A Visit to the Similan Islands

    Next morning we headed to the next bay 6 miles up the coast to get a tad closer to the Similans and a better wind angle for sailing so we could do the distance in daylight hours.   It is a nice big bay, not as busy as Patong.  We were off at the first bit of daylight the following morning and heading for the Similans 51 miles away.  We had a great sail for the first 15 miles and then the wind died and had to motor sail the rest of the way. Last 8 miles a wind from NNW picked up almost heading us but we got enough drive from sails to keep us going decently into the chop.  A rain squall came through giving us a good dump of rain with not too much wind. It then rained off and on through out night as well.
We arrived a t 5:15pm with our fingers crossed hoping there would be a mooring buoy available, and yes there were two.  The buoys are all full off and on during the day as tour boats come and go and then after 4pm or so they leave except for some live aboard dive boats that take available buoys just before dark.

       Next morning we went ashore and had a hike up a good trail to a 350ft high hill with a great view and then explored the tiny island, it had a few bungalows you could rent  and a bunch of tents as well set up you could rent.  When we rowed back to our boat we found four, 35ft tour boats hanging off the back of our boat!  One boat had put a line over my stern cleat and then 3 others rafted up to him, pretty nervy, but they did not seem to be causing a problem as the wind keep them back, so I let them stay, they were gone in a couple of hours.  The place is very busy with tour boats of all sizes  and they are not suppose to anchor of the beach and there is only a limited number of buoys.  Dorothy did some snorkeling as well, trying 3 different spots and no coral at all to speak of, saw a number of fish and a turtle  definitely not up to all the hype we heard about islands.

After a couple days we moved to the next island called Koh Similian about 6 miles North. It is another great little island with an incredibly soft sandy beach. Also a nice short little hike up a rocky hill that all the tourists were doing for the great views.  Good fish snorkeling and underwater rocks but not much coral
    We left after a couple days here but as we got out into the sea a large SE swell headed us and a E wind so we here almost knocked to a stand still so after a bit of that nonsense turned back and returned to our previous mooring.  A French catamaran that had left just ahead of us also returned.  The forecast for the next day was the same so it was not until the following day that we finally left and had a good sail for the first 15 miles until wind died and motor sailed and then about half way back an E wind came up making it hard to make our course.
  We did not arrive until an hour after dark to the same bay we anchored in a week ago.  A NE wind which we had going out and is common here would have been nice to come back with but no such luck.

INFO
- Patong Bay  anchored in 22ft at 07 53.426N   98 17.092E see previous post.

-Moved boat to other side of Patong Bay in 37ft  at 07 54.410   98 17.245

-Next bay 6 miles North,  Bang Thao bay, anchored in 29ft at  07 59.352    98 16.842 also at 08 01.504   98 16.970, there is a river you can dinghy up here if tide is up a bit. Nice walking beach.  Okay anchorage, a few jet skis. All anchorages on this coast seem to be a bit rolly as fairly open.  Great beach to walk on.

- Similian Islands  At Koh Miang island took mooring in 105 ft at 08 33.966N   97 38.428E  There is 4 or 5 red mooring balls here.
  Gets very bouncy here at times, almost to the point you want to leave.  It's not bow burying waves, just a constant confused sea and roll and at night had a bit of a S wind come up making it worse. Ball further S might be better.  More to do on this island and beach landing much easier.  Has a cafe to eat out.  Got marginal Internet here, just enough to read a few emails, but not do much else.

- Similian Island 6 miles further North, Koh  Similian took ball in 41ft at 8 39.986   97 38.730  Is 5 or 6 mooring balls here.  Not nearly as bouncy here as previous island but beach landing in bigger surf. We had lunch at cafe here on beach, was good, and cheap. No Internet but phone service good.  Snorkeled lots of places but was just as good right in bay where moored.  Snorkel by pass where tour boats enter bay and then other side of bay just up from moorings along rocks.  Got hit up for a park fee at this island by a parks dinghy that came by,  400b per person and 100 for boat and good for 5 days and he gave us a receipt ticket.