Whether it’s a speed boat to explore the islands off Koh Samui, a bespoke dinner cruise in Singapore, a self-captained yacht in Langkawi, or a megayacht in Phuket, the region has plenty to offer, discovers James Hawley.

Roman Abramovich has a penchant for megayachts – apparently his fleet of five 50-metre-plus luxury launches is known as Abramovich ’s navy – but for most of us even one luxury launch is almost out of reach. Almost, but not exactly,because so many are available for charter.

Whether it ’s peedboat to explore he islands off koh samui, a bespoke dinner cruise in Singapore, a self-captained yacht n Langkawi, or a megayacht in Phuket, the region has plenty to offer. If you subscribe to Abramovich ’s “bigger is better ” boating philosophy, then the place to head for is Phuket.

The Thai island offers arguably the most comprehensive array of charter yachts in the region, plus some of the region’s best yachting in the sheltered waters of Phang Nga Bay, as well as the Similan Islands and even further into the relatively undiscovered Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Many of the larger yachts are available on a seasonal basis – based in Phuket at least from November to April, before dispersing throughout the region in search of calmer weather.

Given the mobility of the vessels, there is a very good range of options on offer. Many of the yachts are listed with different charter agents – try a website such as www.boatbookings.com which has a large number of yachts available around the world. If you find one you like, you can always Google the name and location – sometimes this will give you the owner ’s website,and dealing with him may make things easier.

Otherwise it might be useful to contact a yacht club or marina at your destination of choice – usually you will find a charter agent there who knows which vessels are available there and when, and these nautical types are never short of an opinion, so you should garner plenty of knowledge.

The 50-metre (164-foot) SY Polaris was in Singapore recently for the boat show and has an interesting history, having started life as a fast torpedo boat in the German navy. Tom Burland, the owner, tells me the minimum speed with three engines running was 14 knots – to dock they had to run one in reverse and even then she still did eight knots.

In order to make her a friendlier cruising yacht the engines were removed (one was replaced with a lower horsepower unit) and two masts were added.The result is a vessel with a vast amount of deck space forward, plus plenty of room below. She can be found at www.yachtpolaris.com or www.asiasuperyachts.com.

Sticking with the historic theme – albeit taking it a bit further – is the 33-metre (108-foot) MV Maid Marian II, lying in Phuket (though she does motor as far as Langkawi and Singapore). She was originally delivered in New York in 1931,pressed into service in the coast guard in WWII and eventually bought by a group of Asian investors. Check her out at Seal Superyachts (www.seal-superyachts.com).

If something a little more modern floats your boat, Seal can help too. SY Queen of Andaman is a beautiful new 41-metre (134-foot) ketch, with accommodation for eight to 10, and a price-tag commensurate with the experience – expect to pay upwards of € 40,000 for a week’s sailing.

If that ’s not enough Seal also represents Tiara – a 2004 54-metre (177-foot) sloop with accommodation for 10 guests and more space than you can imagine.

There ’s even a pool on the foredeck. The price? If you need to ask,then € 190,000 a week is possibly going to take your breath away. Clearly she occupies the higher end of Seal ’s charter business, thus the different website: www.superyacht-charters.com.

Another Phuket-based yacht, though this one is of the power variety, is MV Meditation

Still,for some of us yachts above 100 feet can seem to be less like boating and more like sailing around in a condominium. To get a little closer to the water, but still do it in style and comfort Tawan Cruises (www.tawancruises.com ) has a fleet of five motor cruisers based in Boat Lagoon in Phuket. Ranging from 12.3 to 16-metres in length (40-52 feet),the new boats are comfortable, reasonably fast and available from half-day charters to overnight options. Even better,half-day rates inclusive of road transfers, food, fuel and drinks start at THB55,000. (www.yacht-meditation.com). The 37-metre (121-foot)vessel offers three decks for loads of entertainment areas and space for eight guests – there ’s even a fully equipped gymnasium. She ’s a displacement yacht,so not exactly quick,but perfectly adequate for cruising Phang Nga Bay in comfort.

Phuket Charters (www.phuketcharters.com ) operates Sunseekers from 37 to 53-metres, the former going for around THB68,000 a day.

If you fancy the wind in your sails there are options too – Asia Marine (www.asia-marine.net ), Charter Yacht Sailing (www.charter-yacht.com )and Sunsail (www.sunsail.com ) offer crewed or “bareback ” yachts at relatively affordable rates.

If the boating in Thailand sounds too good to be true, that ’s possibly because it is.Koh Samui may be a fantastic beach destination,but without a permanent marina the boating options are much less varied. Still, there are some choices. Sunsail has boats available in Samui as well as Phuket and even Koh Chang and Langkawi, so they ’re a good starting point, though there are some other intriguing options.

