Our Thailand bases offer a range of sailing
products for you to experience what
is regarded as one of the best yachting
destinations in the world.
From our two bases in Phuket and Koh Samui,
you can choose from bareboat yacht charters,
flotilla holidays and sailing schools.
You can also charter a Sunsail yacht to
compete in one of the many exciting Asian
sailing regattas.
Cruise through our website to discover
the exciting world of sailing options available!
Sunsail Thailand has two stunning
bases offering yacht charters in
some of Thailand's finest sailing
destinations. Find out more about
our Thailand bases in Phuket and
Koh Samui with the links below.
- Boat Lagoon, Phuket
- Koh Samui
- Koh Chang
Sunsail's Phuket base is located at Phuket Boat Lagoon, situated on the
east coast of Phuket in Sapam Bay, and offers Bareboat and Crewed Yacht
Charters plus an internationally accredited RYA Sailing School.
This base has been constructed in a land
locked marina -originally an old tin mine.
Access to the sea from the Sunsail base
is via a tidal river, with depth restrictions
at certain states of the tide.
Water and electricity are available on
the berths at the base and there are also
shower and toilet amenities plus a swimming
pool, sauna, shops and bakery facilities
in the marina complex.
Getting to Phuket is easy
with flights available via all of south
east Asia's main airport hubs including
Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Thailand's
main international airport is Bangkok's
Don Muang Airport , which is situated 20
miles outside of the city centre. Flights
between Bangkok and Phuket take about 1
hour 15 mins and are available throughout
the day by a number of carriers including:
These carriers all accept on-line internet
bookings and operate from the airport's
domestic terminal, which is connected to
the main international building by an air
conditioned walkway.
For guests travelling to Phuket via Singapore
(1hr 30 mins) or Kuala Lumpur (1hr 20 mins),
flights are provided daily by:
Direct charter flights are also available
from Hong Kong, China, Australia and Europe.
On arrival in Phuket, a transfer from the airport to the Sunsail Thailand
Base can be arranged (20 minutes away). To utilise this service,
flight arrival details must be provided to the Sunsail Reservations
team. There will then be a Sunsail driver waiting to transfer them
directly to the marina. Taxis can also be found at Phuket Airport
and Thai Airways have a limousine service.
Please
note: Clients are not able to pre-book
a Tuk Tuk. These must be flagged down on
the street, which can sometimes involve
a long walk and lengthy wait.
Rooms at the Phuket Boat Lagoon
Resort, 200m from the base, are
available at a cost of 2,600
Thai Baht per night** and may
be booked through the Sunsail
base office.
Room types are Twin or Double with full
air conditioning and include breakfast.
One bedroom Suites and Family Suites (two
bedrooms) may be available. Contact the
base for prices and availability.
Payment is made locally to the Thai office
and bookings should be made with the Sunsail
Thailand office to obtain these special
rates. We suggest bookings are made well
in advance as this is a very busy resort
and is part of the marina complex.
**Prices may be subject to change.
Sunsail's
bareboat yacht charter cruising ground
is the Andaman Sea in south west
Thailand, which includes the island of
Phuket, Phang Nga Bay, Krabi Province,
the Koh Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Lee
Island group, Koh Lanta, Koh Muk and
the incredible "Emerald Cave" and
Racha island group.
For the more experienced, our cruising
area reaches north to the Similan and Surin
Islands and south to Tarutao and the Butang
Islands.
These outlying islands are more challenging
to sail due to their distance from the
Sunsail Thailand base in Phuket and involve
longer offshore passages.
Our total available cruising area covers
more than 10,000 square miles! From November
to April during the northeast season, yachts
can sail in all Thai waters from the Similans
and Surin islands to the northwest of Phuket
through Phang Nga bay to Krabi and Koh
Phi Phi and on down to Ko Lanta, Tarutao
and the Butang islands on the border with
Malaysia.
Charters of less than seven days normally
stay within the Phang Nga bay and Phi Phi
area as a minimum of two weeks are recommended
to visit the Surin islands to the northwest
or the Butangs to the south.
