Fai Tira blog New Year’s Day Sat 1^st Jan 2011

Patong Beach Thailand 07:53.47N 98:17.11E

The following day, 27^th December, we left the Phi Phi group of islands and headed off in the direction of Ao Chalong, with the intention of being there by the 29^th to collect our passports and Indian visas, it also gave us time to break the journey with an overnight stop at Coral Island (Koh Hi or Hae). I suppose that the choice of the venue was largely down to me, in an attempt to get away and recover from the almost constant exposure to the manic pressure and activity of the local tourists, their noise, clamour and intrusive high powered boats..........It worked!

Some four hours after casting off from the mooring buoy, that had secured our overnight position, we entered a tranquil bay at the Southerly end of Coral Island.  It was occupied by just two other sail boats, a timber dive boat and a small diving support platform. By the time it was dark they’d all left, apart from the support unit, and we also had the added company of a very posh and large catamaran which had just turned up, and obviously had the same idea as us.

As soon as we arrived, the first impact was supplied by the all-encompassing silence, broken only by the sounds of the jungle and the noise of what sounded like monkeys shouting to each other across the lush canopy. It eventually turned out that the noise was supplied by something altogether different, when we spotted a group of raucous Hornbills sitting on a bunch of exposed branches squawking at each other, and whose flights kept punctuating the green backdrop with glimpses of black, white and red......What a treat!

It was only a short while before the boat was surrounded by colourful little fish, and despite the presence of numerous beautifully coloured and graceful jellyfish, I was tempted into snorkelling mode. So, resplendent in flashy cossey, daft-looking flippers and snorkelling gear, I threw myself in. In all honesty the snorkelling wasn’t that good. Much of the coral was dead and although most of the time I was surrounded by shoals of fish, obviously recognising me as a source of food, there was nothing much out of the ordinary, I did, however, catch sight of a large porcupine fish as it made a hasty exit. Nevertheless, even without the spectacle of the tree-covered high rock faces we’d been used to, this place still had a lot to offer, mostly exclusive peace and tranquillity.....Bliss!  The evening was spent eating, relaxing and sitting in the cockpit playing cards......... We know how to enjoy ourselves!!

As we left, late the following day, the catamaran was still there and we continued on our way to Phuket. We had decided that we’d head for Nai Harn Bay, and anchored in a tranquil location not that far from The Royal Phuket Yacht Club.  Although there were a number of reasons for being here:  it had been recommended by the guys off Jacobel, it was a convenient spot to leave from for our next trip to Patong Bay and we’d have a sheltered calm night’s rest. Most importantly, it was just a taxi ride from Ao Chalong, our passports and our visas.

Although we’d arrived quite early, our first venture ashore was fairly tardy affair. The effort of launching the dinghy, by throwing it over the railings off the aft deck then manhandling the engine into place, is always a bit of a deterrent to rapid human movement, but on this particular occasion lethargy firmly took the upper hand. By the time Peter had indulged in a snorkel and Jeremy and I’d indulged in a beer, the afternoon was thinking about knocking on the door of evening.

With the dinghy now in the water and us almost ready to depart, we were visited by Paco off Nautibuoy2. We had thought that we were the only BWR boat around, so the surprise was both unexpected and pleasant. He couldn’t join us for a beer as he was on the way to collect his partner Nina. However, they both visited on the way back and tentative arrangements were made to meet later for an appointment with a bottle of red wine.

Our first trip ashore was to the smaller of the two beaches, a very low key and relaxed place that made it easy to see why Isobel and Jacques had been so taken by it.  We visited a couple of bars, spoke to a couple of people and sat and watched the world go by before heading off, in the dinghy, to the larger beach to find somewhere to eat.

We’d already heard, from Guy on Larooba, that the landing here was not a dry one, but it only became apparent just how un-dry it was as we approached the beach on the crest of fairly boisterous surf, and we ended up tramping through a maze of beach umbrellas and recliners, looking as though we’d just emerged from a shower fully clothed!

