Island Spirit Yacht Charter Koh Chang Base

Our Koh Chang base is at Ao Salak Phet, a quaint little fishing village on the southeast side of the island at the “end of the road.” Our meeting point is at our charter base office in the Salak Phet Seafood & Resort; it is on the east side of the island’s most popular seafood restaurant, so it is easy to find.

We do our area and boat briefings at our office, and you board your yacht at the floating dock on the resort pier, which is just a short 200-meter walk; non-the-less, our staff are there to help you load your gear. There is no beach at Ao Salak Phet; it is a working fishing village, and it doesn’t cater to tourists or offer much in the way of shops beyond small roadside local-style produce stores and street-food type restaurants. If you arrive the night before your charter, staying at Salak Phet Seafood & Resort is perfect, and there’s a good chance we can then get you off the dock in the morning. However, there is no place to buy provisions locally, so it’s best to use our pre-ordering service.

If you plan to arrive and stay on the island before your charter, we suggest you look for accommodation on the west side of Koh Chang. The west side is where all the action is, with a wide variety of hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, and long stretches of white sandy beach; it’s what you see in the brochure!

Things we have:

• Several other resorts in the area
• Yoga, spa & health retreat nearby
• 7-Eleven store
• Thai restaurant
• Waterfalls
• Mangrove walks & kayaking
• Stunning scenery
• Breathtaking sunrises

Things we don’t have

• ATM, Bank or money exchange (bring cash)
• Beach for swimming or snorkeling
• Nightlife or bars (the town sleeps at 8:00 pm)
• Western-style supermarket for provisioning
• Fuel station
• Telephone shop

We do our best to equip your yacht with everything you need to operate it safely and enjoy living aboard. Below is an inventory list of items included with your yacht as standard.

It is not necessarily an exhaustive list. So, for instance, your yachts’ galley is equipped with appropriate cooking utensils; pots, pans, serving trays, cheese graters, tea towels; we’ve tried hard to ensure you are not left wanting. We make up your cabins before you arrive with quality clean linens. Each berth has a personal blanket, bath towel, hand towel and fluffy pillow. If you would like additional linens, no problem, if you know in advance, book and include the fee when you make your booking, or just ask our staff assisting with your boarding. We also provide everything you need to operate your yacht and to deal with minor problems. Things like a spare anchor, toolbox, rope ties, bucket and deck brush, and spare winch handles. Of course, we’re on call to support you if required, but it’s nice to have the option to deal with the little things yourself.

We do not include the following items:

• Beach towels
• Any food or beverage, IE there is no salt, pepper, sugar, spices
• Drinking water
• Fishing gear
• Personal toiletries
• Child safety netting (available for rent)

Childrens life jackets

Comfort is the key to having a child accept wearing a life jacket, and they don’t work if they don’t wear them. If you’re sailing with a child that cannot swim, we strongly suggest that you invest in a quality, fitted life jacket for them and bring it with you. Island Spirit does have a selection of buoyancy vests suitable for some children; please book in advance to ensure availability.

Request additional items

If you want to have onboard items not listed here, please let us know when you make your booking. Most things are available in Thailand, and we’re happy to search it down and have it onboard when you arrive.

Yachts’ standard inventory

Below Deck

• Two hand towels and bath towels per cabin
• Two blankets and two pillows with cases per cabin
• Tea towels
• Clothes pegs
• Cabin fans
• Toilet paper
• Showers
• Refrigeration
• Gas stove
• Galley gear for preparing and serving meals
• 12v outlet
• 1000W 240v inverter
• Flashlight
• Stereo with Bluetooth connectivity

Above Deck

• Deck shower
• Rigid inflatable dinghy
• 6 – 8 HP outboard
• Spare 10L jug of benzene for the dinghy
• Electric windlass anchor winch
• Winch handles
• GPS plotter
• Bucket
• Fenders
• Mooring lines
• Boat Hook
• Swim ladder
• Dinghy anchor

Safety

• Charts
• Cruising guide
• Parallel rule and dividers
• Operations manual
• Buoyancy jackets
• Comprehensive First-Aid Kit
• Depth sounder
• Tide chart for your trip
• Tools & Spares
• Life ring (MOB)
• Fire Extinguishers
• Fire Blanket
• 1 mask & snorkel for prop inspection

Consumables & Gear

• Garbage bags
• Dish detergent
• Dish Sponges
• Counter-top wipes
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic wrap
• Toilet paper & Paper towels
• Cooking Gas

Rental Gear

It’s nice to have some toys out there to explore the smaller nooks and crannies on your journey. A kayak can also add a great deal of independence as it provides a means for people to go ashore without needing the tender.

