Pattaya - Hua Hin Ferry

[PeteC]

There used to be medicated patches that you placed on the side of your neck to prevent sea sickness. They worked very well, much better than pills. This was 20 years ago so technology concerning the subject may have advanced to something even better.

I would try to find some and give them a test run on one of Barry's local sea cruises to see what happens. Pete

[barrys]

prcscct wrote: "I would try to find some and give them a test run on one of Barry's local sea cruises to see what happens"

Thanks for the plug Pete, we'd be delighted to oblige.

On the subject of seasickness:

There are pills available here over the counter at about 2 baht each, called Dimenhydrinate - we give them out free if passengers ask for them - though ideally they should be taken at least 30 minutes before boarding.
These pills are antihistamine-based and tend to cause drowsiness.

Another interesting countermeasure is ginger.
See the following article:
Ginger

About 1 gram of powdered ginger has been shown effective against motion sickness in double-blind studies. In Germany, up to 4 grams per day is recommended.

Start dosing about 12 hours before boarding your ship The beauty of the ginger is it's easy to obtain and has no side effects. You might try gingersnap cookies instead. Ginger root works just as well as the tablets or powder. Ginger ale can also be used. Japanese food marts sell pickled ginger slices that can be used for the same purpose. Ginger root is often available in your local supermarket (at least in Southern California).

Ginger: Non-toxic Anti-Emetic

Botanical Name: Zingiber officinale

Plant Part Used: The rhizome

Active Constituents: The dried rhizome contains approximately 1 to 4% volatile oils.

Actions on the Digestive System: Classifiedas an aromatic bitter, ginger stimulates digestion. It is also noted for improving gastrointestinal motility.

1. Ginger also improves the production and secretion of bile from the liver and gallbladder

2. Ginger also qualifies as a carminativeherb. Animal studies in Saudi Arabia show that ginger protects the stomach from the damaging effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen is an example) and alcohol

3. Ginger is a noted anti-emetic. While most research has suggested that this action is centered in the GI tract in humans, recent animal studies suggest that there may be some action on the central nervous system also.

4. Health Care Applications Motion Sickness: Ginger has been widely studied as a treatment for motion sickness. A 1982 study found that ginger was superior to dimenhydrinate for reducing motion sickness (caused by rotating a chair). The dose of ginger was 940 mg and it was consumed 20 to 25 minutes before the test.

5. A handful of studies since have both agreed and disagreed with these results. One study tested ginger against seasickness in eighty Danish naval cadets unaccustomed to sailing in heavy seas. One gram of ginger reduced vomiting and cold sweating. Fewer symptoms of nausea and vertigo were also reported.

6. A study completed at Louisiana State University, with a grant from NASA, is more skeptical. Because motion sickness is common in astronauts, the researchers compared the anti-motion sickness activity of ginger and scopolamine (commonly used as a topical patch to treat motion sickness). Using the rotating chair test, they found that scopolomine was effective in reducing motion sickness while one gram of either fresh or dried ginger was not.

7. However, during their discussion of the study, the authors note that the ginger group did have a noticeable reduction in the incidence of vomiting and sweating but not nausea and vertigo.

It would be interesting to hear from morsage, Mr.Plum and DrMike on this subject, though.

[Super Joe]

On the subject of seasickness: Another interesting countermeasure is ginger.

That's interesting, never heard of that before, will give it a try. So then splitlid, do you fancy coming to Pattaya on 12th November?

SJ

[poosmate]

SJ Some types of ginger can be bad for your health especially the liver.

[barrys]

I'm pretty sure one 1 g of any type is not going to do that much damage

[hhfarang]

There used to be medicated patches that you placed on the side of your neck to prevent sea sickness. They worked very well, much better than pills. This was 20 years ago so technology concerning the subject may have advanced to something even better.

As you say Pete, the technology may be better now. As for me, I used them at least 15 years ago, but the patches made me feel woozy and gave me a very dry mouth. I heard the dry mouth complaint from a lot of fellow divers. I'm not prone to motion sickness but have gotten queasy on rough seas a few times, especially out of sight of land and on older boats when the smell of diesel permeated the air. I only used them on longer voyages when the sea was rough and the boat was being tossed about.

Because of the side effects of drugs on divers, a lot of fellow live aboard shipmates used to use an elastic wrist band with a bead of plastic on it. It was advertised that if you wore it correctly the bead put pressure on some (acupressure type) point on your wrist that suppressed motion sickness. I never tried it and don't know if it really worked or if it was one of those placebo things that caused the believers not to get sick.

It looks like they still sell something similar. This one is a different design to the ones I saw years ago but here is the blurb on how it (supposedly) works.

http://www.biobands.com/howworks.htm

I know, I know, we've gone off topic and this should probably be on the health forum...

[Big Boy]

The final survey inspection of the boat is scheduled for 26 September.
If the surveyor is happy with everything then, the boat can go!!

I will post more as soon as I know.
I've been invited to join the maiden voyage to Hua Hin, so I'll be able to give you all the details then.

Sorry for bothering for you, but I'm trying to put together a list of what I'd like to do during my forthcoming visit, and a trip on this vessel features high on the list.

Any news on when the service will be running please? Do you have any idea on schedules ie will it just be one trip each way each day?

[barrys]

I received a phone call from the owners of the ferry last night, as a result of which I am now leaving for Pattaya.

The ferry will do its first test run from Pattaya tomorrow morning, Thursday.

We expect to dock at Mermaid Cruises Marina around noon, if anyone wants to get a look.

I will give a detailed report on the crossing after I return tomorrow.

[PeteC]

If you select the small grid point between Pattaya and Hua Hin it looks like the crossing should be relatively smooth. Good luck. Pete

http://www.marine.tmd.go.th/Spectrum01/Spectrum.html

[Super Joe]

I received a phone call from the owners of the ferry last night, as a result of which I am now leaving for Pattaya.
The ferry will do its first test run from Pattaya tomorrow morning, Thursday.

Yes, I saw that on Paddy Power's site. I'm on 30-45mins

SJ

[PeteC]

No news is not good news I'm afraid. Did you and the boat make it over Barry? Pete

[PET]

No news is not good news I'm afraid. Did you and the boat make it over Barry? Pete

Its only been 24 hours and after all it is the first trip.

[poosmate]

Maybe the weather has stranded Barry like some modern day Robinson Crusoe
Forced to find shelter in ...............Pattaya
Oh a seafarers life is not for everyone

[barrys]

The boat made it across fine!!!

We took it easy at around 15 knots, because the engines are still being run in. We did give it a couple of bursts at the planned speed of 20 kn, though, and it was a pretty smooth trip overall.

Just a little bit of tweaking to do now, then they propose to start the service.

[BaaBaa.]

How long did it take Barry?