This place was strange. It wasn’t totally devoid of charm though: the many sprawling restaurants and bars seemed to retain a certain intriguing appeal. However, interspersed between them was such tack that it was almost a complete detraction.

Although it was still early evening, many of the glitzy stalls had already started to close, but those that were still active immediately conjured up long-lost childhood memories of a local scruffy fun fair. Within no distance at all you could throw darts and accumulate a score that would win you a prize half the value of the tariff, try your skill with an air rifle that shot round corners, or try and knock over a pile of glued together and nailed down cans with a powder puff in the hope of winning a fluffy toy, that you’d stuff into the nearest rubbish bin if you’d been given it as a gift!........Aaaaah, memories!

Anyhow we had a great meal there, and then at the recommendation of the waitress, had a great Thai massage.........I know  what you’re thinking , but do you think I’d be writing this if it was anything other than legitimate?........Nonetheless, I have to say that Thai women have great fingers!  Regretfully we missed Paco that evening, but when we returned to the boat, a bottle of red wine was waiting.....What a nice couple!

The services of a local taxi were organised for the following day which we knew would be full of tasks. We had to collect the important paperwork, buy some provisions, top up our communication capacity, replenish our fuel supplies and find a dentist. It occupied the majority of the day, extremely mundane and laborious, but important and had to be done. So after an hour and a half trek around Tesco - would you believe? -  a visit to the garage, a phone shop, the Customs and Immigration, and a visit to the dentist for J - I think he likes them! - we ended up back at the beach, well laden down and with the problem of re-launching a now partially-deflated dinghy into sizeable breakers with all our newly purchased victuals and refilled fuel cans.

My inclination was to wait until things had calmed down, or call for the assistance of a helicopter!  Peter’s was that he’d done this sort of thing before and it would be alright. I think his idea of alright is based on the criterion of the volume of water you’re likely to be hit by: if it’s only about a bathful it would seem to be ok. The first wave that hit us did just that, so that was ok then, except that the bags of food were now full of sea water and we were soaked.

We managed to reach the boat without further incident, and I set about retrieving our supplies whilst Peter returned to collect Jeremy and the fuel, but before he managed to set foot on the beach, he had to switch off the engine. The boat, now without power or steering, rotated and was hit by a large wave that turned it over leaving Pete underneath scrabbling for a way out. Isn’t it always the way that things you’d rather happen in private, often occur in front of an audience you’d rather not be there. I wasn’t there but I’m sure he probably eventually found his feet, took a deep breath, regained his poise, turned to the watching ensemble, smiled, gave a wave and took a bow!!

Once safely back on the boat we decided to stay put and spend a leisurely evening relaxing. As darkness descended, light rain began to fall, forming light ripples on the calm surface and gently pattering on the roof of the awning. The soporific effect soon took its toll and eyelids began to close. As both the others gave in and snuck off to their beds to watch movies on their Ipods, I was left alone with just the sounds of the rain, my thoughts, and my journal......Mmmm!!.

Patong beach was only eight miles away, and the popularity of its location soon became apparent, as shortly after leaving the bay we slotted into a small flotilla of boats all heading in the same direction. The beaches were packed.

We arrived just after midday and I can remember thinking that the place looked even tackier from seaward than it did from land on our first foray a week or so ago. Anyhow, this is where it’s all supposed to happen at New Year, and there were plenty of other boats here whose crews obviously thought the same. A few other BWR were here as well, and we made contact before setting off to familiarise ourselves once more with its delights!  We even went back again in the evening, probably trying to convince ourselves that it was real and actually did exist, eventually arriving back at the boat so late that it was now well into New Years Eve!!

Most of New Year’s Eve, on the approach to the celebrations, was spent busying ourselves on the boat.

As the evening approached, the background noise of exploding fireworks intensified, and by the time most of the fleet had assembled on the shore and headed off to the Bangla Road area to eat, the whole place heaved and vibrated with the noise and colour of people, some beautiful, some questionable in various states of dress and undress partying through the night.

Most of us were back on our boats by midnight and settled back to watch an amazing firework display.

Happy New Year to everyone

From John, Pete and Jeremy.