Easy Charters Co (www.easy-charters.com) operates a beautiful 63-foot Pinisi ketch called Kaïsso Kaïa out of Bophut in Koh Samui for sunset cruises as well as day and private charter. Fortune Junk Boat Co (www.jonque-fortune.com) operates a 25-metre teakwood junk doing regular cruises to Koh Phangan and to the Ang Thong National Marine Park as well as private charters.

On a smaller scale Samui Ocean Sports (www.sailing-in-samui.com) offers a number of more affordable options – including a smart 26-foot MacGregor sailing vessel with a lifting keel and water ballast system that
allows it to be anchored right up on the beach. It ’s an ideal option for a couple or family and the price is
right too.

For other ocean going thrills in Samui you are really booking at the local boats and operators – you can
easily enough ask at your hotel, or try Petcherat Marina (www.samuispeedboat.com) for speedboat tours.

It ’s hardly luxury yachting,but many of the long tail drivers will take you for shorter trips around the island.
The Five Islands restaurant (www.thefiveislands.com), in the tiny south western village of Baan Taling Ngam runs long tail tours to the five islands – apparently they’re the only boats the local birds nest gatherers allow to land.

Elsewhere in Thailand the pickings get even slimmer. In Pattaya Gulf Charters Thailand (www.gulfchartersthailand.com) has a good range of sailing vessels from 31 to 52 feet,and available as bareback yachts for experienced sailors or fully crewed so all you need to do is relax and enjoy.

In Koh Chang Thida Yachting (www.sailing-in-thailand.com) has a pair of sailing vessels available for day trips and overnight charter. The prices – at US$440 and US$550 a day – seem reasonable, but are, I suspect,
indicative of the age and condition of the yachts.

Sunsail are here now as well,so I think you can safely say Koh Chang is on its way as a sailing destination.
One that has definitely made it is Langkawi in Malaysia, and why not? There are 99 islands to explore, the water’s beautiful, and it is strategically located on the major yachting trail that leads from Phuket to Singapore and waters south, which means many of the larger yachts are available from here from time to time too.

The SY Kayu Manis (www.sy-kayu-manis.com) is a great example of a Pinisi schooner built using traditional materials and methods, and now based at Telaga Harbour Park Marina in Langkawi. She is available for private charter with suggested two-to-four-night itineraries, though will shortly be available for day trips around Langkawi. She will spend the November to April season in Phuket and Penang as well.

The more sheltered waters of Langkawi have also been recognised as ideal sailing grounds by Sunsail.

Another option is Langkawi Dolphin Cruise (www.tropicalcruise.fr/english), which operate a 12-metre (440-foot) sailing catamaran, and a 11-metre (37-ffoot) Searay motor launch out of Langkawi, with suggested itineraries from unset cruises to trips to Phuket and the southern Thai islands.

In Singapore your first reaction may be to wonder what the point is of chartering a yacht; the Singapore Strait is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, and the Johor strait is hardly inspiring from a scenery viewpoint either.

Still, as the views from Sentosa improve drastically in he evenings (when you can imagine the lights from the nearby refineries are something else), so do the views on the water. ll Lido (www.il-lido.com), which enjoys some of Sentosa’s nicest views at the best of times, also runs a Lagoon Power 44 catamaran – the Il Lido, would you believe – which is available for lunchtime and evening dining trips.

Lifestyle Adventures Asia (www.lifestyleadventuresasia.com) has a 13-metre (44-foot) Beneteau Swift Trawler, Hidden Treasure II, which is available for anything from half-day cruises to multi-day charters to the Riau Archipelago (Batam, Bintan and others), Tioman, Langkawi and Phuket.

Likewise Rising Tide (www.charterboatsg.com), 26-metre (85-foot) motor schooner, is available for short
charters in Singapore waters, or longer seven- or nine-day itineraries to Tioman or Indonesian waters.

Another interesting alternative to regular charters is Azurea Lifestyle (www.azurealifestyle.com). The brainchild of Annie Lin of Kingfisher Marine, the local agent for Horizon Motor yachts. Azurea is a membership scheme with three levels available and oats lying in Singapore and Phuket.

The Horizon cruisers available range from 6 to 40-metres (53 to 130 feet) in length, and the membership fees pretty well cover everything, including a weeks’ cruising annually, meals, soft drinks, crew and even land transport in Phuket.

We may not have the infrastructure or choices available that you’ll find in the Mediterranean, but for cruising in beautiful, unspoiled locations South-East Asia has plenty to offer. So much to that Roman Abramovich, who could probably afford to holiday on the moon, chooses to visit Phuket annually. (www.ssunsail.com).