James Bond Island

January 31, 2016

Motoring in Phang Nga Bay is a little tricky as the charts leave much to be desired and you can’t read the water because it is too murky. Many areas are very shallow and the tides on a full and new moon range about 2 ½ meters so one must always know where you are.

We proceeded slowly and then followed some of the large passenger vessels to get to our destination which was spectacularly beautiful, especially on a sunny clear day. We ran out of water quickly and had to do a 180 to stay in deeper water where we anchored and quickly got in the dingy to go ashore.

Again there was a zoo. Here there were maybe 20 boats, some very large, with several hundred people on the shore obscuring most of the beach and the souvenir huts. The rock formations are unique and photogenic and we first did a circumnavigation of the island. One bay was buoyed off so that you couldn’t approach it from the beach. What we didn’t expect was the 300 Batts National Parks fee per person! That’s about 11 dollars per person. Unfortunately, Thailand does not sell a single National Parks pass so they charge at every island park and it becomes very onerous for cruisers who are living on a budget.

We look forward to returning with our guests and to watching “Man with a Golden Gun”. After another day we wanted to get away from the crowds and find a deserted anchorage where we can clean the bottom of the boat. The trip to Ko Roi was quick but we didn’t find desolation. This stop must be on the Sunsail/Moorings charter itinerary and we had maybe a half dozen sailboats per day visit this “remote” island. There was a small hong of little note but the water was clearer than anywhere else we’ve seen here in the Bay and after a few days we completed our set task.

Now we have been awaiting our company and not traveling much. Many chores and repairs have been completed and we are getting close now to sailing to Yacht Haven Marina to pick up Wendy and Byron next week. The weather has become somewhat gusty with large accelerations, up to 30 knots, next to the high islands and we have lots of scope out on our anchor chain! We don't wish to drag and hope the charter boats know how to anchor as well. We look at the charter fleet as “a new paint job has just anchored”..........

From the Crew of Always Saturday