Boat International – April 2018

April 2018 | http://www.boatinternational.com

CEOofInfiniteLuxuryandhostoftheannualKata

Rocks Superyacht Rendezvous. Pope’s mantra is to

encourage superyachts to “turn left” instead of heading

to the Caribbean for the winter season. The plan

seemstobeworkingwithanincreasedfleetattending

this year’s rendezvous, including 68 metre Feadship

Lady Christine,50.9metreNorthern Sunand52metre

phinisi schoonerZen.

AtPope’sultramodernKataRocksResortweare

treated to a three-day showcase of what Phuket has to

ofer.Combiningamixtureofrelaxedcruising,yacht

hopsandtwofabulousparties–withfireworkdisplays

lighting up the bay, gold painted waiters brandishing

bottlesofchampagneandDJsplayingonastagein

the infinity pool – it demonstrates both sides of life on

ofer in Phuket.

“Whatwereallyneedtodois

build this event and build Asia,”

Pope says. “It is very much about

securingcharters.Whatthisevent

does is give yachts exposure to

hopefully get some charters. If they

believetheyaregoingtogetcharterstheyaremorelikelytocomethisway.”

Oneofthebiggestdrawsforpotentialcharterguestsisthebeautifulcruising

areassurrounding Phuket,includingtheSimilanIslands,PhiPhi islandsand

PhangNgaBay.Whilethearmadaoftouristboatscanseemof-putting,for

thoseintheknowtherearestillplentyofspotsofsolitudetobediscovered.

“Whenyouareonaboatyoucanavoidtheso-calledtouristdestinationsbut

youneedacaptainwithlocalknowledge,”saysSol.“Thefurtheryougetaway

fromPhuket,themorepeaceandquietyouget.Ihavejustheardfromthe

captain ofLady Azul,whoiswithguestsinKoLipe.Thereisnoonethereand

theyarelovingit.”

OneofthemostserenehideawayscanbefoundclosertoPhuketthanyoumightexpect.Six

Senses Yao Noi on Yao Noi island is only 16 nautical miles from Phuket’s AoPo Grand Marina, but

DETAILS

SIX SENSES

RatesatSixSensesYaoNoistartfrom$595per

nightinaHideawayPoolVilla,sixsenses.com

KATA ROCKS SUPERYACHT RENDEZVOUS

The invitation-only Kata Rocks Superyacht

Rendezvous will run from 7-9 December 2018,

katarockssuperyachtrendezvous.com

The Similan Islands, north-

west of Phuket, are perfect

for diving and exploring

Voyage

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES; ROBERT HARDING