Exploring inside Phuket Peninsula

After a day at Bang Tao bay we moved back to Patong bay for New Years.  There is now 50 yachts here when least week there was 4.   There was fireworks going off all night here for New Years.  We got up just before midnight to watch the big show.  About 11:45pm  The fireworks started to go continuously.  There was big and small ones going off all along the 2 miles long beach.   The big professional type ones were going off at 3 or 4 different spots on the beach,  There was no artistry to the displays they just seemed to want to burn gunpowder as fast as they could.  It was fascinating to watch.

After a couple days here we moved back down to Nai Harne bay for a night and  the next morning left for an island about 10 miles to the South called Ko Racha Yai.  We had a great sail all the way in 18 knots NE wind.  This place reminds us of the craziness of Phi Phi Don but on a much smaller scale. Tour boats coming and going, busy beach and lots of people in the water.  It is a beautiful spot though.  We got to like it more as we discovered all the walking trails around the island.
    After 2 nights here we sailed back to Chalong bay to get more water and fresh veggies.  The sail back was good but hard on the wind, we could barely make our course.  We buy water for 20b at the yacht club.
After a couple days at Chalong we made our way up the inside of Phuket Peninsula.  After you get up a few miles the scenery gets very dramatic with many small cliffy islands and stacks of rock and many caves and Hongs which are hidden valleys inside the cliffs which you enter through a cave, cool.  The waters are generally very shallow and you are in 15 to 30 feet alot of the time
   We did a fast visit to so-called James Bond Island where they made the movie Man with The Golden Gun.  It's worth a quick look and then never again as this tiny rock gets visited by thousands of people every day.  Tour boats jostling for position on the small beach can make for a tricky dinghy landing.

     The next interesting place we visited is Koh Pan Yi Village on stilts.  The whole village consisting of hundreds of dwellings all supported above the water on pilings. The residents unfortunately now totally live off the tourist trade as all walkways are lined with tourist stalls.  We did a quick visit in the morning and were gone before the crowds arrived.
Then it was off to Ao Nang beach which gives easy bus access to Krabi where we will spend a few days.

INFO
 Ko Racha Yai Island about 10 miles South of Phuket Peninsula.  We took a mooring ball here in 48ft at  07 36.510S   98 21.816E.  There is 7 or 8 red mooring balls here in the bay. Chartplotter if off a bit as usual close to shore.  There is a number of resorts with guests here and cafe's. Internet works here.   Hours worth of walking on small jeep roads on this small island with a few small hills.  The snorkeling was not as good as most of the other islands we have been to.  Just off the beach is a pay shower for 20 baht, which we used, was very nice, you had your own private stall.


-Jan 7 left Chalong bay for an anchorage about 10 miles up the inside at Koh Rang Yai island. Anchored in 35ft at 07 57.046N   98 26.821E Nice spot and good beach and a good trail around the island you can walk.  Has Restaurant and internet works here. May not be that good here in any strong wind as swell comes around island.

-Next stop going North is about 8 miles up at Koh NakaYai anchored in 20ft at 08 03.383N   98 26.489E.  Dinghed over to mainland and left dinghy on beach to S of huge jetty (dont do this near low tide, big mud flats) Second trip ashore left dingy part way down on N side of jetty on small extension with ladders going up, tied to ladder and climbed, abit athletic at low tide as big step to first rung.  A number of shops on shore including some veggies. Good protected anchorage in strong NE wind we had that night. Got a good long walk in here and walked to Ao Po marina for a look.

-Next stop and other 7 or 8 miles up to North to Koh pham Ak.  Anchored in 22ft at 08 11.330N   98 29.202E on West side of island.  Lots of caves here and huge hanging icicles of rock also a good Hong you can enter.  Same day moved on to Koh Hong and anchored in 22ft at  08 13.035N   98 30.054E is 3 miles further.  Dinghed into another hong here, more caves and huge cliffs.  We have been trying to ride the flood tides North and the winds have always been on the nose, looking forward to sailing back.

-Next morning did the 3 miles up to Koh daeng Yai and anchored on its East side in 20ft at 08 16.611   98 29.022.  Did the longish dinghy ride over to James Bond island to check it out, tiny shops here. Got hit up for 200 baht each park fee immediately upon landing and given a receipt. Best to get here earlier before the hundreds of tour boats.

   Later in day moved boat the 7 miles up to Koh Pan Yi the Village on Stilts. and anchored in 26ft at 08 20.054N  98 30.345E. Need to be a bit careful coming up here for sand banks.Saw 2 sticks in mud as we neared town, not sure which side to go, looks like left side was correct. Included some way points here
From South A 08 15.135N   98 30.945E    B 08 16.288   98 31.587     C 08 18.098   98 31.169    D 08 18.598   98 30.912        E 08 18.998   98 30.763    F by sticks 08 19.488   98 30.551  G to anchorage wp above.
If coming from James Bond Island we made a false start and then chickened out  and went further South to cross over to above route.  Here is route we used and depths got to 14 feet near low tide. Depths everywhere almost are between 15ft and 30feet.  Started from West side  cross here to get to stilt village route.  A 08 14.296 98 29.575   B 08 14.339   98 29.939
C 08 14.453   98 30.197    D 08 14.547   98 30.540.
   We left dinghy at back of one of the small docks about half way up.  If you use the Restaurant docks, it is hard to find out how to get out of restaurant.   There is 100's of meters of walkways to walk in a big maze.  And they are almost all lined with tourist stalls selling the usual stuff and a couple of small grocery stores.
      To cross shallows to get to East side of Phuket inlet after leaving stilt village and goto Krabi. These Waypoints got us across with min 17ft under keel near high tide..  A 08 16.222   98 31.752     B 08 14.868   98 32.688    C 08 14.586   98 34.466
-Half way between Stilt village and Krabi stopped at Koh Pak Bia Island. Anchored in 46ft at 08 06.913N  98 40.595E.  This is just over from the Sail Thailand book suggested spot.  Theirs was too close to the rocks for us, to get good anchoring depth.
Rode out huge squall  here no problem.
-Ao Nang beach Krabi  anchored in 26ft at 08 01.475N    98 49.050E.  Put dinghy up on sand beach and bused into Krabi. Can catch bus along water front street and says Krabi on doors of pickup truck buses. 50B. Also bused to Big C store. Tons of tourist shops hear and tourists as usual.