This past week, we stepped aboard the sailboat Narin Thip at Bophut beach in Koh Samui, and spent 4 days sailing her around the nearby islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao.
This was a journey that began several months back and very much by chance, when the boat’s owner, Steve, made some random postings in the Koh Chang Talk Facebook group. At the time we were marooned on Koh Chang, an island quite far from Samui, in the midst of COVID-19 lockdowns. I’d long sought to learn to sail, and have long been weighing the idea of living aboard a boat full-time, so sent Steve a message and asked about arranging a multi-day charter. At the time he had to decline because the island’s authorities would not let him anywhere near the shore.
Many months later, with the lockdowns a distant memory, we found ourselves on the island of Koh Samui, where Sanya has family. I happened to notice, in passing, on the Mandala Sailing Instagram, that Steve had found his way to Koh Tao, an island very near to where we were. I sent him another message about charter, and this time everything came together perfectly.
Within days we were stepping aboard the Narin Thip. Read more