Southeast Asia – The winds they are a changing

The predominant weather pattern in Southeast Asia is the monsoon winds. Broadly speaking, the winds are southwesterlies from May to October, and northeasterlies from November to April. This leads to different ‘high seasons’ for sailing in different countries in the region, and some yachts moving destinations to follow the high seasons.

Two of our favourite yachts have just finished their charter season in Phuket and Myanmar, and are heading southeast to more almost unexplored sailing areas in Borneo, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Stunning scenery in Indonesia, best explored by yacht!

Sailing yacht ASIA is currently heading to the Komodo National Park of Indonesia, and will be available there from mid-July, then heading further east to Raja Ampat for October and November.

Phinisi RAJA is available initially in Borneo and Palawan, before heading east to Komodo and Raja Ampat. If you want exploration sailing and diving in the most biodiverse waters on earth, Raja Ampat is the place to go.

You can read a little about the climates in Thailand and Indonesia on these pages:

https://www.boatbookings.com/yachting_content/thailand_phuket_pattaya_yacht_charter.php

https://www.boatbookings.com/yachting_content/indonesia_bali_java_yacht_charter.php

To speak with our Southeast Asia expert, Kevin, get in touch today and start planning your dream yachting vacation!

Posted on July 16, 2014 by admin — No Comments ↓

Sailing Regattas in Phuket this July!

It’s time for another update from Boatbookings.com South East Asia expert Kevin who is looking forward to the July sailing regattas in Phuket, read on to find out more!

Proving that Phuket really is an all year round sailing destination, there are two racing events going on in Phuket this July.

Firstly, there is the Multihull Solutions Multihull Regatta from the 10th to 13th July, held at the Ao Chalong Yacht Club in Phuket. Over 20 catamarans and trimarans are already confirmed entrants. Kevin has been a regular visitor to some of the Phuket sailing regattas over the recent years and says that they are always “serious sailing by day, but great social fun in the bar afterwards!”.

The fantastic Multihull Regatta is followed by the Phuket Raceweek from the 16th to 21st July, with over 40 yachts entered in different categories this year’s racing is set to be spectacular! This regatta is based out of the Cape Panwa Hotel on the southeast coast of Phuket.

One of Kevin’s favourite small crewed catamaran charter yachts will be competing in Phuket Race Week, he’ll be watching how she gets on with interest….good luck little Cabriolet!

To charter a yacht in Phuket, or anywhere else in South East Asia get in touch with Kevin and start planning your dream sailing vacation.

Posted on July 9, 2014 by admin — No Comments ↓

Thailand remains one of our top charter destinations. Find out why from our regional expert Kevin

Boatbookings.com expert in South East Asia, Kevin has given us an update on the situation in Thailand, read on to find out why Thailand is still a safe and breathtaking charter destination.

Kevin has lived in South East Asia for 12 years now, and has visited Thailand countless times over the years. Thailand is the country that he never tires of visiting. In particular the great scenery and food, happy, smiling people, nice beaches, good water sports are what makes it a special place. It really does have everything as a holiday destination, both sailing and non-sailing according to Kevin.

In light of recent events Kevin has spoken to many personal friends and Boatbookings suppliers and yacht owners over the last couple of weeks, to try to get a sense of what might happen going forward. Many of those people have lived in Thailand for many years, and have lived there through previous periods of instability.

Kevin points out that a coup or martial law in Thailand, is not the same as it would be in many other countries. It is more like a change of government, and most prople just get on with their daily lives. He notes that you can see a few soldiers on the streets of Bangkok, but in the tourist destinations you would not know anything out of the ordinary was going on.

From a tourist’s perspective, here are a few comments Kevin has received:

Tourism is rarely affected by these types of events. The exception to that was the airport closure in 2010, and no-one believes that will be allowed to happen again.

Government advisory announcements are always excessive. They have to be. Most government advisory notices over the last 6 months have said “don’t go to the protest sites”, rather than, “don’t go to Thailand”.

Airports, taxis, hotels, shopping malls, and tourism related services are all operating as normal.

The overnight curfew that was announced 2 weeks ago has been lifted in all sailing destinations, including Phuket, Koh Chang and Pattaya.

Yacht charter guests arriving as normal and sailing as normal.

In short, come and enjoy Thailand and enquire today!

