Sunsail compensation not accepted by customer

The family of a retired doctor who almost went to jail in Thailand for unwittingly anchoring on coral on a sailing holiday have refused a compensation offer from the operator.

Sailing holidays specialist Sunsail had offered €3000 as a gesture of goodwill to 68-year-old retired doctor, who was arrested by Thai police in October while on holiday just off Phuket. His passport was confiscated and he had to pay around €5000 in fines, legal fees and other expenses.

His family claim the Sunsail manual for the area wasn’t clear enough and say Sunsail failed to provide support throughout his ordeal.

Sunsail has refused to accept that its guidance was unclear but made the goodwill offer to Dr Hubert Egloff, an experienced sailor, last week.

The sailing holiday specialist has since updated its guidance to customers for the coral reef off Racha Yai, an island south of Phuket.

But Dr Egloff’s family told TravelMole they would not be accepting the offer.

“It does not cover our financial costs, and it definitely does not cover the emotional and physical costs of undergoing such an experience, as well as the actual risk my dad was facing of being sent to prison in Thailand,” said his daughter Gwen Hustwit.

“He is an honest man who now has a criminal record. This was one of the most frightening day of our lives and Sunsail did nothing to protect my dad. I had to move mountains to make sure my dad was represented in court and had to ask the Embassy to support us as much as possible.”