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A couple of days ago we went sailing om a catamaran. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the sea was really calm so we decided to hire a sail boat and sail around the island of Koh Tao.. There were four of us in the boat all together but only one of us could sail.....Floor from Holland.
The sea was really clear and calm and the weather was meant to stay this calm all day! There is a lot of coral reef around the island and was beautiful to look at. You could even jump in the water and swim with the fish.. The sea is so warm as well, so different to england. As hot as a bath!!!.
After a few hours suddenly this huge storm appeared out of nowhere above us. Really thick dark clouds appeared above us in litterly 10 minutes( see photos...at that stage, we assumed we would mak it back to the shop on time!) The wind picked up and got really strong. The wind was blowing so hard that the waves became as tall as us on the boat. We got stuck in the sea and the boat nearly fell over a few times. It started raining really hard The wind was very strong and very dangerous and there was lightning coming which was bad news if the lightning hit the boat we would get electricuted!
The coast line of the island is just big rocks and bolders. However, we were lucky because we managed to spot a gap in the rocks and there was a remote sandy beach. We managed to turn the boat sea towards the island, very difficult when the waves and the wind were so strong.
The wind was blowing towards the island-not out to sea, (lucky!), so the sailiing boat that we were in, raced towards the island, really quickly. We thought we were going to ram really hard onto the beach and get thrown out of the boat however the beach was shallow and not steep. so the boat glided up the sand out of the water and slowed gently. We got out of the boat, cold, wet, and a bit shocked...
There were no phones or anything to contact people to tell them where we were, or that we were safe and not stranded in the sea. There where just a few beach huts and a little beach hut restaurant area.
The boys decided to walk back and get some help. They had to walk back over 6 kilometers whilst us girls stayed with the boat that we hired. As they walked with  NO SHOES through the jungle just wearing swimming shorts and life jackets to keep warm. They had to walk over 3 huge hills that were really steepand had to climb up them-sometimes using their hands. Plus it was through thick jungle so treading on loads of bugs and plants. They followed a power line from the huts that was on the beach that the boat was stuck on. They guessed that the power lines must lead back to a town.  Eventually after a lot of effort they found a main town.
From there they got a taxi to the place we got the boat from. They told them that we were stranded on a beach. They were relieved that we were off the sea and safe!
 The storm had now calmed down a bit but unfortunately, it was getting dark. James was worried about us. as noone could get to the bay by boat because the sea was still too rough and the beach was impossible to get to by car because of the lack of road. Another problem us girls dint know was that the high tide was coming in and it would catch the boat on the sand and put it into the rocks that where further up the beach, destroying the boat but we got help by one of the local boys to store it up as much as we could up the beachbut we couldnt take the sail down as we didnt know how but the wind could catch it and pull the boat over.
No phones were working, so James didnt know what we were up to or if we were safe! We only had our bikinis on and the mossies loved it! The locals were looking after us well. Kept giving us good Wisky to keep us warm!
 So at the end, James decided to go back by himself through the jungle in the dark. Our mate stayed behind because he hired a motorcross bike and would be quicker by himself.He set off with just a torch,compass and a map to guide him.He had a big rucksack on with warm clothes in for us girls . James got the motorcross bike as far as he could towards us but the track became too much for it. So he got off and walked the rest back over the mountains to reach us. This time he had shoes on though. His feet were nearly bleading from the previous walk to the town and he was so tired because he had done a kick boxing lesson in the morning and could bairly walk afterwards. On the way back it was very dark. Pretty scary stuff being in the jungle by yourself with only a torch.....You hear lots of noises and and you can't see anything!! Eventually, James reached the top of the island, came out of the jungle and onto the beach front  - Been gone 7-8 hours since he left us but he couldn't see the us....
 It was hard to know where we were. He had to guess where we were stranded. He had just followed power lines to get a direction to the town with no map so didn't know where he had started from. Luckily there was a light from the beach hut we were waiting in not knowing if they would come back and we were deturmined to sleep on the boat and sail back first thing in day light!  He had to jump over these huge rocks along the coastline in the dark with the sea crashing away beneath him to get to us. That was a mission in itself we can all imagine jumping and climbing onto knifepoint rocks with only a torch to see ahead!! There was huge drops, sometimes upto 20 foot, on either side of him. He did not want to fall or slip....
After a few 100 meters, James got there in one peace and met us. Much too our delight!  We managed to lower the sail of the boat and drag it further up the beach. We all slept on the wooden floor of the restaurant hut. However, James had to keep getting up every hour to make sure the boat was ok. The sea kept rising up the beach and we did not want it too catch the boat. The next morning, we sailed back in the daylight and calm sea. That was a big adventure and we are glad we all made it in one piece and the boat still intact...Â
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