Provide the incentives, and they will come. Tourists are discovering sailing holidays.
Alan Parkhouse
Anew breed of tourist is discovering Thailand, but instead of backpacks and sandals, these newcomers wear docksider shoes to stop them from slipping on wet decks and gloves to protect their hands while hauling on ropes.
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| HOIST THE SAIL: The spinnakers come out as yachts race off Phuket during one of the annual regattas. |
This new breed is not interested in riding elephants through the mountains of the North or hanging out in beachside bars _ they're chartering boats and either entering one of the six major regattas now staged every year in Thailand, or simply cruising around the many beautiful islands that dot the long coastline.
The sailing scene in Thailand is booming, thanks partly to the relaxation of laws on importing boats and other items associated with the marine leisure industry, and partly because the Kingdom has be come the centre of yacht racing and cruising in Asia.
Many foreigners who have set up base in Thailand have been busy organising sailing regattas, teaching tourists how to sail and renting yachts to this new breed of tourist, whose numbers are growing by the year.
Since the government relaxed the laws on importing boats and spare parts several years ago, the sailing industry has recorded one of the fastest growth rates. And Thailand's reputation for not only staging good sailing races but also great parties has resulted in record numbers entering the six annual regattas held here each year.
The biggest of the races, the Phuket King's Cup Regatta, is not only the biggest sailing event held anywhere in Asia but has the endorsement of His Majesty the King, himself a competitive sailor in his younger days.
The Phuket King's Cup Regatta, held in the first week of December to coincide with His Majesty's birthday, draws a fleet of up to 100 yachts taking part every year _ more boats than the famous Sydney to Hobart race attracts.
The King's Cup has grown each year since a group of local and expat sailors staged it for the first time 22 years ago to commemorate the King's 60th birthday.hm's 60th was in 1987, 21 years ago.
Every type of boat, from the huge maxi yachts to the live-aboard cruisers families sail around the world, enter the Thai regattas, and it's not only the yacht racing that attracts so many to Thailand.
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| The winds can pose problems for skippers trying to sail past one of the many small islands off Phuket. |
There are parties every night and the activities onshore also keep the crowds coming back. Every one of the country's six sailing regattas is renowned for its nightly parties, and for those who want to kick on after the parties, the bars, clubs and pubs of Phuket, Krabi, Samui and Pattaya are always close by.
''Where else in the world can you race a yacht for a day, then come ashore to a beach party and have a feast of Thai food, drinks and entertainment right on the beach?'' asked former world junior sailing champion Scott Duncanson of Adelaide, Australia, who now lives in Phuket.
While the Phuket King's Cup Regatta and the other races attract many professional sailors, weekend sailors are now discovering they can go to Phuket, Pattaya, Koh Samui or Koh Chang, charter a boat and set off discovering deserted tropical islands for themselves.
One of the great advantages of chartering a yacht in Thailand is that you don't have to be an experienced sailor _ in fact, you don't even need to know how to sail at all. Almost all the yacht charter companies in Thailand provide a skipper and crew, if needed.
CRUISING ON A CHARTER
Australian Phil Harper runs the very successful Gulf Charters business from his Ocean Marina base near Pattaya, and as well as hiring yachts to competitors in the annual Top of the Gulf Regatta, which is held at his home base, Mr Harper runs day trips or longer to deserted tropical islands and takes tourists from Pattaya along the coast to the popular Koh Samet and on to Koh Chang, a beautiful island close to the Cambodian border where he has also set up base for his charter yachts.
Mr Harper has also pioneered sailing trips into Cambodia and recently broke more new ground by having a small yacht built there. Some of his regular customers have not had too much experience at sea or on sailing boats, but with the calm waters of the Gulf of Thailand, plus some expert tuition before casting off, many have been able to sail off and cruise around the many jungle-covered tropical islands that dot the Thai coastline.
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| Rented Sunsail boats during the Phang Nga Bay Regatta. |
''We teach them what to do on the boat and how to handle it properly, make suggestions about where to go, and go over every aspect of their trip, with a big emphasis on safety,'' Mr Harper said.
''Thai waters are very safe _ there's no pirates like there are in other parts of Asia _ and the seas are generally very calm, apart from the monsoon season. The boats have radios, mobile phones work in most places, and we make sure the yachts we charter are well stocked with food and water. The boats also have engines.
