Discover the enchanting beauty of the Andaman Sea with Andaman Yachting, located in Thailand’s stunning beach paradise. Experience unforgettable yacht charters that encapsulate luxury, adventure, and relaxation amidst breathtaking islands and crystal-clear waters.
Welcome to Andaman Yachting, where your journey into the tranquil waters of Thailand begins. Nestled in a prime location at 66/11 Moo 5 Soi Bangmalauw 2, our establishment provides an unparalleled atmosphere for both seasoned sailors and first-time adventurers. Immerse yourself in the vibrant marine life, explore hidden coves, and bask in the sun on lavish decks as you navigate the majestic Andaman Sea. Whether you’re looking for an intimate getaway or want to host a special event, our diverse fleet ensures the perfect vessel for your needs. Each yacht is equipped with modern amenities, ensuring your comfort while capturing the essence of maritime elegance. Embrace the fusion of adventure and relaxation, indulge in water sports, and discover secluded beaches that only a yacht can reveal. At Andaman Yachting, we pride ourselves on delivering impeccable service, guiding you toward a memorable experience that embodies the spirit of Thailand’s coastline. Your adventure awaits in the breathtaking waters of the Andaman Sea—where memories are made and the beauty of nature surrounds you.
Andaman Yachting (จังหวัดภูเก็ต, ไทย) - รีวิว - ThailandAgoda.com
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Andaman Yachting is perched on a picturesque hilltop overlooking 66/11 Moo 5 Soi Bangmalauw 2,, 83110, Thailand
I did my Day Skippers course with Jeff and absolutely loved the whole experience. The boat is extremely comfortable and well maintained. I have done several charter holidays already on similar sized yachts and cannot fault the boat at all. Jeff is a very knowledgable and patient teacher, by far one of the best I have encountered in the world of sailing instructors. His instructions were always clear and he was calm and composed – even when I was making some poor sailing decisions! He is great company too which is important when you are spending so much time together.I would highly recommend taking the Thai cook option, Pam’s food was excellent and added to the cultural experience of being in Thailand. It also allowed me to concentrate on the sailing and spend all my time up on deck.Thanks Jeff and Pam, I’ll be back with my teenagers soon so that they can do their Comp Crew.
1) The boat Sita is beautiful, very well maintained and it was clean.2) Jeff is a very good instructor, he takes time to explain concept and give examples. I really had chance to practice a lot. He loves what he is doing and makes it easier and more enjoyable. 3) Pam is an exellent cook, she really adapts meal to your diatary, it is tasteful and good portion.I strongly recommand the Master class with cook option!
In seven months of traveling this is the first negative review I feel like I must write. I’m afraid that the positive reviews that are published here are no longer representative of the experience students can expect at Andaman Yachting.After completing the 5-day Day Skipper course, I have serious concerns at several levels.Be forewarned – many parts of the course syllabus were not covered during the five days including core components like night sailing, mooring, docking, and navigation. I inquired about all of these and Jeff simply said that the marina and Phuket area are not conducive to those parts of the course. Some of these things can be discussed and exercises improvised, but no effort was made to do this. I think it is important to know that you will likely leave the course with large holes in your education.I was also shocked at the lack of professionalism Jeff displayed on a daily basis. He would frequently insult the Thai people, yell and swear at them from the boat. We heard frequent stories of “idiotic” things past students had said or done while on board. On one occasion Jeff made a very inappropriate joke about another crew member’s wife.Student questions were often met with snide and unhelpful answers. Sometimes Jeff was flat out rude. Perhaps the most challenging part of the Day Skipper course is developing a passage plan. Jeff offered no guidance in this, in fact he admonished me for wanting to review the content of a good plan (I don’t have extensive sailing experience). I spent two hours making the plan, then presented it. Still no feedback. Executing the plan the next day, there was zero discussion about the work I’d done. He sat in one spot the entire day without teaching any of us. Finally, seven hours later when the passage was done (without incident), I was hoping we would finally get a retrospective review. Alas, this consisted of: “No one got hurt and the boat is ok. Good.” Where was the teaching I had paid for?Without getting into details I feel like I must mention that I also have concerns about Jeff’s mental health. Perhaps this has deteriorated recently which might explain the prior positive reviews. It is also important for potential customers to know that Jeff’s ownership of Andaman is relatively recent so older reviews may not be relevant.Of the three students on board, one left the course early and the two of us who stuck it out have both lodged formal complaints with the RYA. They will be performing a review of Andaman Yachting. I am truly sorry to be writing this, but I hope it helps other potential students avoid the disappointment that we experienced.
