Ballistic RIB at speed: the Tawan version has a canopy over the rear, to keep the sun off the more delicate members of the expedition, and six jockey seats in the bow, rather than the two shown here.

There are dozens of tours that take people out and around Phang Nga Bay, from slow boats piled high with kayaks to speedboats that flit from island to island.

But one thing they all have in common is that the destination is the thing. Get on boat. Thrash across the bay to an island. Take in the sights. Get on boat. Thrash across the bay to another island, and so on.

Tawan Sea Adventures, which already runs a couple of very high end speed boats, has added a new dimension. Yes, you get to visit islands and take in the sights, swim or snorkel. But the boat trip itself is also high-octane entertainment. Instead of “getting on the bus”, passengers get the ride of their lives.

Getting a new angle on adventure; the RIB goes into a 360.

Tawan have imported a Ballistic RIB (rigid inflatable boat) from South Africa. It’s probably the fastest boat on the bay, with a top speed just short of 40 knots (74 kmh), and incredibly manoeuvrable. It’s also so light that, even with the skipper and 10 passengers aboard, it’ll take off when you hit the wake of another boat at speed.

This boat flies.

The Observer got to experience this recently, on a trip from Ao Por Grand Marina, where the boat is based, to Koh Kai Nork – the tiny island famed for fish that feed out of one’s hand.

Passengers sit in pairs on the boat, life preservers on and perched on “jockey seats”, so that both feet can be planted firmly on the deck for balance. One fellow-traveller described the seats as Sybianesque, a jaded but not inaccurate description.

Skipper Lek plainly enjoys the job, describing tight S curves or doing complete 360s, all the while hunting the horizon for that perfect wave for take-off. Squeals and screams all round, as the boat tilts 45 degrees, first one way then the other.

This is the closest thing to a roller coaster that you’ll find on the water. Everyone arrives back at the mooring with eyes glittering with adrenaline.

Tawan currently runs three routes using the Ballistic: James Bond Island and Koh Hong; Koh Hong Krabi and Koh Yao; and Koh Kai Nork and Koh Naka Yai. Each takes three to four hours and the price of B3,900 includes a packed lunch. The website is a work in progress, so call +66 76 617 106 for up-to-date information.

Flying boat lands in Phuket is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Montigne under sail - 100 tons doing nine knots.

Who said the days of the tall ships were over? Granted, there are no more tea clippers, just a sprinkling of square riggers – mostly used for sail training – but if you have the money, you can still sail in real style.

The Observer was recently invited aboard the Montigne (pronounced Mon-tig-nee) when she moored at the outer edge of Yacht Haven marina.

Three masts as tall as the Eiffel Tower, floor to ceiling marble in the bathrooms (it would seem ungracious to refer to them as “heads”), a sundeck with Jacuzzi, a huge aft deck with a table equipped with the biggest lazy susan we’ve ever seen and, in the lounge below, grand dining to the accompaniment of music played on a baby grand piano.

Let’s not forget the house wine (Yacht wine? Boat wine?): Chateauneuf du Pape, one of the most delicious wines ever invented, which – for a good year – will set you back B10,000+ a bottle.

This is definitely the life.

Launched in 2009 from the the Aegean Yachts yard in Turkey, she’s owned by an Asian gent, about whom we are allowed to say no more, though he does use the boat regularly – in fact, more regularly than your average $8-million Phuket villa owner does. But then, villas can’t hoist sail and head off down to Bali or up into Burmese waters.

There’s a crew of 10, including a chef who is genuinely worthy of the title, and headed by skipper Richard Felton, who’s been all at sea since the ’80s. “She’s quite impressive when she’s got all the sails up,” Richard says. With all seven sails set, “we can do nine knots which, for 400-odd tons of what is basically a motor yacht, is not bad.” For all you landlubbers nine knots is just under 17 kmh.

A wicked thought: If you stripped out all the marble and chucked the baby grand overboard, how much faster would she go? We’d keep the wine. We’d need the sustenance.

