SEE A DIFFERENT SEA ON BOARD RAJA LAUT – THE KING OF THE SEA.

 Some time ago George Carraz, a French yachtsman turned Asian entrepreneur was inspired to recapture the sea going spirit of a bygone era and create a traditional gaff rigged top sail schooner using Belian Iron Wood from the forests of Borneo. Belien Iron Wood is apparently second only to Ebony in the timber density stakes and in fact has negative buoyancy so the finished yacht with 6 centimetre planking on a frame 30 metres long was never going to be the sea going equivalent of a ballet dancer.

After four years of ceaseless toil in the tropical heat and humidity of the Borneo jungle Raja Laut was eventually born and commissioned for charter in 2006. With three double cabins, each about 3 metres square and two twin bedded cabins, Raja Laut can accommodate up to ten people in air conditioned splendour. All cabins have private en-suite facilities. Among other important gadgets such as a water maker the ship has an air compressor with gear for 8 scuba divers and she normally sails with a dive master among the crew. Introductory dives are offered to novices and unlimited diving for PADI ticket holders is included in the charter price.

Following a welcome our Corsican captain Arnaud Le Meunier became the key to the success of our cruise on the Andaman Sea. He proved to be charming, humorous and extremely competent as a yachtsman. The First Mate, (branded as eye candy by the girls in our charter party), 28 year old Frenchman Will, the chef Joey, hostess Kas, deck hand Adam and engineer Andy combined brilliantly with the warm physical environment of Raja Laut to create an authentic and luxurious setting for a week in post Tsunami Thailand.

Meals on board were beautifully served under an awning supported by the foresail boom of the schooner rig. Measuring 10 x 7 meters the awning provided essential protection from the merciless tropical sun at 7 degrees north of the equator. The al fresco dining location above decks also ensured amplification of any breeze so that meals were taken well within the comfort zone. A dining room adjacent to the galley provided a protected venue for meals during bad weather but we had no need for it during our week on board.

My wife Maggie slipped very comfortably into having three meals prepared and served for her each day, her bed made, her cabin cleaned, her towels and linen replaced after three days, her drinks mixed and served and “yes I would like a cup of tea before turning in for the night”, with the response from Will,” for you eez not a problem Madame”. Maggie is also a barefoot person so was very happy when asked, “pleez to put your shooz in ze basket”. There is nothing quite like a teak deck underfoot and there was certainly a lot of that on Raja Laut.

From the Yacht Haven on the northern end of Phuket we sailed into Phang Na Bay, where we picked our way through the dramatic limestone rock formations and the fleets of prawn fisherman in their characteristic Longtail boats. Then southward into the Andaman Sea between Phuket and Langkawi for visits to Rai Lei Beach, Ko Muk, Ko Rok Nok and the Phi Phi Island group before returning to Phuket. We covered 150 miles during our week on board at a comfortable speed under power of 10 knots. The sails were hoisted on two occasions and on the second of those we achieved a maximum speed of just over 6 knots.

The one way trip from Phuket to Langkawi is preferable to the Phi Phi return and available at no extra cost because it facilitates inclusion of the stunning Butang Island group and Tarutau, which are nearer to Langkawi in Malaysia than Phuket.

For the more adventurous but with the same self contained luxury Raja Laut has a licence to cruise the waters of the Mergui Archipelago in Myanmar (Southern Burma) where 800 islands are still to be discovered by other than a few cruising yachtsmen, (and its OK I had never heard of the Mergui Archipelago either). Only sparsely populated by mixed race sea nomads the area offers exceptional diving, fishing and exploration of the 20 or so anchorages that have been gazetted so far. The southern end of the group is only 120 miles from Phuket and the Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea on the way also offer excellent scuba dive locations.

A week on Raja Laut will cost about $4,000 per person including all meals, beer, wine and soft drinks, fuel, local taxes, scuba diving, use of the tender with 60 HP motor and port charges. This will vary of course with the number of people on board.

We flew to Phuket via Bangkok courtesy of Thai Airways who did not put a foot wrong on the four Boeing 777 services we flew on. In Phuket we checked in for Sydney, obviating the need to do the whole security thing in Bangkok.

We also stayed before the cruise in the excellent Indigo Pearl resort, which was re-opened only last October after being seriously damaged in the 2004 Tsunami.

For more information and bookings on Raja Laut ring Mariner Boating Holidays on 02 99661244 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it