Dutch nationals Chris Jongerious and Rolien Beute are the perfect team aboard the 30-foot Firefly catamaran The Frog.

Chris and Rolien have run a sailing charter business out of Ao Yon Bay for the past two years and their company, Andaman Sea Club, has a fleet of three vessels.

"We are into the zoo thing," joked Chris, pointing out three boats are named The Frog, The Elephant and The Horse.

On a calm Sunday morning, a group of six joined the Dutch duo on The Frog for a day on the water. Four in the group had never sailed, and our outing was on one of the fastest catamarans in the region.

Chris likes newcomers on his boat so he can pass on his passion for sailing.

 With the sun beating down and only a slight breeze, The Frog motored past the moored boats. Clearing the last anchor, they raised the main sail and cut the motor.

At home on water

Chris hands over the tiller and says, "Aim for that group of rocks straight ahead."

We'd been on board for only 10 minutes and were already being taught to sail.

Chris - a wiry, ex-cargo-plane pilot, now in his 50s - said he's always felt more at home on the water. "I think I was conceived on a boat or something like that," he joked.

His charter business with Rolien has given them the chance to do what they love - every day. Rolien is a long-time dive instructor and sailor who smiles continuously.

With a light breeze that gradually grew stronger, The Frog picked up speed heading towards a green mound on the horizon - Koh Mai Thon. A triangular course from Ao Yon Bay to Koh Mai Thon to Koh Hei (Coral Island) and back is a typical itinerary for a day on The Frog, but a slew of other options are offered.

"We like it when people have their own ideas about where to go. It's great if they don't just want to go to Phi Phi, or they don't want it all planned out for them. If they do want us to organise it, we do that, but it's not really necessary. We love to go exploring," Rolien said.

Dolphins on the route

When The Frog arrived at Koh Mai Thon, the passengers donned snorkels and hopped overboard. After, Rolien and Chris produced a Thai lunch.

A cry of "Look!" drew the adventurers' attention to dorsal fins in the water: a pod of bottlenose dolphins.

The Frog headed to Koh Hei with another day-tripper at the helm. After a second snorkeling session, this one in a secluded cove, Rolien let out the bright red spinnaker and the boat swiftly cut through the water back to Ao Yon Bay.

The Andaman Sea Club offers a course for people who can sail but lack skills on how to skipper a boat. Or people can put together a team, which the Dutch "Frogs" are happy to coach and, for a fee, provide their boat for competitions.

Phuket Gazette

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