Position N 08 34.393 E097 38.181<\/p>\n

Koh Similan \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00a0Our Position: N 08 39.945 E 097 38 662<\/p>\n

8 working mooring balls when we were there.\u00a0 It was possible to pick one up almost any time of day.\u00a0 Sometimes the balls are picked up by the tour boats, but they only stay a few hours.\u00a0 Lots of tourists arrive during the day to swim, snorkel and have lunch, but they all leave by 4:30.\u00a0 The boats were not as noisy as the longtails we have seen elsewhere in Thailand, but the sheer volume of them, and the hundreds of tourists disembarking throughout the day is certainly a drawback to the place. \u00a0\u00a0You will see lots of dive boats there as well.\u00a0 It looked like a great place to go diving.\u00a0\u00a0 Restaurant on beach.<\/p>\n

Surin Islands –\u00a0 Our position: N 09 25.543\u00a0 E 097 51.346<\/p>\n

We spent three nights there, but did not like it as much as the Similans. The water is pretty clear, but not terrific and there was noise from the long-tail boats.\u00a0 The wind had also picked up when we were there\u00a0 – so much so that we were not really comfortable taking the dinghy to shore and the wind howled through the rigging all night.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The hills surrounding the anchorage were beautiful, however, and we heard there was a challenging hike through the jungle.<\/p>\n

Ao Bang Tao\u00a0 – Our position: \u00a0N08 01.600 E 098 17.02<\/p>\n

A comfortable and attractive anchorage on the NW side of Phuket.\u00a0 A great place to stop when heading to or coming back from the Similans or from Surin.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There are lots of restaurants and hotels on shore but we did not check them out.\u00a0\u00a0 Quiet.<\/p>\n

Patong Bay – Our position: N 07 53.57 E 098 16.973<\/p>\n

Patong is probably the most touristed city in Phuket\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.just filled with restaurants and bars. But its main attraction is the sex trade that goes on there.\u00a0 It was pretty overwhelming just in terms of the sheer masses of people that were wandering the streets there, either selling or buying\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, you know what.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Also sheer masses of rather perplexed looking tourists probably wondering what the heck they were doing there.\u00a0\u00a0 We went into town with our friends Karin and Jean Francois from Intiaq and had a nice dinner with them at an Italian restaurant (a nice break from the Thai food) and then spent an hour or two just wandering around gawking.\u00a0\u00a0 That was enough really for us.<\/p>\n

Nai Harn – Our position: N 07 46.35 E098 18.073<\/p>\n

Last good west facing anchorage before you hit the south coast of Phuket and the big rolly anchorage of Ao Chalong (which we avoided due to its constant roll).\u00a0 It was a lovely anchorage with several outdoor restaurants on the beach, at least 100 masseuses, and heaps of the typical Thailand tourists (Chinese and Russians).\u00a0 We ended up spending 3 nights there and visited with our friends on Dedalus as well as Caminata and Bichu Vermelho.<\/p>\n

We are now berthed at the Royal Phuket Marina on the eastern side of Phuket.\u00a0 The boat will probably not move again until we head out into the bay just north of here to get picked up by the Danish freighter \u00e2\u20ac\u0153THORCO SVENDBORG\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00a0 for the ride to Turkey.\u00a0 Best estimated pick-up date for that is now March 12-13. We have a Turkish boat next to us in the marina and they have guaranteed us that we will love Turkey!<\/p>\n

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L.<\/p>\n

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A fishing boat wants to throw us packages of food<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Fishermen at Ko Rah get ready to throw us dinner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Cute fisherman at Koh Ra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The Thai captain onboard vessel at Koh Ra… sends us food and says “I Love You!”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Fishing boat that delivered dinner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The dinner we were tossed from the fishing vessel…. Thai salad, sticky rice and chicken skewered<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Mark pretends to enjoy the chicken foot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Ko Similan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Ko Similan (Donald Duck Rock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Mark, Sue and Mike at Koh Ra<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    We just spent the last 3 weeks sailing along the west coast of Phuket and then out to sea about 100 miles north and west of Phuket to visit the famous Similan and Surin Islands.\u00a0\u00a0 We had a wonderful time: Highlights: Koh Miang and Koh Similan.\u00a0 Crystal clear water, beautiful boulders leading down … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Practically Perfect”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1,43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-other","category-thailand"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sabbatical3.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sabbatical3.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sabbatical3.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sabbatical3.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sabbatical3.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sabbatical3.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3310\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sabbatical3.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sabbatical3.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sabbatical3.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}