If on a longer charter (of more than 20
days), Customs and Immigrations procedures
may be done in Thailand in advance so that
the yachts may cross into Malaysia to visit
the Langkawi base, before returning to
Phuket.
Sunsail now offers Bareboat Yacht Charter
holidays from its new base in the Gulf
of Thailand on the island of Koh Samui,
located 80 kms off the coast of Suratthani
and about 560 kms south of Bangkok.
The Koh Samui base operates from May through
to September.
Koh Samui is a tropical oasis characterised
by silica white sand and stylish bungalows.
Serviced by its own airport with regular
flights from Phuket and Bangkok, the island
is a mecca for sailing and diving enthusiasts.
Due to its unique location, Koh Samui
and its surrounding islands offer fine
and dry weather from May through to September.
Getting There (Air)
Located 80 kms off the coast of Surat Thani
and about 560 kms from Bangkok, the easiest
and fastest way to reach Koh Samui is
by air from Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi or
Singapore with Bangkok Airways, the only
airline to serve Koh Samui
The airport must rank as one of the most
beautiful in Asia, with tropically planted
gardens bursting with flowering glory and
greenery all year round.
Transfer time from the airport to the
Sunsail base is approximately 15 minutes.
It is also possible to fly into Suratthani
and connect to Koh Samui by ferry transfer.
Getting There (Land):
If you are travelling by land, Suratthani
is a hub for most main bus and train
travel through Thailand. There are 15
ferries crossing between Surathani /Donsak
Pier on the Thai mainland and Koh Samui
per day. Ferry crossing time is
approximately 1.5 hours.
Phang Nga Bay
In the north is Phang Nga Bay, a marine
national park and an area of beautiful
unspoilt scenery. The sailing is safe
all year round for both the experienced
and the novice sailor.
Here
you can anchor at Koh Yang and take a
long tail boat to the world famous James
Bond island, and a typical "Sea Gypsy" village
( a Muslim village built on rafts) called
Panjee. There is also the Koh Hong group
of caves to explore.
East Coast Phuket
There are many small islands down the east
coast of Phuket, with beautiful long white
sandy beaches and coconut groves. The water
is crystal clear, with good sailing and
good holding for anchorages. This is perfect
for novice sailors chartering a bareboat
yacht from Sunsail for the first time.
The wildlife is spectacular - monkeys,
sea eagles, fruit bats, jumping fish and
more to keep you on your toes during your
sailing holiday.
There is a great deal to see and do, including
a visit to Koh Naka Noi, a pearl farm with
lunch time seafood restaurant, educational
demonstrations and pearl shop. There is
also Koh Phi Phi Don, where dry goods and
beverages can be bought, and other small
shops sell some fruit and vegetables. There
are dive trips, big game fishing trips,
masseurs, restaurants and bars. A daily
ferry also operates to Phuket.
You
may choose to visit Koh Phi Phi Lee,
from where you can go to Maya Bay (where "The
Beach" was filmed), a scenic sandy
lagoon with white sandy beaches surrounded
by limestone cliffs and absolutely breathtaking
views. Viking Cave is well known for its
bird nests, which are harvested by locals
to make the famous 'Bird's Nest Soup'.
Swimming and snorkelling in the area is
excellent. We recommend that Koh Phi Phi
Lee is visited by longtail from Phi Phi
itself as the anchorages around Phi Phi
Lee are very deep (approx. 25 metres).
From Bamboo and Mosquito Islands, you
can visit 'Hin Klang' reef by either dive
boat or longtail, which has the best diving
outside of the Similan Islands. Take time
out from your sailing to experience the
wonders of the local Thai sea life.
Krabi (mainland) and the Koh Dam Group
In Krabi, the two bays recommended for
mooring do not have access to the road
system, so transport tends to be water-based.
However, the beaches and scenery in the
area are fantastic with excellent snorkelling.
Clients may take a 1 hour longtail trip
up the river to Krabi town, or jump into
a tuk tuk (small Daihatsu truck) for
a 20 minute ride to obtain provisions
from the fresh markets and shops. The
market in Krabi is open during the mornings
only. There are also many Thai restaurants
and bars with fantastic cuisine.
