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Day 21 Naka Island
We went ashore in the morning with some fruit hoping to entice some monkeys to come down to the beach but didn’t have any success. Todays sail would be over 20 miles, the longest on this charter yet, so we set off and had a nice relaxing trip with the wind just off the forward beam.
We arrived at a large shallow bay and took a mooring ball, however when Em checked the tide tables we found there would not be enough water for Skyelark with her 7 foot draft at low tide so we moved further out and set the anchor. We went ashore in the dingy to the lovely beach and lounged around in the knee deep water, you could watch the waterline recede as the tide went out and we decided to go back to the boat before we would have a long haul with the dingy. This bay is of a relatively uniform depth and Dan had to keep the engine tilted up almost the whole way back to avoid damage to the propeller.



The beach at where we had our swimming stop



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Skyelark at anchored in the bay

The decision was made to move on to Naka Island where there was a large resort and the possibility of drinks and dinner. We anchored just off the resorts dock; the tidal range was visually evident by the difference in the height of the fixed pier and the floating dock at the end of it.



The height of the tidal range can be judged by the difference in the docks which are level at high tide



A starfish visible in the shallow water

Dan dropped us off and we followed the walkways through the beautifully landscaped grounds of the Naka Island Resort and Spa. Once we found the pool/bar restaurant on of the workers told us that it was a private resort and while they would allow us to have a drink, we couldn’t stay for dinner. I had seen a sign showing the way to the local village; I contacted Dan on the VHS and told him I would check out the dining options there.
The path was narrow and lined with rubber trees, cups hanging from hollow pegs catching the latex that runs from them. It was a very rustic village the public well, complete with a bucket on a rope was at the entrance. There were chickens roaming around, little gardens beside the road and homes ranging from nice stucco covered block structures to tin roof shacks. There was a small open air restaurant, The Naka Palm Restaurant, which looked fairly new so I checked out the menu and found it had a nice selection of authentic Thai dishes, each available in chicken beef squid or prawns at your choosing.



The Naka Palm Restaurant

I radioed Dan and let him know the situation so he gathered up the others and they all came for dinner. The enthusiastic young man that ran the restaurant said he closed at 6:00, but he would stay open for us; the electric power for the village is provided by a large generator that doesn’t get turned on till 6:00, so while he had to run a portable generator to make my smoothie, we would have lights during our meal.
Once the others arrived we all ordered off the menu; there was some language barrier induced confusion, but it all worked out in the end. The meals were cooked to order so they arrived as they were done, etiquette aside we dug in when served while the dishes were still hot. You could tell the ingredients were all fresh and it was one of the better Thai meals I’ve had so far; the prices were very reasonable, 100 baht for a large dinner sized plate of fried rice with one of the meats above and a fried egg on top. Service was good and everyone was very friendly, it was the perfect way to spend our last night out in the islands and just one of those chance things that happen when you go off the beaten path that makes these trips so special.



Our host joins us for a photo

Dan brought some flashlights with him so we could see our way back along the now dark roadway and once on board we watched Captain Ron and enjoyed some cocktails in the cockpit. I spent the night out on deck again the cool breeze making sleeping comfortable.

Thanks so much for these entries Sunset Sammy! I really enjoy reading them, and the pictures really take you there.