Year 2- 13th November 2025 –Ko Rawi Thailand – Koh Mai Thon- Thailand
We woke at 5.00am and it was pitch black. The kettle went on and Keith, Steve, Andy and Ruth upped the anchor and we headed out of the bay with the navigation lights on. I gave the end of Ko Rawi a wide berth as I had seen the night before a jetty and some fishing boats. We were fine and came round the gap and then headed North between two islands.
It began to get light about 6.15am and the dimmer switch came up gradually before the sun came over the horizon. We switched from night instruments to day instruments and then headed on to a course toward Phuket which was some 90nm away.
Andy & I were on watch until 7.30am and as we proceeded we began to see a number of white buoys and orange lobster pot flags. We continued on and although there were lots of these buoys they did not seem to be connected and so did not seem to be nets. I googled about this and they suggested that they demarcated areas of the sea for fishermen and for fishing reasons. In any event over the 80 miles or so we travelled today we saw white buoys every half a mile or so and we had to avoid a few here and there. We handed over to Mark and Ruth at 7.30am and then we had mango with yoghurt and granola for breakfast.
Luckily the weather was warm and sunny and looked settled although my forecast was for rain. The wind was on the nose and little of it. We motored on and we had to dodge fishing boats and the buoys on a regular basis. There were some fishing boats which were working together and they had a net between them so they were pulling the same net and we did not want to go in between them.
Mark and Ruth handed over to Keith and Steve and we had some lunch.
The afternoon wore on and we passed a number of islands on either side of us and when not on watch we rested and read and chilled. The miles counted down and with the hour change this meant that sunset was at 6.15pm. I had planned a few anchorages depending on how far we got and it was likely that we would get to the first anchorage at about 5.05pm. If we carried on to the second this was another 13nm and so we would probably get there as it was dark. We decided to stop at the first anchorage as we wanted a swim and to relax. It had been a long day.
We came along to the island of Koh Mai Thon which is where we planned to anchor.
Koh Mai Thon, also known as Honeymoon Island, is a small, private island off the coast of Phuket, Thailand, known for its clear waters, white-sand beaches, and tranquil, secluded atmosphere. It is a popular day trip destination for activities like snorkelling, swimming, and enjoying nature, which includes lush forests and a variety of birds.
We came in and anchored off a sort of resort. There was a fishing net spread across the bay and we anchored outside it. The water was clear and we all had a swim and I snorkelled on the log (speed log) which had stopped working so I dived under to clear it with a brush. When doing so I noticed that there was a line of concrete blocks on the bottom and we wondered what this was. We did not want to get our anchor fouled on this so we upped the anchor and moved some 75-100m South and anchored again. By this time it was dark and we were ready for a beer.
We then had supper which consisted of the chilli from last night supplemented by red cabbage, aubergines, broccoli and carrots. It was all eaten.
As we had supper and chatted after there was lightning and thunder and we hoped that it would not come over us but we all thought it would rain in the night.
We have about 26nm to travel tomorrow to the Phuket Yacht Haven where we will check in formerly to Thailand.
The picture of the day is a picture of a Thai Fishing Boat. Note that it has its engine on a stalk with a long shaft at which the propeller is at the end. I recall their boats were like this when I first visited in 1990 some 35 years ago.
Need/Opportunity Year Three
In year three I will be going from Thailand to Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and then on to Chagos, Mauritius, Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK. I am looking for crew from Mauritius/ Reunion Island to Cape Town and from Cape Town to the UK. If of any interest do email me.
The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com