Island Spirit can organize additional rental equipment for your yacht charter to take your adventure at sea to the next level. Usually, you rent equipment for the entire duration of your charter. Whether you pay for rental gear when you pay for your charter or plan to pay at the base, book the items you want before arriving to ensure availability.

Snorkel equipment

Each yacht already has a full complement of mask and snorkel sets, and there is a selection of fins on the dock for you to choose from, so there is no need to rent this equipment. We also have a selection of children’s sets available in our office.

Kayaks

Two-person kayaks are available to explore the many islands, paddle to the beach, up the streams or drift among your tropical surroundings. Kayaks are a great addition to a charter with larger groups or lots of older children; it gives you a chance to escape for some peaceful exploration or a romantic getaway. Kayaks are stowed on deck (not towed) and come with paddles.

Stand Up Paddle Boards (SUP)

Step off your yacht onto the SUP and glide across the water’s surface. Explore the rivers, travel the coastlines, nooks and crannies or snorkel from your board around the smaller offshore islands and pinnacles. It’s a great way to experience the anchorages and surroundings while getting a little exercise. All our boards are over 350cm long x 80cm wide (11.5’ x31″), making it easy for beginners and children to learn quickly yet small enough for the experienced rider to enjoy. SUP rentals come with an adjustable paddle and leash.

Scuba Diving

We do not allow dive gear on the yachts due to the damage caused by dive tanks. However, talk with the Charter Coordinator to help organize diving trips with local dive operators. You must carry a PADI or equivalent certification to be able to dive on organized trips. BB Divers is the most popular dive company in the archipelago and has bases on the larger islands. Link to BB Divers: https://www.bbdivers-koh-chang.com

Provisioning for your yacht charter on Koh Chang

A word from the base manager, “most people over-provision!” Koh Chang remains a favorite destination for discerning Thai tourists, so you’ll find the Thai food is authentic and of excellent quality. It’s relatively economical to eat onshore and, with no preparation or cleaning up, you’ll have more time to enjoy your holiday.

Nonetheless, stocking your boat with food and beverage is crucial; it allows you flexibility and freedom to move around at your own pace.

How much do things cost?

Prices vary from restaurant to restaurant, but here’s a rough guide. Most wine-by-the-glass is box-wine and costs 120 baht to 300 baht (USD $4 to $9), depending on the style of the resort or bar you’re at. A bottle of wine costs about 800 baht (around USD $23) in a supermarket and at least twice that in a restaurant.

A small bottle of beer costs about 45 baht (just over USD $1) in a supermarket and from 70 baht up to 150 baht (USD $2 to $4.50) in a restaurant. Good quality Thai food can cost as little as 80 baht (USD $2.30) per person in a local street-side or beachside restaurant, where a meal in a resort can cost anything from 800 baht (USD $23) per person and more.

Tips for planning your menu

When planning your provisioning, consider that Thailand has a warm and humid climate, boat galleys have limited space, refrigerators are small, and storage lockers are few, so you need to optimize what you take and how you use it. Design a menu that shares many of the same base ingredients but delivers very different tasting meals.

That way, you minimize the number of items you take on board. Keep the menu simple, so you don’t spend your holiday time in the galley trying to make magic happen. Here’s a few tips:

Don’t take too much fresh or cold food as your refrigerator space will be limited, and food left out will spoil in the tropical heat; salad doesn’t last long.

Buy veggies that don’t require refrigeration, carrots, cucumber, potato, onion etc.

Provision for all breakfasts and just one or two dinners aboard. Then have an array of cheese, cold cuts, nibbles and snacks along with fruit that does not require refrigeration, like apples.

