You have one of the most beautiful charter areas in the tropics ahead of you," says base manager Ian Hewett from Moorings in Phuket. He runs his hand over the nautical chart. It shows the part of the Andaman Sea that stretches between Phuket Island in the west, Phangnga National Park in the north and Phiphi Island in the south-east.
"Here you will find a diversity that you won't find anywhere else: exotic islands with wild nature, steep cliffs and paradisiacal beaches. If that's too lonely for you, you can also mingle with thousands of tourists, for example at James Bond Rock."
Handover of the Moorings Powercat 474 is quick because the boat is very easy to handle despite its size. Buying provisions proves to be a little more difficult. The Ao Po Grand Marina is located in the sparsely populated north-east of Phuket Island. We hire a tuk-tuk, the Thai form of van, for a small amount of money and drive to the nearest village.
In a tiny shop labelled "supermarket", we buy all the liquid food we can: 20 litres of mineral water, 20 cans of Singha beer, 1 flask of Thai rum and 3 cartons of pineapple juice. The shop is almost empty. There is no bread or dairy products. The owner is pleased with the sales and bows several times. We buy exotic fruit and vegetables from small stalls on the street.
In the afternoon, we leave the Ao Po Grand Marina astern and head towards our adventure in Thailand. As it gets dark shortly after 6 p.m., we only sail as far as the offshore island of Ko Nakha Yai and drop anchor in the north-east of the island. In the last light, we see a banner with the words "Cold Beer" stretched between tall coconut palms on the shore. If that's not an invitation!
We take the dinghy to the beach and are warmly welcomed at the "Tenta Nakara" resort. It consists of a dozen huts in the jungle and a restaurant open all round under a roof of palm fronds. We are served the local Singha, a light beer that tastes pleasantly refreshing in the tropical heat.
The restaurant caters to boaters and the weather and tide forecasts are handwritten on the counter. In addition to food and drinks, the beautiful young waitress also offers full body massages on the beach, starting at 400 baht (10 euros). We opt for the "Sea Activity Menu", consisting of spicy soup with seafood and a main course of tiger prawns (king prawns), braised vegetables and rice. It tastes excellent, is extremely spicy and we need several Singha to put out the fire. We end up paying the equivalent of just under 20 euros per person.
In the morning, we head north towards Phangnga Bay, which has been protected as a national park since 1981. Phangnga Bay is very shallow with an average depth of 2.20 metres. Several rivers flow into the laby-rinth-like delta from the north. The famous limestone islands rise vertically out of the sea here. They have stone overhangs under which smaller boats can hide. There are around 50 such rocks, each more beautiful than the next. The most famous of them is the "James Bond Rock".
Our charter company told us to anchor at James Bond early in the morning, not just because of the light, but mainly because of the tourists who arrive during the course of the day. So we make a stopover at Ko Phanak. On the west coast of the elongated island, we drop anchor in front of the entrance to a cave in the afternoon. Most of the limestone cliffs jutting steeply out of the sea have caves that lead into the interior of the island to a lagoon.
We take the dinghy into the cave. Torch in hand, we motor through the underworld. After 500 metres, we find the other end of the tunnel. We see a lagoon and hear monkeys screeching. But the eastern exit of the tunnel is so low that the dinghy doesn't fit through. We head back to the western exit of the cave. From the dinghy's perspective, our charter boat looks as if it is floating behind a stone curtain.
The islands are relatively narrow at sea level and grow in width above it. They therefore have overhangs, so-called hongs, under which a small boat can hide. Thick, stone stalactites hang from these hongs and form a natural curtain towards the open sea. I want to photograph the stalactites in the foreground with our catamaran behind them and moor the dinghy at a rocky outcrop.
As soon as I climb onto the rock, a bearded monster jumps out at me and threatens me with its wide open mouth and sharp fangs. Its breath stinks terribly. Where did the Javan monkey suddenly come from? I have little desire to fight with him over his territory and slowly let myself slide back into the dinghy. The monkey wants to follow. But at full throttle, our dinghy is quickly gone. James Bond would surely have retreated less shamefully.
Back on board, one of the longtail boats typical of Southeast Asia comes alongside. The boats are so called because a shaft about five metres long with a propeller leads into the water from the stern. This "tail" is welded together from scrap material and flanged directly onto the crankshaft. The open engine stands on a home-made rocker on the stern and can also be swivelled. This means it also functions as a rudder. As the engine of a longtail boat is completely open and has no soundproofing, it makes a hellish roar.