''Once at sea, there's not much to do but sit back, relax and have a good time. We also charter boats with a full crew, so our customers can just relax, take in the scenery, have a drink, a swim and, when they get hungry, we serve up a feast of Thai food.''
Mr Harper, who sailed on Sydney Harbour as a youngster, was also the first to organise a yachting expedition into Cambodian waters _ it was the first time a fleet of sailboats had been from Thailand into Cambodian waters in 40 years or more. He now does regular trips into Cambodia.
''One time we had five boats sailing together from Thailand to Cambodia and we dropped anchor along a deserted bit of the coast just off the beach next to a small river mouth, got in our little inflatable dinghies and cruised up this small river to see what was up there,'' Mr Harper said. ''We came to an amazing waterfall, surrounded by jungle with not a person in sight. It was magic.''
Welshman Simon James is also a veteran sailor and when not helping organise the many regattas in Thailand, is busy renting yachts for Sunsail from his base in Phuket. Sunsail is the biggest yacht charter company in the world, and as the company's marketing manager in Thailand, Mr James is kept busy looking after a large fleet of boats which has now been expanded to Koh Samui and Pattaya, as well as Vietnam.
''We have yachts for rent in Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Samui in Thailand, plus in Malaysia and Vietnam,'' he said. ''Our fleet just keeps growing and sometimes we're struggling to keep up with demand.
''We get quite a lot of people flying in to Phuket and chartering one or more of our yachts to enter either the King's Cup, Phuket RaceWeek or the Phang Nga Bay Regatta.
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| MAGNIFICENT VOYAGE: The Phang Nga Bay Regatta winds its way from Phuket to Krabi, through Phangnga Bay, over to the Phi Phi islands and after five days back to Phuket. |
''People who can't afford to buy their own yacht, but who love to sail, now have a viable alternative. If you get a few friends together to go sailing, it's not really any more expensive than staying in a hotel _ sometimes cheaper,'' said Mr James, who also plays a major role in helping to organise many of Thailand's regattas.
Sydney to Hobart legend George Snow came to Thailand four years ago with some friends and chartered four identical Sunsail boats and entered the Koh Samui Regatta, and vowed to return.
OFF THE WATER FUN
One of the reasons many sailors keep returning to Thailand's regattas is the relaxed, party atmosphere.
''I went to the America's Cup in Valencia and while all the facilities were top class, the place had no atmosphere,'' said Frank Pong, who was the chief adviser to China's America's Cup team.
''Give me a regatta in Thailand any day. We have as much fun off the water as we do on it. Thai regattas have the best parties and atmosphere of any I've been to around the world,'' said China's most famous yachtsman.
Thailand's mostly week-long regattas are contested by many experienced international sailors from more than 15 countries, from Europe to North America and from Russia to Australia. More than 1,000 sailors travel to Phuket each year for the King's Cup.
The sailing season in Thailand starts in style in February with the Phang Nga Bay Regatta, which is sailed over one of the most scenic courses in the world between small limestone islands with towering cliffs covered in tropical jungle.
The Phang Nga Bay Regatta takes such a scenic route because it is organised by a photographer _ former Australian war correspondent John Everingham.
''I wanted to take nice pictures of yachts with their spinnakers up sailing between these beautiful little rocky outcrops covered in jungle, and as none of the other regattas sailed this course, I organised my own regatta,'' said Mr Everingham, who became famous for his exploits during the war years in Laos and Cambodia.
The Koh Samui Regatta, billed as the ''tropical island regatta'', is another rapidly growing event. Now in its sixth year, a fleet of 26 yachts sail courses over to the nearby Koh Phangan, which is known around the world for its full moon parties, and along the island's coast in early June.
Another event which is proving to be very successful is the Top of the Gulf Regatta, which is held off the Ocean Marina Yacht Club near Pattaya beach, a short drive from Bangkok. The Top of the Gulf Regatta, held in May, is a good lead-up to the Koh Samui event several weeks later, with many skippers sailing their yachts from Pattaya across the Gulf of Thailand to Samui, a leisurely trip in calm seas.
With international and local sponsors now flocking to support all of Thailand's regattas, and the interest in sailing steadily growing in the region as well as the number of yacht clubs, the future looks bright for the sport made popular by the man all Thais look up to, His Majesty the King.
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