Often, the shops on the outer islands do not have a lot of stock.
Get all the western delights before your charter because they are difficult to find once you leave Koh Chang.

Don’t buy ingredients to make Thai food; it’s much easier and more economical to buy it onshore.

Provisioning

It is essential to provision before you arrive at our charter base at Salak Phet. It is impossible to do any significant provisioning beyond basic beverages.

By taxi

If you are arriving by taxi and plan to do provisioning on the way, you’ll need to consider the available space you have, taking into account luggage. If you are a large group, split the group and book an additional taxi to take your crew provisioning and have the main taxi drive the Skipper and First Mate directly to the base with the luggage.

From Trat

If you are coming by taxi from Trat, go to the island’s west side first to get your provisions, then come back around to the east side to our base. Most things are available, but you may need to visit several shops (download our provisioning guide).

From Bangkok or Pattaya

If you are arriving by taxi from Bangkok or Pattaya, there are many shopping options along the way, but the provincial supermarkets do not stock many Western products. If possible, provision before you leave the city or do your provisioning on the island.

Important note about purchasing Alcohol

Thailand restricts the sale of alcoholic beverages; you can purchase between 11am and 2pm or after 5pm to midnight. You can usually buy it all day in the smaller local shops.

What’s onboard

Island Spirit Yacht Charter will provide all guests with:

• 10kgs of drinking ice
• Kitchen cleaner
• Dish soap
• Dish scouring pad
• Paper towels
• Gas Lighter
• Garbage bags
• Toilet paper
• First aid kit

Things not to do or buy:

• Turn up with loose items because you didn’t purchase carry bags.
• Purchase the following as we do not allow these items on the boat:
• Double strength, super-dooper toilet paper
• Steel or coarse scouring pads
• Cif or any other cleaner
• Bleach or toilet cleaner

Things to do or buy:

• Purchase carry-bags to transport your produce
• Minimize the use of cardboard boxes; they will not be permitted onboard after loading

The Island Spirit Yacht Charter Base in Koh Chang is open during the northeast monsoon season from October and closes in May. The best sailing conditions occur during the northeast monsoon because all of the best beaches, reefs and resorts are on the west and south side of the islands.

While the islands offer protection from the northerly winds, you’re free to explore this stunningly beautiful archipelago and anchor in any of the many tranquil bays. Koh Chang’s driest months are November to March, but it may rain a little during those times, keeping the waterfalls flowing and the tropical landscape green and lush. On average, the warmest month is April and the coolest/driest month is January.

Mid October through December

At the onset of the northeast monsoon, the winds are strongest, so we get some of our best sailing conditions in this period. Wind strength can range from 15 to 25 knots steadily throughout the day and night. These are Thailand’s winter months; temperatures in the evening can get as low as 18°C/64°F and in the daytime 27°C/80°F. There is a chance of scattered thunderstorms in October, but by mid-November, there is very little chance of rain.

January to March

This is the best time of year for a family holiday; there is very little chance of rain, just big blue skies, warm tropical weather and some wind to go sailing on. Not so windy that your crew will be hanging on white-knuckled to the rail, but adequate to allow you to sit back and indulge in the art of sailing.

Temperatures rise through January and, by March, we’re back to a balmy 32°C/90°F in the day, and as the monsoon dwindles, winds becoming less predictable and range from 10 to 15knots. There are very few days where there is no wind for sailing, and in the latter part of the season, we often get a westerly sea breeze providing a beam reach the entire length of the archipelago.

April and May

The monsoon transitions from north to south and daytime weather conditions become less predictable; most sailing is on sea breezes that come through in the afternoon.

There is very little wind in the evening, providing new anchorages to explore that would otherwise be untenable in the northeast winds.

Call 191 = Emergency Services all of Thailand

Emergency Contacts

International Clinic Koh Chang

located on the westside of Koh Chang

Tel: 039 551 554

Koh Chang Hospital

located on the east  side of Ko Chang

Tel: 039 586 131

Island Spirit Yacht Charter:

Base Manager (24 hr): 093 131 0844

Email: charter@groupislandspirit.com

Police Emergency Call

Tel: 191 or 039 586 191