Chalong Bay to Patong bay 07 54 Deg N

    After checking into Thailand we went for a walk to check the locale out.  Busy again with tourists, must be their number one business.   We found some good stores for grocery shopping  and a Home Depot imitation store right down to the orange aprons, and stocked similar. Lots of tour boats take off from here for trips out to the islands.  No real beach on this side of Chalong Bay.
   We took a taxi up to Rolly Tasker for 300 Baht to get our new mainsail adjusted.  As soon as the problem was explained, 4 Thai women attacked the sail and it was finished in 15 minutes, no charge.  The sail loft is gigantic and lots of sailboat hardware for sale here in their chandlery.

After 2 nights in Chalong bay we decided that was enough as it is so busy with tour boats, and we needed to get moving to see more sights anyways.  Late afternoon we left and had a great sail over to Ko Man or Nai Harn Bay at South end of peninsula about 6 milers away.  The two beaches we could see are completely full with chairs and sun umbrellas, and many tourists about.  (We soon discovered that all beaches are lined with chairs)  A chair costs 100 baht or just over $3.00.  This is a very pretty bay and the shops on shore not so crazy as Phi Phi Don Island.  It is a pleasant anchorage to spent a few days. We hiked up the hill and out to the point on a trial on the South side of bay for a bit of exercise and a great view. Left the dingy on the smaller beach on South side at its E end, no problems.

   We left after 2 nights here to head up to Patong bay, 9 miles to the North.  This is a large deep bay  that is popular with everyone we read, thought only 3 yachts anchored here.   We went ashore and discover this to be the busiest place for tourists we have yet seen and millions of tourist shops, crazy.  In the anchorage jet skies buzz around us like annoying flys, and 2 cruise ship sit in the harbour with tenders going to and fro.  We are noticing that there are far fewer people that speak english here than in Malaysia.  It is hard to ask anybody anything as they only know a few words.  We asked six different people where the Carefore supermarket was finally found out it not exist anymore. Did find a Big C super market which is very large.
   Took a bus into Phuket town for 25Baht each. Explored town and veggie market.  Thai's seem to better off than Indonesians but not as well off as Malaysians it seems.  The town was a bit run down.  We stopped at the Central Festival mall on the way back, a much more modern mall with lots of phone and electronics stores.  We got more time added to our internet dongle, 30hours/ one month for four dollars.  
As soon as we arrived back at the boat we moved to the other end of the bay to get away from the heavy boat traffic and jet skiis.
 

INFO
-Nai Harn Bay or Ko man bay- 6 miles from Chalong bay.  Anchored in 48ft at 07 46.431N   98 18.000E  It is quite protected in here and not much swell. We liked this anchorage best of the last few we have been in including ones mentioned below, both for boat protection and ambiance .

-Patong Bay  9 miles further.  Anchored in 22ft at 07 53.426N   98 17.092E  quite rolly at times as the boat sits sideways to swell in NE wind. Dinghy dock in SE corner of bay at floating pontoon on it's South side, not far from where we anchored.   Cruise ship tenders constantly going by us, not a great anchorage. But we here because the dinghy dock is handy and secure.
       Tons of shops and grocery stores on shore.  Major tourist town. Actually quite hard to find anything it is so big.  We are glad we did not anchor too close to shore as loud music until late, but we were out far enough it was just a dull thump thump.
Bus into Phuket runs all along the beach front road, says 'Phuket town' on it.  Cost 25 baht each.  We caught bus a few 100 meters North of dinghy dock where there is a cross street. at 8:50 am, bus drove up the beach road  just before 9am.
        After coming back from Phuket town, we moved the boat to other side of bay to get away from the rolling and constant boat traffic to cruise ships and also the jet skiis. Anchored in 37 ft at  07 54.410N    98 17.245E.
  Note: While in Phuket town we took a taxi over to checkout the Ratanachai Slipway for boat haul out. Lots of room there, only half full.  The thing I did not like was because it is a slipway the boat sits on a carriage about 4ft high, so anything you do on hull must be done from a scaffold as boat so high up, making it very difficult to do anything yourself.