After lunch time a little bit of wind came up behind us and we got the asymmetric kite out! This was easy to use by tying off on the cat’s pontoons. The sea was very clear and we could see Phi Phi Don and Leh in the distance. We chucked a long floating line out the back and had a great swim.
This was OK as it was nice to stop at lunchtime and drift in the middle of nowhere. Also on this topic – I was surprised at how nice the shape of the sail was when it filled with wind… was expecting it to be horrible but it ended up being quite good! On the first day there was no wind and we unfortunately needed to motor out into the open bay. All of this meant that you can actually raise and lower the main sail without needing to be into the wind. However, I found it easier to use than most Bermuda rigs – it was very easy to raise and lower, there were never any jams or snags on lazy jacks to worry about. I’d never sailed a gaff rig before and was a little anxious about it. In the morning, Maxim took us through the sailing and safety briefing.
After we left the Ship Inn Maxim took us out to our boat and we slept there for the night. The ‘’tid bits” of information that he provided were invaluable. I have chartered elsewhere and an hour’s worth of briefing on ‘itinerary’ is unprecedented! Maxim really wants to make sure that you have a good time. And, importantly, he talked about cultural events on each of the islands and what would be the best to see at this time of year. He also told us about the weather forecasts and where we could hide away in the event that the weather did x, y or z.
#Tiki navigator full#
Four a full hour, Maxim talked about all the hidden nooks and crannies of Phuket Bay. We were still at the Ship Inn and Maxim laid out four beautiful charts on the table. For now, the briefing would be about our itinerary. You will not find better company anywhere else in Thailand! After two hours of fascinating conversation, Maxim begged us to excuse him as it was time that we began the briefing! There would be two rounds of briefing. This is because Maxim (if you haven’t read elsewhere) is especially urbane. Tanawat told us he was taking us to the ‘Ship Inn’ (a nice pub on the seaside) where we were to meet Siam Sailing’s owner, Maxim Jurgens. Annabelle and I were collected from the airport by a fellow called Tanawat. We sailed a Tiki 30 named ‘Veni Vidi Vici’. I took my girlfriend Annabelle along with me and we had a terrific time. To all the voyagers: keep your travel as much ecologic as possible (buy the solar cream which does not destroy coral reefs, do not threw your food waste into the water, use ecologic shampoos or soap etc., and no BOTTLES and CIGARETTE BUTTS in the water), so we all can enjoy not polluted waters and beaches with variaty of the marine and landlife.Ī fantastic holiday! My name is Liam and I recently charted one of Siam Sailing’s boats. And finally, thank you Thailand and Siam sailing for making us understand more about our passion for sailing, about the challenges and joyfull moments and about each other as a couple. ( guys, if Makz tells you to do THAT way, just obey and at the end of journey you will see why it was THAT way). Thank you for being so experienced and wise. Tip : when mooring approach the boie go upwind and remember to release the main sail :)) Thank you Makz for providing us with such an excellent concept and the possibility for us to enjoy it, we learned so much. One more thing: when you book it online from abroad the price seems just at the edge of your budget, but when you meet Makz, listen to his advices, take the charts and web navigator and finally step on the catamaran, you realize that every cent is well spent. It is also a very forgiving boat, as beginners we made a great deal of mistakes (mooring in shallow waters, loosing and finding back the kayak at a cost of half day lost, almost walking on corals because of not noting tide table gently provided by Makz), but we were able to handle them all on the go. On last day, thanks to strong winds we reached 10.2 knots as max speed. We were surprised how safe we felt on the catamaran as it would ride the waves easily and sail vigorously even in little wind. We would compare it to a 4 weel drive camper van in the desert, giving us ability and absolute freedom to go and explore all islands, beaches, hongs, caves at our pace and desire.
The Tiki 30 proved to be an amazing and easy to handle way of travel, live, sleep, fish and eat, seeing sunsets and sunrises, having romantic moments and enjoying the life. It was our first sailing experience as day skippers (for 9 days) on our own and we were a bit unsure in the begin how everything would go.