Pattaya - General Info
Description:
Pattaya is the resort on the Gulf of Thailand which serves Bangkok. The Royal Varuna Yacht Club has its base in here. They organize the King’s Cup Regatta, one of South East Asia’s prime yachting events every year in Phuket.
This port is not very familiar with clearing in foreign boats and use of an agent will be necessary.
The only marina facility here can be found in the Najomtien area, not far from Pattaya. Ocean Marina is the biggest marina in South East Asia.
Entrance Notes and Cautions:
Be cautious sailing at night as there are many fishing nets, they are numbered and the lines (only white buoys are visible at the surface) are sunken and could be 4 miles long across the water. The small lit frags are marked 10 meters apart. It is possible to sail through these with the engine in neutral. Fishing boats here seem to use green bright lights and do not follow any nautical rules.
A free cruising guide from 2018 can be found at ”Koh Chang sailing guide”.
Position:
12° 55.93’N, 100° 51.95’E (marina entrance)
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hi my sailing friends seeking advice gulf of thailand…
1. confirming immigration/ customs only check in and out on entering and departing country not each port….harbour master koi Samui thought each port? sounds insane…
2. how do I confirm which islands the Thai navy has closed each day? ps I don’t speak Thai!
3. best anchorages pattaya /rayong/trat area..
4. last place to check out b4 Cambodia?
5. best mechanic for repairs in the area noted above. want to precondition generator injectors.
much appreciate any help or advice..
Posted on behalf of Brett Finniss of Gulf Charters Thailand
Q / ” Any update on the restriction on anchoring near islands? Particularly interested in Koh Phai?
The restrictions change practically daily depending on how the navy feel. Last I checked Koh PHai was fine to anchor through a bit rolly for a nighttime anchorage. It is also visited by a lot of day boats during the day.
Q / Additionally, does anyone have experience with anchoring off Pattaya Beach itself… towards Naklua?”
Anchoring off the front of Pattaya is impossible during the day as all the paragliding boats are running around. You can arrive late in the afternoon after they have finished but be prepared to leave very early in the morning. The further you move towards Naklua the better and then you will be able to anchor during the day.
However, you will be exposed to any southerly swell making it a rolly anchorage. Holding is good all along the beach but is careful you don’t hook up a crab pot or old rice sack. Just around the corner heading further north, you will find some protection from the southerly roll around from Naklua. Again be careful of crab pots, rice sacks, and the odd crazy fishing boat 🙂
Buzzcuts have an office next to the Marina Office, and for a reasonable fee, they will handle all Immigration, Customs and Harbour clearances for you. Far preferable to the two days of running about, especially now that Customs is a 100km round trip and no guarantee that the one guy who handles shipping will be available when you get there.
Arrived at Pattaya a week ago and have Cleared in. Few changes from the above info. Immigration is still in Jomtien, But you need a letter from the Marina about your stay and a specific “Boat Slip and Storage Lease Agreement” form also provided by the marina. The crew and Passenger list are also essential. Immigration then must stamp your passport and return a copy of your forms back to you.
Cost us 500Bt. Next, is Maritime Office (Harbour Master), but this is done online. Unfortunately, the forms are in Thai, so you need to find someone who reads and speaks Thai to help with this. No fee, but believe there is one on Clearing out when you do online forms again but have to drop them off at their office at the south end of Pattaya. There are Agents, but they charge a fee not only for their help but to pay the “extra’s” to some officials.
Lastly, is Customs which has now moved office down to the U-Tapao Airport about 50km south of Ocean Marina. They charged a 270Bt fee. (agents say they have to pay more). We did Immigration and Customs ourselves and found a friend in the marina to do the Harbour Master. We hired a motorbike to get around. Took us 2 full days to sort out and complete.
Also, a word of warning, that the police do lots of random roadside license checks and you need to have an International License
Note to Cruising Yachts when cruising in the Gulf of Thailand towards Pattaya, more specifically, Ocean Marina located at Jomthien, all of the islands off the coast in and around this area are in fact owned and managed by the Thai Navy.
Up until recently, it has
been possible to anchor off these islands, however, due to overly active day trip operators
in the area, the Thai Navy has recently cracked down on visitors to the island and have
advised that anchoring at these islands is now prohibited and that they will enforce this
restriction with vigilance.
This is a list of the main islands that are restricted:
Koh Rin (northernmost)
Koh Khram
Koh Khram Noi
Koh Samaesan
Koh Chan (southernmost)