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High-end travellers go island hopping 
High-end travellers go island hopping
Sailing boat cruises, right
out of the pages of a yachting magazine, are up for grabs in Phuket
starting this month.
Based in Phuket, the hybrid sailing craft,
SY Diva Andaman, started its first Andaman Sea cruises this month after
leaving the dry dock in Bangkok, last July, for a final fitting in
Phuket.
The boat is owned by Diva Group of Companies made up of
Diva Marine Company and Diva Diving Company, and established in 2008 by
14 "friends who shared a love for the sea, sailing boats and diving".
No.4
InsideOne of the shareholders, a Thai businessman and the group’s
executive director, Chakkrit Bhamornsatit, estimated the boat cost Bt20
million to build.
"This is the first sail boat in Thailand that
can really be sailed most of the time due to the use of a hybrid system.
Built by Suthorn Group, a Thai company that specialises in fishing
boats, we took on board a Thai national sailing team coach as an advisor
for the design and construction phase," he said.
Based on a
wooden hull, the vessel is powered by sails made from Dacron textile
imported from the Netherlands and noted for strength and lightness.
The
vessel is rigged in a traditional schooner fashion with some
adaptations based on the rigging of a Chinese junk. It has 420 sqm of
sail surface that helps it achieve speeds of eight knots with winds of
around 15 knots.
A single lower deck has eight double cabins,
six with double beds and two with bunk beds. All cabins have private
bathrooms.
The main target audiences are hi-end sailors and
families, while the vessel will need to achieve a 60% occupancy,
September to December, to be financially viable. By mid-2010, the
company will start construction of a second boat similar in design that
will be based in Phuket.
SY Diva Andaman’s will cruise the
islands in the Andaman Sea not far from Phuket. The five-day/four-night
cruise departs from Phuket to Mai Phai island, Phi Phi Lae island, Ha
island, and Rok island, at a per person cost of Bt16,260. The shorter
two-day/one-night cruise, during weekends, departs from Phuket to Racha
Noi island priced at Bt16, 260 per person.
The rates include
scuba diving, snorkelling and kayaking. They do not include air fare,
wine, liquors, Thai traditional massage and roundtrip limousine to the
hotel and airport. There is a special launch 20% discount on cruises
booked and paid in full by 30 September.Source: http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2009/09/high-end-travellers-go-island...
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