Andaman Marine Surveyors wish to express our deepest condolences to the Royal Family and the people of Thailand following the sad news of the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand passed away peacefully on the 13th October, 2016 in Bangkok. The soul of the nation and a father to the Thai people, he worked tirelessly for the betterment of his people throughout his life. He was also a sportsman and an exceptional sailor.

In addition to being an exceptional sailor, His Majesty was a talented craftsman, building many boats in his time. Twenty-five to be precise, all dinghies. His first was “Rajptain” an Enterprise Class dinghy. In 1965 in his first ever sailing race, His Majesty, with HSH Prince Bhisadej Rajani as crew, competed against 35 boats in a race from Pattaya to Koh Larn – a race which they won, beating Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh in the process. Graceful in defeat, the Prince later sent His Majesty a catamaran as a thank you for organising the race and a symbol of friendship. This was the first ever catamaran in Thailand and His Majesty named it Pla Duek, which is Thai for catfish and also a play on the word Duke.

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