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YEE-HAR. THE US Navy is sailing to Phuket's rescue. And the boys and girls on the two warships will get here just in time to boost the high season opening, coming this weekend.
The guided missile carrier USS Chancellorville and the destroyer USS Decatur will dock on Tuesday in time for a formal meeting (a ''greet the fleet'') with local officials at 1pm.
From then on, it will be a chance for the 738 crew to enjoy shore leave (how come it's leave when they've just arrived) until the ships sail again on November 1.
Will it be a great boost for the Phuket economy just when some extra baht are needed?
You betcha. The island can do with an injection of US dollars, even if the greenback ain't what it used to be.
We toured Patong on Sunday and some of the tuk-tuk touts and tailors, not to mention the bar girls, are showing signs of desperation. Times are tough.
So they will be looking forward to the company of the US sailors with great anticipation.
If you are a US sailor, we'd love to know what you think of Phuket. Please tell us below in Comment
What seems to us to be quite extraordinary is the hapless timing.
If the two ships had sailed in next week, the crews would have had a chance to cheer on the bikini-clad competitors in the Phuket Thailand Open Beach Volleyball.
The competition is being held at Karon beach from November 4 to November 9 . . . but the US Navy sails a few days earlier.
Maybe the volleyball organisers and the US Navy can coordinate a bit more closely next year.
The prospect of watching athletic young athletes from 19 countries leap and dive on the Phuket sand is, we would have thought, a fairly attractive option for sports-loving American sailors.
There is no team from the US but the girls from Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Brazil, Czech Republic, China, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates all deserve a little cheering.
Or maybe American sailors are different these days? Patong will find out from Tuesday onwards whether they've changed.
The commanders of the US Navy ships and their senior staff will first meet the newly-appointed Commander, Third Naval Area Command, Vice Admiral Narong Thedvisal at the Royal Thai Navy base at Cape Panwa.
The two ships will be in Makham Bay for everyone to see. From then on, Phuket will extend the sailors the usual relatively hot island welcome.
Essential Reading
50 Reasons Why We Love Phuket
The holiday island of Phuket has always been very much a special part of Thailand, and that's reason to celebrate. We look at the true delights of life in Paradise.
Phuket 50 Reasons Why We Love Phuket (i)
Phuket 50 Reasons Why We Love Phuket (ii)
Coming Events
Loy Kratong: The traditional and very romantic ceremony, involving the sailing of lit candles on banana leaf boats by couples and those in love, will be held over two days in Patong this year, November 11 and 12.
Patong Carnival: Bigger but later this year, with parades on the first and last days and a budget of seven million baht. It should be a blast with a genuine crowd.