I did my 5 day skipper course in April 2019. I was lucky to only have one other on the course doing the competent crew course. This obviously assisted in the ability for me to receive as much time on the helm and access to all sailing requirements.Phuket Area had afternoon winds come through which allowed for some sailing. Part of being a competent sailor is knowing when and how to motor-sail which was widespread. I found the experience perfect for an initial taste of sailing and I was able to bolster my confidence in being in control of a vessel.Of course all conditions are not perfect and hence the course needed to be flexible enough to cover the required course instruction or time on the water. This course is not miraculously going to convert you into a skipper if you have had no previous experience.I have had many years of experience sailing on various yachts but this was my first experience at being in control of a vessel.Jeff was impressionably calm allowing someone to take control of his vessel. It is like a driving school teacher having a student drive an expensive car as the driving school car. I take my hat off to Jeff for his calm nature.All in all it was a great experience – but I suggest tone your expectations. You will not be a seasoned sailor after 5 days on a sailing boat. You need time on the water, so take this as a step towards continued sailing.I must mention Pam cooking which was exceptional – especially considering I threw in my Vegan diet, but all food was excellent. Thanks for a great experience.
April 2019. The RYA competent crew course run by Jeff was a great way to build sailing knowledge and experience.I had previous experience before taking the course, but the approach in teaching that Jeff followed was really appreciated. In terms of safety, boat handling, rigging, sail setting and theory, the course was detailed and well planned according to RYA syllabus. As well as this, there’s opportunity to practice additional skills while keeping things light hearted. Jeff’s not short of a story or two!Our boat, Sita, a Beneteau 45f, was in good condition and well provisioned. I was fortunate to be with one other taking a course so we had some space, perhaps one other could have been accommodated comfortably. After a day’s sailing there was always Pam’s tasty food to look forward to, we certainly weren’t short of nutrition.Overall, a great experience and hoping to continue onto RYA Day Skipper with Andaman Yachting.
A great time on the Andaman OceanI have only just got round to posting a review on our trip in Oct 2019, but feel compelled to having seen some of the more recent reviews posted which seem a bit overly dramatic to say the least…I can categorically say I certainly did not fear for my life at any point onboard with Jeff!!He and Pam were pleasant, easy going and we all got on well. We certainly never experienced any temper, but maybe it was frustrating to try and teach people who had not taken the time to read the course notes provided or did not have the necessary experience…Jeff does have a laid back style of teaching and this suited us perfectly as we wanted to feel like we were on holiday as well as learning. A lot of learning to sail is experiencing it yourself and Jeff was great at letting us take responsibility for the boat, but I soon found out he has extremely detailed knowledge of the area when I plotted a course heading straight for a sand bank!! I was confident from then on that although he was often quiet he was always observing and wouldn’t let us get into any trouble.The weather on the Andaman is dramatic and sudden and I was initially disappointed not to put the main sail up but quickly realised that the storms in the rainy season blow in so quickly it could be dangerous to risk being caught out. Motor sailing allowed us to cover greater distances and see some of the more remote places from Phuket.Jeff described how he is frequently and rigorous assessed by the RYA and the only time I heard him say anything negative about other instructors was discussing those that hand out day skipper qualifications to anyone- he was adamant that the correct criteria should be met. If you don’t have the experience and aren’t prepared for the assessment this is not the course for you, but I am sure Jeff would still do his best to help you progress as he did us.I am appalled that other reviewers have brought Jeff’s horrendous accident up in reviews- he discussed the matter openly with us and is maybe not as sprightly as he once was but we were seriously impressed by his drive to come back to work and continue to run courses! How horrible it must be to then have this used against you on an online review with such disgusting remarks!!Overall our trip was everything we wanted and expected: sun, sea and sailing… oh and of course Pam’s AMAZING cooking!!
The experience I had with Andaman Yachting was a total nightmare. I rarely feel any need to write a review or a complaint. With Jeff Foster who owns Andaman Yachting and is also the instructor, I would not relent sharing so others won’t have to experience the same. All the email exchanges before the trip was pleasant, detailed info was provided and response was timely. However, the moment we boarded sailboat Sita, the experience was the total opposite. On this trip, there was a mix of competent crew, day skipper and one just logging miles. Jeff insisted assessment begun from the day we stepped on board, little guidance was provided. Despite having a competent crew with no sailing experience, Jeff provided no instructions or guidance to the competent crew beyond learning to tie 8 types of knots. The boat was on motor the entire 5 days despite having some windy conditions. It seems like I signed up for a RYA motorboat course instead.Whenever I asked a question, answers from Jeff were always curt, sarcastic and accusations that I made no attempt to refer to the guide book he provided. Despite many hurtful answers, I continued asking my questions since I had paid to further my knowledge on sailing. I felt stupid and dumb most times for asking. There was hardly any learnings we took out of the 5 days, because Jeff assumed we were all sailing professionals from reading the theory and guide book he provided. Most times during the 5 days, its usually silence with the occasional rude remarks at local fishermen or tourist boats who did not adhere to the rules of the road. For most parts of the day sailing around the islands, the mood was always tense with us fearing to make any ‘stupid’ mistakes.The first evening we unfortunately sailed into a storm. And this storm brought out Jeff’s first foul temper. He explicitly said he hates the rain coming from the UK. His mood was bad, he said nothing for 2 hours, as I held the helm. The 2nd evening, he was in a better mood with the nice weather. He shared that he had gotten into a terrible accident just a year ago, where he was left in coma for weeks. He also mentioned he was in depression because he could not be as active as he’d like to be from before. To ease off his depression, he said he tries to joke a little, to help his mood. BUT his jokes are always at the expense of others, with no consideration of people’s feelings. On this trip, all 4 of us have been verbally abused by Jeff in some way. When a mistake happens, he would be in rage, cursing with all sorts of vulgarities. There is no wonder why my review title begun with ‘I feared for our lives’. We wondered if he was still experiencing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from his accident, but it definitely left us with a horrid sailing experience. Overall, the experience has been the worst I’ve ever paid for.
