Boat International – September 2019

PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES; BURGESS; ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

I

cling to the steep limestone wall 40 metres

above the water, my toes perched on a

narrow rock shelf. In some places the

stone is as smooth as glass – polished by

the weather and climbers’ shoes – in others it is

craggy and sharp. There is a small strip of sand

below, the tapering end of Railay Beach, from

where my rock-climbing guide watches my

ascent. He urges me to stop and enjoy the view

before I abseil back down. I turn my back to the

rock gingerly. From this lofty vantage point

I have a commanding panorama of the serene

horseshoe-shaped bay

ringed by mangroves.

Though technically

a peninsula, Railay

feels more like an island because it is accessible

only by boat. Its three beaches are cut off from

mainland Thailand by dense jungle and these

steep limestone cliffs beloved of climbers.

Out of sight on the other side of the rock wall,

68.5-metre Amels Lady E is moored off Railay

Bay West. She has been my home for the past

few days, ferrying me between high-adrenaline

VOYAGE

The 68.5m Amels

Lady E was enjoying

her first season cruising

the Andaman Sea,

and her captain put

together an itinerary

to make the most of

its natural attractions

I

activities in the

Andaman Sea. It’s her

and her skipper’s first

season cruising this

region, but Captain Charles DuGas-Standish

has already created an intriguing itinerary that

makes the most of Thailand’s credentials as a

natural adventure playground. During a week’s

island-hopping you can scuba dive, rock climb,

hike forested mountains, swim through caves to

find hidden beaches and even visit a movie

set or two. This plethora of varied activities

During a week’s

island-hopping you

can scuba dive, rock

climb, hike forested

mountains, swim

through caves to

hidden beaches and

even visit a movie set

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