India : Profile

Facts

Cochin (Kochi) is conveniently placed close to the Red Sea route and as cruising along the coast offers limited attractions, those who are short of time would do better to use Cochin as a base and tour inland from there.
Bombay (Mubai) is best if wishing to travel inland; plus some of the customs officials are keen and experienced sailors.
The Andaman Islands are an archipelago of some 200 islands lying west of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. Yachts are now welcome to stop here and the islands are becoming a popular area for boats from Phuket, especially those on their way to the Red Sea.
The east coast is not normally visited by yachts, although Madras (Chennai) is a port of entry.
Facilities for yachts are set to improve with the small marina in Panjim (Goa) planning to expand.
There are small workshops capable of simple repairs, but spare parts are almost unobtainable so you should have all essentials on board. There are several boatyards with slipways, but they are not used to dealing with keeled yachts so should only be used if absolutely necessary.

The coastal regions can be very hot and humid and the best time to visit is during the NE monsoon from November to April, when it is dry and sunny, and if cruising the SW coast the harbours are more protected. In the SW monsoon period the west coast is mostly unprotected, there being rain and heavy swell from June to October.