Sailing holidays near Phuket City

Phuket Sailing Nuances

• All foreign boats arriving at the island must first visit Ao Chalong Pier in Phuket to travel around.
• If you plan to arrive on a boat here from Malaysia (the journey takes 7 days in brief), there may be difficulties in passing customs. The customs fee rules are not settled here, and the fee can grow into a bribe. All you can do is to bargain for an amount not higher than 200-300 baht or offer to go to the Phuket main customs office to discuss the amount. Most people arrange to pay the right sum of money.
• Starting January 1, 2016, all yachts in Thailand must be equipped with an AIS - Automatic Identification System. The device should be active when you enter or leave Thailand. In the marina, the system can be turned off. Reluctance to use AIS leads to a fee.
• Most of the free moorings are located in Chalong Bay to protect the local underwater life from yacht anchors. Before mooring, make sure that the mooring space has not been reserved for anyone. For example, the excursion boat, which is supposed to arrive in the evening.
• The place north to Phuket Yacht Harbor is ideal for anchorages. Just do not moor near the outer pontoons to have enough room to turn.
• There are marinas in the Yacht Haven, the Boat Lagoon, and the Royal Phuket Marina near Phuket Town. It is advisable to book all marines in advance because of their large traffic.
• Boat Lagoon Marina is not recommended for boats longer than 50 feet and draft more than 2 m: you can get stuck there even at high tide. Yet, the channel entrance to the marina is not highlighted, and it is better not to sail here at night.

Festivals and events in Phuket

• Thao Si Sunthon Fair is held on March, 13 annually in honour of the liberation from the Burmese invaders
• In late September - early October, the festival of the Nine Imperial Gods takes place on the island. For 9 days, Chinese residents of the island follow a vegetarian diet to overcome the difficulties of the coming year. Large-scale street performances accompany them.
• In July and August, there is a festival of spirits in Phuket, worshipping ancestors.
• The Royal Phuket Cup Regatta runs every December and starts near Kata Beach. Those who are interested can rent a boat and take part in this great event.
• Laguna Phuket Triathlon also takes place in December and attracts athletes from around the world.
• The Travel Fair, or Patong Carnival, startson November, 1st with parades, sporting events and beauty contests.
• The Chao Le Boat Floating Festival takes place twice a year, in the middle of summer and late autumn. The goal of the festival is to sail in small boats to drive away evil spirits bring good luck to the island.
• Phuket Bike Week is the most ambitious motorcycle festival in all of Asia. Exhibitions, motorcycle parades, competitions, beauty contests and fairs are held here.

How to get

Phuket International Airport is the second largest airport in Thailand. It holds both domestic flights and international flights from around the world, including China, Singapore, South Korea and Europe. Also, there's a lot of charter flights from Russia and Kazakhstan to Phuket.

Visa: Citizens of most countries are allowed visa-free entry from 30 to 90 days. If your country is not included in the visa-free list, you can issue the visa to Thailand online.