Illustrative photograph
Guide
Cruising grounds and weather
Northeast monsoon against southwest monsoon, month by month, and where the fleet still sails between May and October instead of sitting out the season.
Northeast against southwest monsoon, and what each one closes
Start hereWhen is the best time to charter a yacht in Phuket?
The northeast monsoon runs from November to April and is the only practical charter season on the Andaman coast: dry, 10 to 15 knots, flat seas and 28 to 32 degrees, with December to February as the settled core. The southwest monsoon runs from May to October, bringing swell onto the whole west coast of Phuket and closing the Similan, Surin and Lanta national parks by order from mid-May to mid-October. Charter is still possible in the green season, but only in Phang Nga Bay, which sits in the wind shadow of Phuket itself.
Month by month in the Andaman Sea
Start hereWhat is the weather like for sailing in Phuket in each month?
November through April is the charter season, with December to February settled and dry at 28 to 32 degrees and 10 to 15 knots. April is the hottest month at over 33 degrees. May to October is the southwest monsoon, and the Similan, Surin and Lanta parks are closed by order from mid-May to mid-October. September is the wettest month on Phuket. Phang Nga Bay is the only ground that stays workable through most of the green season, because it lies in the lee of the island.
Where the fleet goes between May and October
What happens to the Phuket charter fleet in the low season?
The visiting foreign-flagged fleet mostly leaves in April, heading for Langkawi, Indonesia or back towards the Mediterranean. Much of the Thai-flagged fleet stays and goes into refit at Boat Lagoon, which is why the yard is busiest in the monsoon. A smaller group keeps chartering through the green season on east-coast itineraries in the lee of Phuket, at reduced rates. If you are chartering between May and October you are almost always booking from that third group, and the choice is narrower but the anchorages are empty.
Andaman Sea or Gulf of Thailand
Should I charter on the Andaman coast or in the Gulf of Thailand?
The Andaman coast around Phuket has the limestone, the clear water and the national parks, and its season runs November to April. The Gulf of Thailand around Koh Samui runs the opposite cycle, roughly January to September, with its wet season in November and December. If your dates fall between May and October and you want more than Phang Nga Bay, the Gulf is the better answer. If you want the scenery this region is famous for, it is on the Andaman side and you take its season.
National park closures and what they take off the map
Which Thai marine parks close, and when?
Mu Ko Similan and Mu Ko Surin close from 16 May to 14 October each year. Mu Ko Lanta, which covers Koh Haa and Koh Rok, closes over roughly the same window. Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh closes separately from 1 August to 30 September. Ao Phang Nga and Mu Ko Hong in Krabi stay open all year. Closures are ordered by the Department of National Parks for reef recovery and monsoon safety, and the dates can be extended, so they are confirmed each season rather than assumed.
The other clusters
Chartering for the first time
What the booking actually involves, how many days a route needs and how big the yacht has to be for the group you are bringing.
Money and the contract
The base rate is about two thirds of the bill. APA, VAT, park fees, gratuity and the four clauses in a MYBA contract that decide who pays when something goes wrong.
Law and safety
A foreign-flagged yacht needs a Thai charter licence, and chartering without one puts the yacht and the guests at risk. Also: which sailing certificates Thailand accepts for bareboat.
Life on board
Who the crew are, what the preference sheet decides, what the toys are and how diving works off a charter yacht.
Choosing the yacht
Catamaran against monohull in the Andaman Sea, motor against sail with the fuel bill included, and what a gulet is for.
Weddings, incentives and New Year
The charters that have a date attached, and what the date does to availability, minimum length and price.
Every article in the guide opens with the complete answer in three to five sentences. If that paragraph settles the question, stop reading. The rest is there for when it does not.