Those interested in cruising the azure waters of the breath-taking Thailand yacht charter destination – the Andaman Sea will find fabulous islands with miles of seclusion. These offer drift diving over coral gardens, soft sandy beaches and pure blue waters, a water temperature of 28º, cool nights, as well as good sailing winds.
Andamans Havelock Island
A paradise of anchorage options awaits and skippers will find Thailand’s Phuket an excellent departure to cruise the 400 NM to Port Blair in the Bay of Bengal. You can fly or sail down from either Phuket or Langkawi, Malaysia to the entry port of Port Blair located at 11º40.3’North x 92º44.2′ East.
Port Blair is the capital of this union territory and well connected to mainland India with Kolkata in the East of India and Chennai in the south of India serving as primary gateways.
A major challenge when visiting a new wilderness destination is knowing where to go, where to anchor and what to see along with trying to figure out the time-consuming checking in and checking out procedures of a new destination. R. Rathnam operates the leading professional yacht handling & facilitation agency, Asia Pacific Superyachts Andamans, and can assist with all of this while arranging for an Itinerary specifically designed to the Captain’s interests and requests.
Andamans Barren Island Live Volcano
Visitors to the Andamans are allowed a 30 day Visa, though Mr. Rathnam notes he can advise on longer stays. He and his team can provide the expert assistance needed through a vessel’s arrival and departure as clearance procedures at Port Blair can be a lengthy experience requiring lots of paperwork. Customs, Immigration, Coast Guard, Harbour Master and the Forestry Department all require written requests before providing formal written approvals. Arrival and departure procedures for these needs and for visas, health and security can be professionally and efficiently handled with you by your agent.
Port Blair is steeped in British tradition and holds many delights for visitors while numerous procedures and paperwork are completed with the guidance of an experienced agent. It may take up to a couple of days to clear in, including arranging with the Harbour Master to take on water at the commercial dock and to ensure all paperwork is completed and provisioning has been done. In fact, Asia Pacific Superyachts Andamans can bring provisions right to your yacht from their new provisioning facility at Port Blair.
Andamans Port Blair
Your agent can also plan and submit the detailed itineraries which will require twice daily radio check-ins to ensure the authorities know where the vessel is at all times. While guide books provide some indication for an itinerary, they invariably omit some of the best spots. A good agent will tailor an itinerary drawing on extensive knowledge and include advice of navigational hazards along with options for quality accommodation, vehicle hire, air travel and helicopter.
Reporting on the following islands, Mr. Rathnam shares a few favored skippers’ anchorages below with location.
Andaman - Cellular Jail at Port Blair
Rutland Island, latitude 11º 25.7′ North, longitude 92º36.8′ East
Discover fresh turtle tracks on the beach during egg laying season. Make day sails from the island anchorage to isolated reefs and swim with schools of large double headed parrot fish, moray eels and view crayfish hiding in rocks amongst millions of beautiful reef fish.
Havelock Island, beach #7, latitude 11º58N, longitude 92º57E
Ashore is a great Italian restaurant and tourism here is low key, back-packer based and easy on the pocket. The local market town is a delightful experience where you can select some ginger spiced samosas while enjoying a glass of chai, then stocking up on freshly picked produce at local market gardens. The beach often has great waves, just perfect for boogie boarding and body surfing followed by late afternoon fishing. However note that arriving by dinghy on this beach can often be challenging.
Inglis Island, latitude 12º 08n, longitude 93º 06E
You can anchor in a stunning passage between two islands and inspect the reef by dinghy. While trawling you might catch a polka dot cod amongst the underwater delights. And watch out for a crocodile!
An Andaman Islands itinerary, including the above (but not including Nicobar Islands) might consist of any of the following islands: Long Island, Inglis Island, Rutland Island, Ross Island, Tarmugli Island, Inglis Island, Cinque Islands, North Sentinel Island, Neill Island, Kyd Island, Havelock Island, John Lawrence Island, Henry Lawrence Island, Outram Island, North Passage Island and Barren Island.
The Barren Island volcano, the only confirmed active volcano in South Asia (most recent eruption was 2 May 2006), could be at least 1.8 million years old according to a group of scientists at Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory and the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay.
The Andamans climate and weather may be described as normal for tropical islands of similar latitude. It is always warm but tempered by pleasant sea breezes and can be very hot when the sun is northing. The rainfall is irregular but usually dry during the north-east, and very wet during the south-west monsoon.
