Above & Under The Andaman Sea – Marie Et Jean

Sharing stories and the experiences of Thailand on a Lagoon 42

As a couple, one of our biggest common passions is scuba diving and underwater photography and it soon became clear to us that the perfect way to enjoy our joint hobbies was by boat. To fulfil this dream we chose to buy a beautiful Lagoon 42 catamaran – Sea 4 You – and base ourselves in Thailand. Sailing on the Andaman Sea our playground is very large, stretching from Langkawi to the Similan Islands.

I [Marie] am an engineer and my husband became an underwater photographer after retiring from his business career. Now that we have more time, we wanted to spend the European winter in an area that was more interesting for us. And of course we needed the perfect boat as our base. We chose the Lagoon 42 because it is very spacious and we knew we needed room for all our diving gear and compressor. The Simpson team were a great help, assisting us in choosing the right options and then having the yacht shipped and equipped locally.

Although it was a new boat, there were very few surprises and the small number of adjustments that were needed were quickly taken care of by the Simpson team. They succeeded in having all these small problems taken care of under the Lagoon warranty, which we were delighted with. The boat is beautiful and well designed and I especially appreciate the specialist rigging control systems.

Before buying the Lagoon, we were both more used to trawler type boats and despite having both sailed when we were younger we had to recall out memories. But sailing is like walking… you never forget! I [Marie] also took classes on marine maintenance and offshore sailing to improve our experience and knowledge further.

Although we have offshore training, the Sea 4 You rarely sails far from the shore as we have discovered there are so many islands and overnight anchorage possibilities. We quickly discovered how easy it is to sail, everything is handy and we always feel secure. Our friends also like its stability. The fuel tank capacity and both engines allow long distance routes if you watch your water consumption. We thought the boat was beautiful when we discovered it at the Paris Boat Show, and we still love it today.

During our first season, from December to April, we took great pleasure in being at sea, not in a marina, and exploring the region. From Phuket we sailed to Phang Nga Bay, Krabi, went through mangroves, down to Koh Lanta, Butang and Langkawi, stopping by the beautiful Phi Phi islands. We also enjoyed sailing in front of the marvellous beaches of Phuket on the way to the gorgeous Similans.

Our great pleasure has been to discover underwater life in all these places. Taking pictures of this underwater world requires technical know-how and creativity and part of the pleasure of this process is creating great shots that do not require multiple corrections with special programmes.

The Sea 4 You is a very social boat that is ideal for sharing our adventures with friends. We also like to share a beer with other boat owners anchoring in the same areas, while watching the sunset and exchanging our experiences. We appreciate the easy life, the kindness of the Thai people, and the region’s good food. We were stunned by the beauty of the beaches, sunset and underwater life and have discovered caves and colonised wrecks, met dolphins, turtles, and swum with incredible fishes. This truly is an incredible part of the world to cruise in and we are anxious to go back for a second season with Sea 4 You. Sailing is learning, taking pictures is telling the stories.