For further reading:

You can see regular updates from the Tourism Authority of Thailand on their website:

https://www.tatnews.org

An open letter written by highly respected US born entrepreneur in Thailand:

https://phuketwan.com/tourism/open-letter-coup-nobody-wanted-thailand-needed-20444/

Posted on June 11, 2014 by admin — No Comments ↓

Blockbusting Boats! The Best Yachts from Hollywood Films

Yachting has long been considered the pinnacle of decadence, luxury and wealth and Hollywood directors’ perception is no different. Only the most indulgent of characters, be they evil villains, Russian billionaires or eccentric stock brokers are shown on yachts in Hollywood blockbusters. As such, and befitting such characters, some of the world’s most striking and exclusive yachts have featured in cinemas in recent times.

Nobody does cool quite like James Bond. He always drives the coolest cars with the most beautiful women. It is no surprise therefore that he is regularly seen aboard the most stunning of yachts. It is no surprise therefore that Sunseeker has become as much a part of the James Bond series as Aston Martin and the Vodka Martini, shaken not stirred.

With Daniel Craig as the star, outrageous gadgets and obscene vehicles have been replaced with simple and refined luxury. The villain of Casino Royale, Le Chiffre is introduced to us aboard a stunning Predator 108 while in the Quantum of Solace, General Medrano cruises across the Caribbean Sea aboard a Sunseeker Superhawk 43, a classic example of a chic and elegant Sunseeker.

In Skyfall, Daniel Craig and Berenice Marlohe are seen aboard the beautiful sailing yacht REGINA. This classic sailing yacht, however is not restricted to Hollywood and is available for charter in Turkey.

In Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla, Russian billionaire Uri Omovich claims that, “There are only 2 days when you enjoy a boat. The day you buy it, and the day you sell it.” The Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort may well disagree. Leonardo di Caprio and co are featured partying hard and living the rock ‘n roll lifestyle aboard his beautiful 44.8m super yacht, LADY M (Naomi as she’s called in the film).

White Knight, a classic displacement yacht, is a fine example of timeless luxury. Refitted in 2010, 8 years after Matt Damon was shot on her off the coast of Marseille in The Bourne Identity, she is a stunning yacht with a superb fly deck, complete with jacuzzi.

With the Cannes Film Festival starting next week, and the summer just around the corner, now is the time to charter a yacht and live like a film star. For any enquiries, please contact the Boatbookings team.

Posted on May 7, 2014 by admin — No Comments ↓

Best in Show at Asia’s Finest Yacht Shows

Asia is quietly becoming one of the most sought after destinations for yachting enthusiasts. This is reflected in the ever increasing number of boat shows which will be taking place in the Far East this year. 1,000’s of yachts from the best boat makers will be on show throughout the continent at the Shanghai International Boat Show, the Hainan Boat Show in Sanya and the very first Taiwan Yacht Show amongst others.

The most established of these is in Singapore and the much awaited 2014 Singapore Yacht Show finally gets under way tomorrow. Singapore is a country where doing things by half don’t really seem to be an option. Hundreds travel far and wide for the Singapore Grand Prix which is consistently a highlight on the F1 calendar. This is far from being Singapore’s only attraction however and while Lewis Hamilton and the finest drivers in the world are off strutting their stuff elsewhere, the Singapore Yacht Show promises to be an event of special magnificence.

Some of the world’s largest and most spectacular yachts will be on show and few are more impressive than CLOUD 9. 69m of the most supreme luxury, she is one of the finest example of what there is on offer at the pinnacle of the Super Yachting industry.

Boasting an impressive 500 square metres of living space over 5 decks, her volume of indulgent luxury is quite overwhelming. It is hard to pick individual highlights but the bridge deck is breath-taking. The salon on this level converts into a magnificent home cinema and large circular doors at the stern open to allow you to enjoy stunning panoramic views while enjoying a dining experience like no other.

The sundeck is also particularly impressive. Up on the top deck, featuring a wet bar, a further dining area, a jacuzzi and a huge sun bed, lazy afternoons will melt away while you enjoy the sunshine in wonderful splendour.

Away from CLOUD 9, visitors will be flocking around ROYAL ALBATROS. This, the largest charter yacht in Singapore is a majestic example of a traditional sailing yacht.

Reminiscent of some of the stunning ships seen in The Pirates of the Caribbean, ROYAL ALBATROS is truly unique. A traditional square rig hoists 22 sails which makes her look just amazing. Rest assured, however that you will not be sleeping in hammocks and battling scurvy on board as per the pirates of old. Air conditioned throughout, she is luxuriously comfortable and with 2 bars, a stunning grand salon and state of the art lighting and audio-visual technology, she possesses all that you need for an unforgettable charter.

Posted on April 9, 2014 by admin — No Comments ↓