With my experience of sailing limited to a couple of Dover to Calais hovercraft crossings, I really had no idea what to expect when my husband and I were invited to join a three day cruise on a 100ft yacht in the Andaman Sea.?

The yacht in question was the lovely Raja Laut, a gaff-rigged sailing yacht, built I am told in the style of a 19th Century schooner.? Supervised by her French designer to international standards of safety and stability, she has been lovingly handcrafted with outstanding attention to detail.

With timber finishings and stunning interiors from around the region, she sports 6 large en-suite cabins, comfortably sleeping 12 guests.? She has all the specifications of a modern luxury yacht, with air-conditioned interiors, plasma TV, sound system on deck, hot showers, GPS navigation systems, radar, and satellite communications, just in case you feel the urge to check your email or browse the internet in the middle of the ocean! She is also equipped with 2 kayaks, and all the gear you need to water-ski, wakeboard, scuba dive and go snorkelling.

It is however her classic lines that make her a unique yacht charter experience, and one that makes you feel that you’ve somehow been transported to the Asia of Joseph Conrad, the spice trade, and the Malay Archipelago of 19th century explorers – a young Raja Brooke at the helm – and virgin territory ahead.

With plenty of space to lounge around and catch some sun, there’s no lack of luxury and pampering from her excellent crew. With sumptuous meals of fresh seafood and fine wines accompanying every sitting, what more could you ask for? Even that fondness you have for falling asleep under the stars is taken care of, with hammocks on hand to rock you gently over the open sea.

The Andaman Sea is a sublime location with something for everyone. Even the most jaded travellers will wonder at the breathtaking limestone mountains of Phang-Nga Bay, which rise vertically from the sea bed. There is also the chance to kayak through caves into the hollowed out “hongs” or rooms which lie at their centre. Divers will enjoy the Similan Islands, the Mergui archipelago to the north (Burma) and the Andaman Islands to the west. For the party animal, the legendary island of Phi-Phi or the bay of Krabi, with their beach bars, fire dancers and full moon parties, are sure to hit the spot.

And so with the 99 or so islands of Langkawi, the wild Butangs, and Phang-Nga Bay all lying before us, we finally decide on a cruise from Langkawi to Phuket and set forth on our journey at 9am from the port of Telaga Harbour, a duty free shopping paradise set against a backdrop of stunning mountain rainforest. Our mission is simple: sun and seclusion, snorkelling, scuba diving and relaxation, and as the morning sun shines softly across the calm water, I cannot help but soak up a sense of peace and admire the beautiful way the majestic timbers of Raja Laut blend so effortlessly into the tropical scenery.

We head north towards the magnificent Butang Islands, a short, half day sail away.? It is like stepping into the past, free of crowds or any trace of commercialisation.? Langkawi vanishes quickly behind us, and as the crew begins to raise the sails and four enormous white canvasses fill the sky, the wind too seems to pick up.?

We arrive in Koh Butang in the afternoon, and as we snorkel along the reef, spotting colourful corals and fish and an interesting array of other marine life, our crew are busy catching dinner – squid, coral trout, snapper: you don’t get much fresher than that!? Fast forward to cocktails at sunset, and dinner under the stars, anchored in the warm serenity of the Butangs.

The next afternoon, we jump into the speed boat and maroon ourselves on a remote desert island beach, armed only with a picnic hamper full of food and a cooler box full of chilled wine and beer.? As the sun sets we build a fire and watch the tide settle in, joined by hundreds of migrating frigates swirling above us and lighting up the sky.

We awake the next morning to find ourselves halfway to Racha Noi, a beautiful uninhabited island to the south of Phuket, surrounded by hard coral reef.? With a good 20+ meters of visibility, schools of tuna and jack fish, and huge granite boulders descending to depths of 30 meters or more, it lives up to its reputation for being one of the world’s top diving sites.?

We emerge from the water chatting away about the critters we’ve seen, exchanging notes and telling tall tales of manta rays and sharks through lunch and the final leg of our journey to Chalong Bay, our final destination and where we would soon be disembarking. What were we leaving behind? Only the vision of Raja Laut’s sails filling the sky, turquoise seas, pristine beaches, a crew on hand to cater to our every whim, delicious food, fun and relaxation…? Needless to say we all wished we could have stayed for longer!

This beautiful yacht is available for charter through luxury yacht charter specialists Seal Superyachts Company www.superyacht-charters.com. Enquiries can be made at adam@seal-superyachts.com