The snorkelling in the Koh Dam Group is
excellent, with many coral reefs to explore
during your sailing trip through Thailand.
There is a restaurant for daytime dining
(during northeast monsoon only), and the
island is worth seeing on foot. Look out
for Chicken Island! There are few moorings
in the cruising area - the majority of
places require anchoring.
Similan Islands
Situated 34 miles off the west coast of
Thailand, 52 miles NW of Patong, this marine
park is one of the world's top dive destinations
and a highly recommended inclusion in your
sailing agenda. The waters around The Similans
are teeming with fish and surrounded by
coral . During the NE Monsoon ( November
to April) entry is allowed to the National
Park subject to payment of entry fees which
can be done in Phuket.
Due to the distance from the Sunsail Thailand
base in Phuket, clients will be asked to
sign a disclaimer. Cruising to and among
The Similans is not permitted in Sunsail
charter yachts during the SW Monsoon. Additionally,
passage in early November and April may
not be recommended due to changeable weather
conditions and a scarcity of protected
overnight anchorages.
No official qualifications or licenses
are required to charter a yacht
or catamaran in Thailand. However,
Sunsail does insist that at least
one member of your party has sailing
experience to Level 3.
2 people on board with sailing experience are required . The skipper must have
sailed this size yacht before for at least 5 days or more, and have good navigation
skills and must know how to anchor the yacht. The 2nd adult must have sailing
knowledge and they need to know what to do in an emergency man over board
Level 1: Handling a yacht under motor, basic wind
awareness, mooring and anchoring skills
and/or flotilla course at a Sunsail Club
or Sailing School.
Level 2: Handling a yacht under sail, reefing, reading
a chart, line of sight navigation, competent
at bows to and stern to mooring.
Level 3: As above plus previous skipper experience
on flotilla holiday or equivalent experience.
You will need to be competent of handling
a yacht in close quarters and picking
up a mooring buoy in varying conditions.
Passages are longer with more varied
conditions and stronger winds.
Level 4: More taxing sailing areas where extended
coastal experience is beneficial. RYA Day
Skipper or equivalent experience, you should
be able to:
* handle longer passages cope with tides
and currents
* call on navigation and pilotage skills
* know your position at any one time
If you have any queries about your level
of skill, please don't hesitate to contact
the Sunsail Team for more information.
Thailand is an ALL YEAR ROUND sailing
destination. There are two main sailing
seasons, which are called the wet and dry
season, or the SW or NE monsoon, respectively.
Seasons tend to be predictable, although
there may be inconsistencies as they change
from one to the other.
BEST SAILING MONTHS
December, January, February
North East Monsoon (Dry - Nov to Apr)
The NE monsoon, as the months from November
to April are called, have wind speeds
of force 2 to 5 from the NE. The winds
are quite light during this period and
temperatures are stable and usually in
the region of 30 deg C.
It is consistently dry and sunny, with
ideal winds for sailing. Clients wishing
to sail to the Similan Islands can do so
during the north east monsoon but will
be asked to sign a Sunsail Yacht Charter
disclaimer before they leave the base and
they must also obtain permission from the
National Park Authorities (there may be
a charge for this).
South
West Monsoon (Wet - May to Oct)
The SW monsoon, takes place from May to
October with winds force 2 to 6, from
the SW. There is slightly more wind during
this season, making sailing a bit more
exhilarating than the NE season.
During this season there are also some
rainy periods which come in from the Indian
Ocean, only lasting approx 1 to 2 hours
in the late afternoon/early evening. The
direction of the prevailing wind means
that the anchorages on the west coast can
be exposed and therefore uncomfortable
due to the swells.
Our yacht charter clients are advised
to anchor on the East coasts of the islands
or in sheltered bays. There is still safe
sailing in Phang Nga Bay right down to
Koh Phi Phi. Unfortunately it is not possible
to visit the Similan Islands by yacht during
the south west monsoon due to the direction
of the prevailing wind.
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