The fisherman switches off the engine. I ask him who builds the engines for the longtails and the following dialogue ensues: "Nobody builds engines for our boats and you can't buy them anywhere." Me: "But even James Bond drove a longtail like that ..." He: "The boat engines are in every car or lorry. If a car is wrecked, a boat owner is quickly found to remove the engine. German car engines are the most popular." "But they're not boat engines," I object. "In Thailand, every engine is a boat engine."
The fisherman's wife wears a straw hat to protect her from the sun and has smeared her face with clay. She holds up a net with king prawns and crabs. She wants 400 baht for the catch, which is 10 euros. We have a delicious dinner.
We weigh anchor early in the morning to get to James Bond Rock as early as possible. However, the grounding bar doesn't want to go up, a fishing net has wrapped itself around the chain. We spend an hour pulling the chain up one link at a time, cutting free a tangle of lines and hoisting a small catch of sea crabs on board. Finally, we make our way to "007".
Shortly before 9am we reach the rock Koh Ping Kan in the north-west of Phangnga National Park. We are alone. Didn't the charter company say something about thousands of visitors? Or are we in the wrong place? At first glance, the beautiful limestone rock is no more impressive than the others next to it. But Ko Ping Kan is the most famous rock in Southeast Asia. Several scenes from the Bond film "The Man with the Golden Gun" (1974) were shot here.
After a wild chase by boat and seaplane, Bond (Roger Moore) lands on the beach of Koh Ping Kan to duel with the chief villain Scaramanga (Christoper Lee). The English novelist Ian Lancaster Fleming (1908-1964) would certainly have been delighted with the film version of his bestseller.
You can only approach the James Bond Rock by boat from the south and anchor there at 2.50 metres. Ko Ping Kan has the shape of a horseshoe open to the north-west. In the centre of the horseshoe, a single, needle-shaped rock rises vertically out of the shallow water - it is precisely this rock needle that can be seen in the background when "007" meets the "Man with the Golden Gun".
At medium water levels, only flat-bottomed longtail boats can sail around the rocky outcrop. I read in the tide table that we have the highest water level at 9 o'clock in the morning. This is the opportunity. Slowly and carefully, we feel our way around Ko Ping Kan with our cat. With a little more than a hand's breadth of water under the keel, we do a lap of honour around the most famous rock needle in film history.
Suddenly we hear the noise of engines getting closer and closer. Is "007" giving chase again? Or is his seaplane about to land? We motor back to the anchorage in the south of James Bond Island. The noise gets louder. From the south, a whole armada of longtail boats approaches the rocks. They drive onto the small beach and disgorge hundreds of day-trippers.
Fast motorboats with names like "James Bond" or "007" come from the west and also drop off their tourist loads. Souvenir shops and ice-cream stalls open on the small island. The national park rangers in their smart uniforms take 200 baht entrance fee from every visitor. There is no doubt that this is to protect nature. Thousands of people, most of whom speak Russian, trample over the small island of just a few square metres and take photos of each other in front of the famous rock needle. Let's get out of here!
Four miles north of James Bond Rock, the village of Ko Pan Yi lies at the mouth of a river. We go alongside a floating pontoon consisting of polystyrene blocks with planks across them. Several hundred huts and houses are built on stilts in the shallow water. The footbridges between them form the alleyways of the village. Everything looks very photogenic, but only at first glance. When the ground under the huts partially dries out at low tide, revealing everything that has been "dumped" here, you don't want to go into the water voluntarily - at least in the vicinity of the village.
Ko Pan Yi was originally a Muslim fishing village. Some travel guides call it Sea Gypsy Village. But that is wrong. The last real sea gypsies live far to the south of here, just before the border with Malaysia, and today the Muslims of Ko Pan Yi still go fishing or breed fish and prawns in sea farms. However, they make their biggest catch every day at lunchtime, when around 3,000 day tourists come from James Bond Rock to eat here.
In the evening, it is pleasantly quiet in the village on stilts. All the day visitors have gone. As the only boat crew, we are served excellent food in one of the many restaurants. Next door, you can watch the boys and girls of the village being taught in the Koran schools. The Muslims are extremely friendly, welcoming and - unlike their co-religionists in the Arab countries - are happy to be photographed.
After the long "adhan" of the muezzin wakes us up in the morning, we leave the friendly Muslims. We head south-east and round the northern tip of the island of Ko Yao Noi. We drop anchor in front of a long beach with palm trees and bungalows. We are greeted on the shore in fluent German. Michael Boehle from the Black Forest has worked all his life as a hotel manager around the world, in recent years mostly in Thailand. He loves the country, its friendly people and has a Thai family. Consequently, the former Catholic has converted to Buddhism.