When the owner’s not on board, the Montigne is available for charter. Usually she spends six months along the cost from Burma to Malaysia, with the other six island hopping along Indonesia or the Philippines or even as far south as Australia. All the gear is on board for fun when Montigne drops the hook – diving kit, kayaks, speedboats.

Tempted to charter? Start here. Just for you, B4.8 million a week – that’s for 10 people.

Here are some more pix, each worth a thousand words.

The owner's cabin. Well, half of it, anyway.

More marble than Lord Elgin could shake a stick at.

Tinkling ivories, anyone? The formal dining table and the baby grand.

The aft deck, says skipper Richard Felton, is everyone's favourite part of the boat. You can see why.

Living the life as the yacht Montigne visits Phuket is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

There were plenty of boats on the water - 3 billion baht worth.

The eighth Phuket International Boat Show, still known by its origional initials, PIMEX, opened this morning at the Royal Phuket Marina with 86 exhibitors on the water and in the exhibition hall, a record number for the eight-year-old show. The total value of the boats on display exceeded 3 billion baht, said organisers Informa Yacht Group.

For the first time, the iconic Riva boat company, whose speedboats have appeared in countless movies and have been bought by the likes of George Clooney, Claudia Schiffer, Brigitte Bardot and Elizabeth Taylor, were at the show.

The new Jaguar XJ, the XFR and XKR cars were also on display. No, they don’t float, but they are very sexy and very fast. The XJ was mounted on a pontoon in the middle of the yacht basin, so test drives were out for the time being.

“We’re very happy to see so many exhibitors, marine and lifestyle, taking part in this year’s PIMEX. It’s a good sign for the Show, for Phuket and for the regional economy at large, and expectations are high for a good visitor turnout,” said Show Director, Andy Dowden. He added at the end of the day that 1,500 visitors had been counted through the gates, also a record for the show.

Sorry, no test drives today. Jag XJ on the water.

Sunseeker boats were well represented.

The locally made Andaman Cabriolet catamarans come well equipped.

A final bit of polishing before the show doors open.

Movenpick ice cream for anyone overheated by the weather.

Everything a deck-hand needs.

Pimex boat show breaks records is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

A large part of the regatta fleet ended up stranded at Kata. Photo © by Guy Nowell.

Ray Roberts’ Evolution captured the silverware in the 24th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, but the event will most likely be remembered  for the violent weather that dumped a dozen or more boats on the beach at Kata. (For dramatic footage of the beach on the morning of December 11, see Sail TV’s clip here.)

Three-metres waves on the night of December 10 snapped anchor lines or simply propelled the yachts, anchors dragging, onto the sand. While the catamarans were relatively unscathed and were simply lifted and carried above the high-water mark to safety, for the keel boats it was a disaster.

Some boats were rescued but by the evening others lay on their sides, half-buried in Kata Beach’s famed soft sand in a sad scene reminiscent of a mass beaching of whales. Skippers glumly wondered whether their boats could be salvaged or whether the repeated crashing of the waves had driven keels into hulls, causing irreparable damage.

The final day’s racing was canceled, as was the planned sail-past led by a Thai Navy frigate.

As darkness fell on the 11th, the flashes from cameras sparkled up and down the strand as tourists took snaps of this unexpected sight: kissy grins and victory signs with stricken yachts for background.

Celebrating: The crew of Xena in party mood after taking 2nd place in the premier class.

There was compensation for the sailors whose boats could not be moved, however: the final party of the regatta when, all sailing done, they could let their hair down and quench some mighty thirsts. And it was at the Kata Beach Resort – just a short stumble from the scenes of devastation.

For some crews there was also irony in the event. Miss Saigon, Ichi Ban and Team Sea Bees were among the beached boats, yet their crews picked up gold medals for winning the multihull, IRC 1 and IRC 2 classes respectively.

But after a few cocktails, glasses of beef or vino (or whatever floats your boat, as they say), there was time to enjoy the band and the fireworks and stuff into the back of the mind the thought of the hard work to come, digging and dragging in the morning to try and get their boats back in the sea.

Full regatta results and news can be seen at the King’s Cup Regatta website.

