WHEN ALL THE CRUISING IS DONE THERE IS RAJA LAUT AND ELIFSU II

You are forgiven absolutely for having no idea what either of these two names mean but both offer truly unique cruising experiences In destinations where you won’t see many cruise ships – Thailand and Turkey.

Raja Laut, 30 metres in length, is a newly built but traditionally designed gaff rigged top sail schooner, which sails the Andaman Sea off the west coast of Thailand in summer and Indonesia during our winter. Raja Laut was built by her French owner George Carraz out of Borneo Iron Wood and with teak decks has a wonderfully solid timber feel under foot.

Elifsu II, also 30 metres in overall length, is also designed along traditional lines and built from timber and like Raja Laut she offers all modern comforts in a 6 cabin configuration, with private ensuite facilities for all cabins.

The great thing about both of these yachts is that their traditional flavour enormously enhances the experience of the place, whether it be Thailand or Turkey. A maximum of twelve passengers on both yachts means the crew/passenger relationship becomes very personal and with up to eight crew on Raja Laut the crew to passenger ratios are not equaled on any cruise ship. In both cases the skipper is the key individual because the planning of each day is done directly with him. On Elifsu II the captain is also the owner so for the time you are on board his yacht you are also his guest of honour.

The other great benefit is flexibility; “hey mister Captain we heard that Symi is worth a visit – we must go there .For you is not a problem” will almost certainly be the reply, notwithstanding the first consideration for the safety of the ship, the crew and the passengers.

There is also flexibility with catering and in particular in Turkey where eating ashore is an essential part of the Turkish experience a meal plan that offers breakfast and one other meal is a possibility. Meals then taken ashore or on the yacht are a function of the location of the yacht. Mind you dining under the stars at anchor in an isolated bay will really take some topping in a restaurant ashore.

In Thailand, where scuba diving is one of the major attractions Raja Laut comes equipped with all the gear and the staff to put 8 divers in the water at one time. And if diving is a key consideration in the holiday experience then an itinerary can be designed around that need. I am reliably informed that the Similan Islands off Phuket and Burma beyond offer some of the best diving in the world.

If both of these yachts take your fancy and you can’t decide between the two, no problem – you can cruise the Mediterranean coast of Turkey on board Elifsu II during our winter and then take a trip on Raja Laut during our summer - dry season in Thailand.

With mainstream tourism very much on the march in both Thailand and Turkey another big attraction of these two yachts is access to places otherwise out of reach and if its real isolation you are looking for and a particular bay is occupied you just move next door. If then you feel like a change and need some action well you simply pick your spot, back into the quay and step ashore – well that’s possible in Turkey. In Thailand you will have to anchor off and be taken ashore in the tender.

And here comes the good part – the price. Cruising in this sort of luxury can carry an outrageous price tag, like 150,000 Australian dollars per week for 6 people on a mega yacht but in the case of Elifsu II and Raja Laut you are looking at a price leading in at less than $3,500 per person per week, all found but varying according to the number of people on board. For this you are accommodated in four star luxury, fed, served and transported without having to pack or unpack a single bag. A week on either vessel will pass all too quickly and at the end you will be conscious only of the totality of the experience and the likelihood is that you will exchange letters with the captain afterwards as if you were life-long friends.

Mariner Boating Holidays in Sydney can book you on either of these very special yachts and further can help with the planning of your cruise by communicating itinerary and dietary preferences to the yacht before embarkation. Mariner can also arrange your international air travel, transfers hotel accommodation and overland extensions should you so require. Contact Mariner in Sydney on 02 99661244 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it