Marina Oceania, Sihanoukville

We visited the Marina in Sihanoukville which is in the NW corner of the walled autonomous and fishing port. The “owner/harbormaster” was not there, and there was nobody in charge. Nobody knew when he would be back.

The marina looks to have no security at all, there is no gate and no lights and it is a very vulnerable spot, far away from the town. We don’t recommend leaving your yacht there unattended (or anywhere else in Cambodia for that matter.)

The Marina charge is US $1 per meter per night but we have not verified this with the owner.

Cambodian Services/Supplies

Drinking Water: This is easy to get in 20ltr. bottles.

Fuel: If you take a tuk tuk you can go to any fuel station pump, there are many.

Money: There are many ATM in all 3 big towns along the coast (Kho Kong, Sihanoukville, Kampot/Kep). You get US $ from the ATM.

Laundry: There are many places where you can take your laundry, between $0,75- $2.- per kilo, (some places charge by the piece!).

LPG: You pay a deposit of $65 for the canister and $20 for the gas. The fittings are “standard ” reverse thread.

Repairs: No yacht facilities exist yet like sail repairs, boatyards. There is nothing for yachts.

Weather

The best time to arrive at the top of the Gulf is during the second half of October when there is still wind form the S/SW.

The month of November gives variable light winds, the NE monsoon is not yet established. You have to watch out for the remnants of typhoons which will blow over Vietnam. A good webpage for this is: www.maybagyo.com-t2kgraphsat.gif

November can still have rain and thunderstorms but by the beginning of December it become sunny and dry and from then on the weather is wonderful. There are occasionally monsoon surges of up to 20 kts and in January the monsoon is blowing full force but dies out in the early afternoon and changes then from NE to NW. It can be cool, especially at night.

Shopping

There are three towns for shopping, each ca. 50 n.miles form the other. Khao Kong, Sihanoukville and Kep/Kampot.

There are no real supermarkets or 7-11 shops but Sihanoukville has “Samudera” a big, well stocked supermarket with lots of french products and goodies (bread, ham and cheese).

For cheaper fruit, vegetables, meat and fish you can to go to the central market further up the road past Samudera.

Kampot: For Kampot you have to anchor off Kep beach as the anchorage close to Kampot is too shallow for most yachts. You can take a bus to Kampot (good central market) from Kep (US $3 one way).

Warning: When you sail to Kep (a day sail from Ream bay) you sail the first part in the lee of the Elephant Massif but as soon as you are out of this lee then the monsoon hits very hard for the last 20 miles to Keep. Be prepared!

Internet

Internet is cheap (in comparison with Thailand) and you buy “bytes” (volume) , not time. The connection is not fast and only when you see the telecom towers you have access. Many small islands don’t have towers. We paid $10 for one month internet access.

Transport

If you hire a car or motorbike, the police ONLY accept international drivers licences or Cambodian drivers licences.

If you stay for a long time in Cambodia you can buy a Cambodian drivers license for $65.  which is valid for one year and takes a month to issue and you need a local address (hotel/guesthouse is OK) . The police set roadblocks in the big towns and when they catch you they can impound your motorbike and it cost you lots of money to get the bike back.

We have seen the roadblocks but we have not heard about people getting their bike impounded, but it is wise to avoid the main thoroughfares in the town in the daytime.

The local people don’t like to wear helmets and that is the main reason for the roadblocks. A payment of  $1 or $2 is usual fine for not wearing a helmet etc.

(Note; All costs/prices are in US Dollars)

Karin and Tony