Racing class and King's Cup winner Evolution Racing (left) chases Team Premier round a mark. Photo © by Guy Nowell

Sad scene as regatta ends with boats beached at Kata is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

The new Sunseeker 40 will be the star of the Pimex show.

The Phuket International Boat Show (known as Pimex) keeps growing. And the boats on show keep getting bigger and more gorgeous. Topping this year’s list is the new Sunseeker 40-metre, which wowed the crowds when it was first seen at the Southampton International Boat Show in the UK in September.

Phuket Boat Show – bigger and more gorgeous is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Two of the PSV kids on the water at the Phuket Yacht Club in Ao Yon.

The Topper Sail Phuket sailing school and Phuket Sunshine Village (PSV) are looking for a sponsor or sponsors to make a dream come true for a group of orphans from the village.

The seven kids have been training hard at Phuket Yacht Club in Ao Yon with the aim of competing in the Thailand Optimist Nationals at the Top of the Gulf Regatta in Pattaya, from April 30 to May 4.

As Katy Gooch and Paul Firmin of Topper Sail stress, it “would be an incredible experience for these children”.

The seven kids have been sailing most Sundays for just over a year, and have taken part in club racing at Phuket Yacht Club. If they can get the funding, they will also be joined by two other club members, making a total of nine junior entries from Phuket.

“To prepare the children for the Nationals we are arranging for them to join the Advanced Optimist Course run by the Junior Sailing Squadron ( JSST) at Sattahip Naval Base, Chonburi from the 17th – 25th April,” Katy explained.

“This will give them a great opportunity to improve their sailing skills and racing knowledge and the chance to practice with a larger fleet. Arrangements are also being made for them to stay on for further practice before competing in the Nationals.

Staff at Topper Sail Phuket have given their time to teach these children to sail and arrange races for them every month, and Phuket Yacht Club has allowed the children to use its facilities for these races at no cost.

However, the cost of sending the children to the training camp and to the regatta itself is estimated at approximately 100,000 baht, which would cover accommodation, food, course fees, boat charter, entry fees and transport.

“Travel arrangements have not been confirmed,” Katy explained, “so we are looking at various options including the possibility of any sponsored flights from Phuket to Bangkok and/or Bangkok to Phuket.

“I’m happy to give my time to these children from the PSV, but I am not in a position to donate 100,000 baht as well.

“They love to sail and have improved so much since they started learning with us. It would be fantastic for them to have the opportunity to go and compete in the nationals. Sailing helps to instill self-reliance and quick thinking and I have seen first-hand how it has helped these children develop both on and off the water.”

Anyone interested in sponsorship should contact Katy Gooch by email or by calling her at +66 (0) 8 5215 9185

The Phuket Sunshine Village Foundation was founded in 2004 after the Asian Tsunami hit Phuket and provides a safe and secure home for children who are either orphaned or who are no longer able to live with their natural parents.

Sponsors sought for orphans’ bid for sailing glory is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Whew - it's a bit crowded here. At the start of one of the races in the 2009 Phang Nga Bay Regatta.

Nineteen boats are so far signed up for the “fun” regatta – the annual Phang Nga Bay Regatta, which goes under the gun on February 4.

More boats can be expected to join in the next couple of weeks – there were 50 entries in the 2009 event. It’s one of those nerve-racking things that regatta organisers in Phuket have to put up with; very few boats are registered until the last minute.

This year’s regatta will see racing on four days – the 4th to the 7th, with registration on the 3rd.
Partying will begin before the regatta with the opening event, as in the past few years, at the Chandara Resort in Ao Por.

Conveniently close to the Ao Por Grand Marina, the resort is now managed by the Absolute group, promising to make it an entertaining evening with the potential for painful starts for some of the less serious crews.

As in last year’s regatta, there will be six classes: Racing, Cruising A and B, multihulls, bareboat charters (last year this was filled entirely with Darwin-class boats from Sunsail) and the one-design Firefly class.

Although the regatta started out 12 years ago as a casual antidote to the very serious King’s Cup Regatta, serious competitors are by no means excluded.