When a new manager was needed for the "Paradise Koh Yao" resort in 2008, he realised his lifelong dream. Behind the 25 bungalows for his guests, he grows fruit, vegetables, herbs and even rice for his restaurant in an organic garden. He particularly welcomes guests who arrive by yacht and anchor off his dreamy beach.
"The yachties can use my pool, showers and sanitary facilities free of charge. They are welcome guests in my restaurant, which serves Thai and Mediterranean cuisine. And because I know how much German sailors and motorboaters suffer from a lack of bread - especially German brown bread! - I have even set up my own bakery."
For the evening, manager Michael invites us to celebrate the Buddhist festival of lights Loi Krathong with him and his guests. It is celebrated in Thailand every year on the day of the full moon in the twelfth month of the
of the traditional Thai lunar calendar. It usually falls in November. Loi Krathong means something like "floating raft". Throughout the day, hotel staff and guests build small rafts out of banana leaves and decorate them with flowers, candles and incense sticks.
These boats are then set out to sea at night with a lighted candle, each equipped with a fingernail and toenail, a tuft of hair, a piece of clothing and a coin. Symbolically, they are said to carry away all anger, resentment and impurities of the soul. The person can then start a new, better life. Our crew receives a "floating raft" as a gift. After an excellent meal on the beach, we light candles and incense sticks on it and all our anger from the past year disappears in a small sea of light in the vastness of the Andaman Sea.
An Asian and a European breakfast buffet on a tropical beach - and the smell of freshly baked German brown bread. Simply sensational! Anyone anchoring here should not miss out on this. The 600 baht (15 euros) per crew member is very well spent.
We head further south-east, overtaking hundreds of small Loi Krathong rafts floating all over the sea. Our destination is the famous rocks and sandy beaches of Krabi, a town on the eastern shore of the Andaman Sea. Thick rain clouds gather in the afternoon. The Loi Krathong festival is supposed to mark the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the Asian summer. But here too, the climate seems to have gone a bit off the rails.
We reach the fabulously beautiful Cape Laem Nang, about five miles south-west of Krabi. The famous beaches of Ao Nang, Rei Le Beach and Phra Nang are located here from north to south. In between, pit-toresque rock formations rise steeply out of the sea. We anchor in front of the centre beach and come ashore just as the tropical shower breaks out.
Rei Le Beach is certainly a touristy place, but it is still pleasantly quiet here. It is dominated by alternative or backpacker tourists. In a small row of shops there is a mini market next to the obligatory massage parlours and clothes shops where you can buy replicas of international brands for little money. There is one restaurant after another on the beach. We order a menu of spicy lemongrass soup and king prawns. "Yes sir, very hot, please," I reply to the waiter. "And Singha Beer, please." "Sorry, sir, we don't sell awohow," he says in response. - "What is awohow?" "Awohow is Beer, Rum, Wine - because we are muslims," we are told.
We have already noticed several times that Thais pronounce the word "alcohol" a little strangely. The friendly waiter kindly points out that the food is really very spicy. That's why Allah has nothing against us getting Singha or Pina Colada in a non-Muslim bar next door and then drinking it with our meal.
In the light of the morning sun, the impressive landscape and white beaches look a thousand times more beautiful. The water is clear and tempting for swimming and snorkelling. As the last highlight of our trip, we set our sights on the famous Phiphi Island. Leaving Krabi behind, we round the twin islands of Ko Dam Hok and Ko Dam Khwan with the fine sandy beach in between and the Chicken Head Rock to the south. Heading 196 degrees, we can already see the northern tip of Phiphi eleven miles ahead.
Ten years ago, I read in a Thailand guidebook that Phiphi Island was a rare and beautiful pearl of nature with few inhabitants and hardly any tourists. Some other people must have read that too. When we enter Toni Sai Bay harbour in the south in the afternoon, there are already a hundred watercraft anchored there: boats, yachts, fishing trawlers, ferries - and between them, dozens of longtail boats rattling loudly.
From our anchorage on the western shore of the bay, we head to the beach and see what has become of this pearl of nature. The narrow spit of land between the north and south bays is lined with one restaurant after another. Behind them are hundreds of clothes shops, cookshops, souvenir shops and massage parlours where you can book anything you might associate with health or well-being - including skin peeling with tropical fish.
Despite mass tourism, Phiphi has retained its Asian charm. The locals continue to cultivate their characteristic friendliness. A deep bow to strangers and a friendly smile are still part of good manners here - even when haggling over the price of goods. The tourists on Phiphi come from all over the world and are younger than average.