3 of us spent a week with Jeff and Pam completing our Day Skipper certificate. It was a great experience, the boat was clean, comfortable and well kept. We had completed the theory course beforehand and had the requisite experience as outlined by the RYA. This was really key to completing the course and under Jeff’s watchful eye and experienced guidance we had a great week taking it in turns to navigate our way around Phang Nga bay including a night sail through Phuket’s deep water port. The week was relaxed with much laughter, plenty of evening and early morning swims, and Pam’s excellent Thai cooking.
Given the option of taking Day Skipper Exam in the Solent or The Andaman Islands, this was a bit of a no-brainer. ;-)We received a warm and friendly greeting from Jeff and Pam at the excellent Phuket Yacht Haven Marina, and, following a fire and safety briefing quickly settled into Sita. Although an older yacht she is beautifully kept and was notably orderly on deck (not rope out of place) and very clean and tidy below. (Fresh linen and towels are provided).We made an early start next morning and commenced the syllabus with some boat handling exercises under motor just to get a feel of the boat. This was followed by coming alongside and leaving the pontoon ‘drills’ before we made our way out of the channel into the frankly stunning Phang Nga Bay.It does say on the website that you need at least 100 hours of sailing experience and Nav theory to Day Skipper standard. Don’t expect to learn to sail a 45ft yacht in a week, this is more of an assessment of competence and you need to do the leg work and gain crewing experience in advance. Having taken the shore-based nav course over 15 years ago I was relieved that I had spent the last 3 months revising – I was definitely rusty and revision was essential.Jeff is pretty hands-off and allowed myself and my 2 fellow Day Skipper applicants to take the helm whilst he sat and quietly observed, only offering input and advice when necessary. In his own words – to be awarded your Day Skipper licence, he needs to feel that you can safely manage a yacht – and he won’t be there to bail you out in future. Wise words.We took it in turns to be Skipper for the day and Jeff set us a destination and provided the tide tables and wind/weather report, plus local intel to allow us to prepare a pilotage plan. Whilst the scenery is stunning, the weather can be very changeable, from the bluest of skies to a fairy tale sunsets – a ‘Biblical’ storm can blow up and disappear in just 30 mins. These conditions allowed for a thorough testing of our skills and we all felt that Jeff’s guidance and mini-lectures on subjects such as, MOB drills, flare handling, night sailing, engine maintenance and anchor setting and retrieving provided invaluable information. I made copious notes that I will keep for future reference.We opted to have the Thai Chef (Pam) who prepared delicious home-cooked Thai meals. This was well worth the expense and allowed us to focus on the course rather than having to think about what to eat – as well as washing up etc… Pam was also a whizz at flaking the anchor chain and also crocheted a variety of impressive bags and purses whilst the boat rocked along. We completed each day with a refreshing dip in the sea and a G&T as the sunset. Whilst there is no time for sunbathing, I loved sailing the Andaman Islands and was pleased to be awarded my Day Skipper licence. I have no hesitation in recommending this – and I’d do it all again next week! 😀
I have never felt the need to write any reviews but I hope my review from my horrible experience sailing with Andaman Yachting will help others who are considering to sail with Jeff.5days of sailing on board felt like an eternity. Jeff had extreme mood swings where one minute he would be bragging about his days skippering superyachts and then go quiet for hours with no guidance to the students on board. I was called names, shouted with vulgarities and was (for the first time in my life) concern of my personal safety. It was extremely terrifying when I heard screams and loud banging of the cabin door in the middle of the night which felt like the boat was raided by pirates. Imagine suddenly hearing screams from outside your cabin as if someone just got stabbed. I literally jumped out of my bed.Most if not all my questions were met with rude answers and many times followed by comments that were disrespectful of another RYA centre. It felt like it was THE Jeff way or no way. There were no discussions or explanations basically no positive communication for the duration of my time on board.It was also my first sailing experience where the main sail was never hoisted for the entire 5 days. There were student Crew and student Day Skippers on board, and I wonder how they could learn to sail without learning to manage the main sail.Do not expect to be coached by Jeff as he expects you to know the technical detail of your course and not ask any questions.