Last year’s Racing Class winner, for example, was Yo!2, owned and skippered by Peter Ahern. Ahern in based in Perth, Western Australia, and his yacht is usually berthed in Port Dickson in Malaysia. You don’t come all that way to drift around the bay swilling beer.

For more details, visit the regatta website.

Entries trickle in for Phang Nga Bay regatta is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Cruising missile: The 26-metre Pershing from Italy will be a feature at the PIMEX show in January.

The world may still be wobbling from the effects of the ghastly GFC (Global Financial Crisis for those of you who have been living in a cave for the past 2 years), but yacht-makers and associated businesses seem to be doing okay, if the numbers given by the organisers of the upcoming Phuket International Marine Expo (PIMEX) are to be believed. We quote:

“PIMEX is a key contributor driving the growth of Phuket’s marine tourism by approximately 10% year-on-year. The show has a proven track record with sales successes and strong visitor numbers for seven consecutive years. The 2010 show is expected to attract over 75 local and international exhibitors and over 4,000 visitors, including many wealthy overseas investors looking for the perfect holiday home with a leisure marine lifestyle.”

It’s not just the number of exhibitors, boats and visitors that are expected to grow this year. It’s also the size of the gleaming gin palaces. This year the show, which takes place from January 7 to 10 next year at the Royal Phuket Marina, will feature a pair of giants.

First up will be a 26-metre Pershing - that’s close to 90 feet long, or the length of three classic London red buses.  Apart from looking and behaving like a cruise missile (it’s silver and has a top speed of 44 knots, or 80 kmh), it has  the usual nifty stuff like enormous sunbeds on deck, top-flight AV gear, a stateroom that would make your average Hilton green with envy, and even mosaics in the bathrooms.

Even bigger will be the 32-metre Mangusta (three and a half London buses) by Rodriguez of France. It’s not quite a quick as the Pershing – it’ll hit 35 knots, or about 65kmh – but it’s got even bigger sunbeds, bigger stateroom and – if your fancy runs this way – you can have a big hot tub on the rear deck. A 65-kmh hot tub. Imagine.

We hesitate to describe any of the other entrants in the show, for fear of making them pale by comparison, but event director Andy Dowden assures us that there will be something for everyone. Well, almost. Just don’t ask for a hot tub in your rubber dinghy.

Phuket boat show getting bigger is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Andrew de Bruin and Donna Stephans (sail 1914) in the thick of the action during the 2007 Tasar Worlds in Phuket - Photo by Duncan Worthington.

Eight of the internationally popular, fast, Tasar dinghies will appear for the first time at this year’s Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, battling for honours in their own special event, which will take place on November 28 and 29, just before the main regatta.

The battle of the Tasars is the brainchild of Andrew de Bruin and Donna Stephens, last seen in competition in Phuket during the Tasar Worlds in 2007. They placed 53 out of a fleet of 59, but despite getting nowhere near the silverware, were plainly bitten by the bug.

After the Worlds in 2007, a fleet of four Tasars raced regularly at the Phuket Yacht Club in Ao Yon. The owners continued to learn more each time they raced and, with conditions usually 10-12 knots and temperatures around 32ºC, there’s little to complain about even when capsized, as the water is a welcoming 28ºC.

Since then, de Bruin and friends have been actively seeking Phuket buyers and have now confirmed that four more Tasars are on the way from Australia. This will bring the local fleet to eight crews, all of which intend to enter the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta event.

King’s Cup Race Director, Simon James, said, “It’s great to see more smaller boats and new classes adding to the already diverse fleet the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta attracts each year.”

For de Bruin, eight is not enough. “We’d like to get a bit of growth happening here and, who knows, we might be able to field a more competitive group when we host the 2015 Worlds again in Phuket.”

The Tasar fleet will be joined by an Optimist fleet which will also compete on the weekend before the main regatta.

Tasar dinghies set to do battle at Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Flying high: Computer impression of one of the Phuket hydrofoils in flight in Phang Nga Bay. Photo courtesy Phuket Hydrofoil

Phuket to get hydrofoil services is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.