Topical Island Sailing Adventures Aboard the Suwan Macha From Phuket

Picture this! A sun-drenched glistening sea of green scattered liberally with exotic islands speckled with powder-white sandy beaches and harboring concealed lagoons and secret coves. Sounds like a fantasy land, a scene from Peter Pan but this is the cruising ground for a 4 day sailing adventure on board the Suwan Macha in Thailand; paradise it is, fantasy it is not.
phuket Sunset dinner cruise

This short cruise holiday takes places aboard the Suwan Macha, an Asian rigged traditional junk with distinctive burnt sienna sails that today navigates a route from Phuket Thailand to Phang Nga Bay, Krabi and the Phi Phi Islands before reversing her course to go back to Phuket with a fresh set of lucky island hoppers over another 4 day tranquil family sailing cruise among the off-lying exotic islands of Phuket.

The Suwan Macha
With 5 cabins, the Suwan Macha can sleep up to 10 vacationers and sails with a qualified skipper and crew. Things are personal, slightly intimate but relaxed on-board this traditional junk which merges Asian world allure with Western amenities.

The Suwan Macha just accentuates the fairy story surroundings and looking at her is almost dream-like as this magnificent Oriental yacht sails majestically atop the verdant sea portraying an entirely ageless profile of lines and distinct colours. Most visitors to Thailand flock to Phuket yearly and some of those take to the seas to visit the bounty of off-lying islands on day tours or on live-aboard dive boats but not many have the chance to experience this exotic island boat trip free from the hordes and in complete harmony with the surroundings.

While salvagers have trolled the oceans for buried treasure, the Suwan Macha is a treasure in itself and a junk sailing cruise that takes you to explore and discover natural treasures like hidden lagoons, secret sandy bay’s, mangrove forests and a small community of Sea Gypsies that still exist separated and independent from the general population of Thailand.

Suwan Macha Adventure Sailing
This tropical island sailing cruise can be done from Phuket to Phang Nga Bay and onto Krabi and the Phi Phi Islands or in reverse; the first option departs on Saturdays and the latter on Tuesdays but either way the cruise begins from the front door of your Phuket hotel. If you opt for the reverse cruise we collect you from your hotel and transfer you to the ferry which whisks you from Phuket to the Phi Phi Islands where you will board the Suwan Macha.

Cast off, Castaway and James Bond (Day 1)
But let’s start out from your Phuket hotel and join the Suwan Macha after a short drive to the Phuket Yacht Haven where she is moored. Departure time is 2pm and you will be onboard with plenty of time to spare.

Mooring lines are cast-off and the Suwan Macha plots a course for Phang Nga Bay weaving her way through towering limestone karsts and inching ever closer to the ever popular James Bond island that was put firmly on the chart in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974). Otherwise known as Koh Tapu the island is part of the Ao Phang Nga National Park and after taking time to explore the island the day trippers flee for home leaving the Suwan Macha in peaceful harmony.