A visit to the beach on the northern bay after sunset is an absolute must. Bars, pubs, discos and live shows of Thai boxing, dancing, fire-eating and much more are lined up close together along the waterfront. Once you've seen this, you'll only have a bored yawn left for beach life in Travemünde or on Sylt ...
Four miles south of Phiphi is the beautiful island of Phi Phi Le, also known as Ko Phraya Nak on some maps. To the east lies the paradisiacal Maya Bay lagoon with a wide beach, surrounded by steep cliffs and tropical vegetation. The cult film "The Beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio was shot here in 1999. There are several mooring buoys at the entrance to the lagoon to prevent corals from being destroyed by anchoring.
We take the dinghy to the beautiful beach to look for the Hollywood star's footprints. But we are ten years too late. Every day, longtail boats from Phiphi bring hundreds of tourists here who are looking for exactly the same thing. To take home a lasting memory, they have their photo taken in front of a sign that reads "The Beach".
In the evening, the few yachts are alone in Maya Bay and an incredible silence descends, interrupted only occasionally by the cry of the monkeys. The islands of the Andaman Sea are so incredibly beautiful that you can never get enough of them.
We bid a wistful farewell and point our bow westwards towards Phuket. As darkness falls, we try to enter the fishing harbour of Phuket. The fairway there leads a little way up the Khlong Tha Chin River and is shallow and narrow.
When we reach the estuary, the night approach looks different in nature than on the chart. We also only have a hand's breadth of water under the keel. We play it safe, turn round and head for Nai Harn Bay in the very south of Phuket Island. Around 20 yachts are already moored here, as it is the 1st Advent.
Nai Harn Bay is the meeting place for cruising yachts from all over Southeast Asia on Christmas Day.
On the last day, we close our circle and bring the cat back to Ao Po Grande Marina Phuket. We can confirm with a clear conscience to the Moorings base manager: This is one of the most beautiful charter areas in the world.
WHAT SKIPPERS NEED TO KNOW
The company Moorings is the largest international yacht charter company with over 40 years of experience in the market. The company has fleets of sailing yachts in almost all well-known charter destinations worldwide. For some years now, however, the "Moorings Power Yacht Charter" segment, i.e. the chartering of motor yachts, has been increasingly expanded. The motor catamarans Moorings Powercat 372 and 474, which were specially developed for Moorings, are used for this purpose. The spacious motor catamarans are currently available at the following charter bases: British Virgin Islands, Baja California in Mexico, Thailand, Bahamas, Seychelles, Australia and Tonga.
The boatThe "Moorings Powercat 474" chartered by us has four double cabins, each with its own bathroom (WC/shower) and a very spacious saloon with a well-equipped galley. The catamaran was visually and technically in top condition when it was taken over: Length: 14.42 m, width: 7.57 m, draught: 0.95 m, engine: 2 x 112 kW (150 hp) Cummins diesel. Diesel tanks: 1200 litres. Water tanks: 1200 litres. Cruising speed: 11 kn (2400 rpm). Maximum speed: 15 kn (3000 rpm).
The pricesThe ship does not have to be booked by the week, as is usual with many charter companies. Depending on availability, the crew can freely determine the travelling time. Depending on the season, the yacht costs between 825 and 1145 euros per day. Booking address: Moorings, Mariner Travel GmbH, Theodor-Heuss-Str. 53-63, Entrance B, 61118 Bad Vilbel; Tel. 06101-55 79 15 30, Fax -55 791 22.
The journey Several airlines fly to Phuket from Germany, some via Bangkok. Condor departs directly from Frankfurt to Phuket on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with return flights on Wednesdays and Sundays with a stopover in Bahrain. We paid 702 euros for a return flight with Condor, including a Lufthansa feeder flight from Hamburg. From Phuket Airport, it takes around 20 minutes by taxi (around 16 euros) to the charter base.
Cruising guide and charts There is currently no German-language nautical guide for the area described. On board there are detailed Thai nautical charts (Thai/English) and a cruising manual (English) produced by Moorings in excellent quality. If you still want to be well prepared, visit the following website: www.southeastasiapilot.com. There you can read and print out the currently best work on the area, the "South East Asia Pilot", free of charge. The entire work is also available as a book (200 pages, very good detailed plans and aerial photographs) and can be purchased at the charter base in Phuket for 1800 baht (45 euros). If you prefer, you can also have it sent from Thailand to Germany via the above-mentioned website, although this costs 130 euros. 3941 "Thailand - West Coast, Mu Ko Similan to Ko Lanta Yai", the official British nautical chart, is available from specialised dealers for around 40 euros.
