Racha islands! Our perfect island getaway!
Who doesn’t love exploring islands with a sail boat?
Phuket is beautiful, but it does get a little too hectic sometimes. After launching the boat back into the water we couldn’t wait to get out of the marina for a few days. We needed a few hassle free, tourist free and city free days!
Weather was looking good, destination was confirmed, boat was ready, coconuts were loaded and sails were up.
Ko Racha (or Raya) Yai and Ko Racha (or Raya) Noi are 2 beautiful islands about 7 miles southeast of Phuket. They are known for their crystal clear waters, good dive sites and white sandy beaches- like most islands around Phuket!
But what made these 2 islands so extremely special for us was the crowd factor. Although they are only a few kilometers away from Phuket, we had most of the days to our self’s.
Racha Yai is becoming very popular and is expanding quickly. The island offers accommodation, restaurants and even some local shops. Boats run daily from Phuket to both islands for an all inclusive day tour for snorkelers and divers. Racha Yai – the bigger island of the two – is extremely busy compared to Racha Noi. Expect speedboats entering the bay every half an hour! Racha Noi is a different! We only had 2 boats mooring for the time we spend there. After a good few hours of snorkeling and diving the boats left and we had the whole bay for ourselves again!
Don’t expect to find any facilities at Racha Noi! It’s uninhabited!
01 | Crowd Factor
02 | Day Sail Away
03 | Anchorages and Moorings
There are a few moorings on both islands. But don’t rely too much on them. We ended up dragging on one!
04 | Snorkeling
05 | Fishing and Spear Fishing
06 | Relaxation
07 | Coconut Time
08 | Fish for Dinner
09 | Sandy Toes
10 | Stand Up Paddle Board
Log Book Entries
Departure: Boat Lagoon Marina, 02 August 2015 at 11:30
Depth: 3.2m High Tide at 13:15
Arrival: Racha Yai, 02 August 2015 at 15:50
Total miles: 25nm
Time underway: 4hrs 20minutes
Average Wind: 8kts
Departure: Racha Yai, 03 August 2015 at 07:30
Arrival: Racha Noi, 03 August 2015 at 08:15
Total miles: 8nm
Time underway: 45 minutes
Amazing anchorage at 6m depth, with an insanely beautiful beach and crystal clear water. Ready to spend the day in salt water. 07°29.954’N 098°19.510’E
How to get to the Racha Islands:
Feel like checking out the islands by going on an all inclusive boat tour? Hop onto a speedboat, dive boat or Long-tail boat from the Chalong Pier or Rawai. Or book directly online here. How about exploring both islands on a luxury yacht? Make your booking here.
Meet Sandrose, our 39ft Sailing Yacht. We also sailed from Phuket to Langkawi and will be posting about our sail and surf adventures in Indonesia soon.
Yes, you can surf in Phuket! Don’t expect the barrel of your life but do expect some fun and mellow waves!
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Ever been sailing in Thailand? We’d love to hear what your adventure was like! Feel free to comment below.
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