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Mergui Archipelago - Cruising/Cost Report
Created by
sue.
Last modified on 2010-01-17 19:53:42
Report by Gavin McClurg, captain of Discovery We've just spent a month cruising in the Mergui Archipelago, north from Kawthaung (port of entry). Here is some general information as well as the current costs, which are not correct in the Andaman Cruising Guide. We arranged our permits through Seal Yacht Services. Adam Frost and his brother, based in Phuket were responsible for opening the Mergui to the outside world in the late 90's. Adam's contact details follow. Arranging the permits was a simple affair. Costs to cruise the archipelago are the most expensive and frankly outrageous we have come across. You must arrange a permit through MTT, Myanamar Travel and Tours (Seal Yacht Services will do this for you as doing it without an agent is nigh impossible). Funds paid to the MTT are helping prop up what is commonly referred to as the most repressive regime/criminal in the world. The government is run by a military junta, responsible for countless human rights abuses against the local population, and especially minority groups like the Moken, or Sea Gypsies who ply the waters of the Mergui. So visiting this area, SE Asia's least known archipelago is funneling cash to Yangon, far away from the local area. Costs (in USD) are as follows. This is for a 10 day trip. We had 4 crew and 5 passengers (owners and their guests). Note you must have a guide on board at all times. Our guide was wonderful- very helpful and spoke a bit of english: Description: SEAL Permit Costs - $2,500 Grand Total - 5,480 US$ As you can see, cruising this area is incredibly expensive. On the order of $600 USD per day. It's a bit cheaper with only crew, but not much when you pay the large permit fee. As to the sailing. Given the cost I rate the area average at best. You will have the area to yourself when it comes to cruising boats, which is definitely nice, but fishing boats abound. They are everywhere. The seas and beaches are filled with plastic and refuse (we tangled our props three times with plastic bags). At night the sky is lit across the horizon with squid fishing boats. The corals have been largely damaged or destroyed. Mosquitos and sand flies are rampant on the beaches, especially in the mornings and evenings but we did not have much trouble with them at night. Visibility of the water is average, but gets better the farther off the mainland you go. The islands themselves are very beautiful. We had no wind or a few days up to 8 knots for a month (we visited December 26-Jan 18). We saw monkies on a few beaches and lots of birdlife. Turtles were seen on several beaches laying their eggs, but then fishermen would follow shortly thereafter and take all the eggs, which was very sad. Most large predators (sharks, etc.) have all been stripped for shark fin soup. Kawthaung (Victoria Point) is a loud, dusty town used for most people as a visa run for people wanting to stay longer in Thailand. The open air market is rather disgusting, but many fresh vegetables and eggs are in large supply for very cheap. We found it easier to provision in Thailand for your main goods and stock up in Kawthaung. Diesel is clean and brought to your boat by a barge, with a good captain. Unleaded and propane can be found easily in town. Your guide will happily lend a hand with all of this. Seal Yacht Services contact details: Adam Frost. A10 The Royal Place Tel/fax +66 (0)76 612655 Report by Gavin McClurg, captain of Discovery. |
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