Year 2- 20th November 2025 – Visiting the Islands - Phuket-Thailand

It had rained in the night and was raining when we woke. The forecast was for rain all day. To cheer ourselves up Andy and I made scrambled eggs on toast with bacon which did lift our spirits. We were not going to let this get us down and we were not going to sit here all day. We thought that not many tourist boats would come today due to the weather. We were wrong and sure enough the longboats etc starting to arrive from about 9.00am onwards so that people could walk around in the rain.

We pondered getting the dinghy down to go on the beach but realised it was just a bit of a beach and a short walkway to a lookout from which we would see little today. We therefore decided to go round to the other side of the island where there was an entrance into the Hong which was accessible at high water and it was high tide at 10.00am. We had to release the lines from the buoy but our lasso line had twisted underneath the buoy and we could not see how to untwist it. Mark dived in and untangled the line and took one for the team. We were soon free and in the rain we motored round the island via the West side and round to the North. The rain was coming down quite hard and we could then see the entrance to the Hong and there were various longboats going in and out. In this rain it did not look inviting. We could have taken a buoy and then got the dinghy down but we all agreed in this weather it would not have been a great experience and we could see where it was etc. Even though it was raining it was quite dramatic scenery and a great place to sail around. It of course looks better in the sun but you cannot have it always like that. Even if it does rain it is still warm and tee-shirts and shorts are very comfortable.

We therefore decided to keep to my plan and move on to an island called Koh Dam Khwan some 11 nm further South. Since we were going in the right direction for the wind for a change we put out the genoa and were soon sailing along quite nicely to our destination. As we needed to charge the batteries the generator went on and I used this opportunity to top up the port water tank. This sail took a few hours but we were in no rush and it was still spitting but the rain was not as heavy.

We sailed well and the wind strengthened at one point reached 22 kts with threatening clouds but it soon returned to an average of about 10 kts so we sailed around 5 kts.

We passed a number of islands on the way and fishing boats and had to watch out for lots of lobster pots. However, after a few hours we approached the Koh Dam group of islands which had an island to the East called Koh Dam Hok which had a beach on its North side and West side and then there was a reef between it and Koh Dam Khwan with two very small islands in between with a beach and reef each side. We could see lots of longtail boats bringing people to this beach and some were walking between the two islands over the sandspit.

We came to the anchorage which was a little exposed but seemed fine and there was one catamaran anchored there. We looked around and thought of anchoring in front when I spotted a large yellow buoy like the one we used last night and it was in a good position. We went to have a look and picked up the strop and put our lines through it. It held and I set the anchor alarm.

The wind was still blowing 14-16 kts and it was still raining lightly. We had lunch of spring rolls and avocado and mango salad watching the activity on the beach and the boats coming to and fro.

We decided after lunch to get the dinghy down and to go and explore even if it was raining. We put on our swimming costumes and rash vests (swimming tee-shirts) and got the dingy down and headed off to the beach dodging the longboats. We pulled the dinghy up on the beach and had to pay 200 baht (about £4) to the rangers for our visit. We walked around the beach and there was a shack where we got an ice cream. The sand and scenery was lovely and it would have looked more spectacular in the sun. Once we had looked around we decided to walk on the sandspit to the Koh Dam Khwan which was about 250 meters way and this took us to another beach and island. We were told by the ranger not to snorkel as it was coming up to low water. I think this was because there were so many boats around. Despite this we enjoyed walking around and exploring and once we had had enough we returned to Stormbird for some tea and Ruth had made a banana cake which was delicious.

We then moved on to beer (cannot say sundowner as there was no sun!!) and decided to have a film night.  I made tuna and salmon with broccoli and couscous with a pesto type sauce which I adapted. The fish was delicious and had been cooked well so it all was eaten with compliments.

We then retired to the saloon and watched the Clint Eastwood film called The Gauntlet which was entertaining.

Despite the rain we had a not so bad day and we had made the best of it. How and when we are going to get The Blue Baron dry (which is still tied to the deck on the starboard side) I do not know but hope we will get some sun soon.

We plan to go on to the Phi Phi Islands tomorrow which is forecast to be another rainy day.

 The picture of the day is a picture of the view from the beach at Koh Dam islets. You can see Stormbird in the background.

 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