Pattaya Mail — Features

Travel & Leisure in and around Pattaya

Go-karting and shooting, two quick & easy thrills that fit into one day

with Ken Bailey

I’ve never seen anyone jump from their cart after pulling into the pits and say that they didn’t enjoy the experience. Whether you’re a speed freak who regularly does a grand prix workout, or an interested thrillseeker who wants charge, go-karting at Pattaya’s two circuits is an adrenaline rush activity for groups of family and friends.

Nothing brings out the determined competitiveness in people like motor racing, and carting is one of the safest means of burning rubber against your mates. Most groups at the tracks have an air of excitement to their banter as they challenge before and debate after their races.

However, don’t think of go-karting as something just for groups of men. It is also great for active teenagers, fun for children in the lower c.c. carts, and a good way to work off some husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend rivalry. Frequent competitions mean that with dedication, one can take up go-karting as a regular sport.

The costs of go-karting vary according to the length of time on the circuit that you want and the engine capacity, and hence the speed, of the cart you select. Pattaya’s two go-kart circuits are close to each other on Thep Prasit Road and are easy to reach by taxi. KR Go-Kart is on Thep Prasit Road itself, while opposite its complex a small soi leads to Pattaya Kart Speedway.

A little unusual, and quite a buzz, a visit to the Pattaya Shooting Range at the Tiffany complex on Second Road North Pattaya can easily slip onto the same day as a go-kart challenge. Shooting is for men and ladies, although not for children, and is quite safe for the inexperienced with safety officers supervising your session.

Using the complex’s 19 lane indoor range, the public is able to fire .22 calibre rifles, .38 calibre revolvers and .45 and 9mm semi-automatic pistols. Targets are figures of a man (that would be right) drawing a gun from a hip holster with scores from 10 to zero on various parts of his body.

For those who’ve never fired a handgun, the feeling is unique. One moment the gun is a dead weight in your hand pointing towards the target, the next it is throwing your arm backwards with an aggressive force, flames spitting from its barrel. As with go-karting, shooting is a competitive activity. You can shoot at varying distances, scoring against your friends to see just who is the best shot at short and long ranges.

Thailand's first Parachuting Club opening in Pattaya

by Ken Bailey

Representing another jewel in Pattaya’s already considerable crown of holiday and adventure pursuits, Siam Air Sports, Thailand’s first public parachuting club, commences operations on October 27th. After participating in the Thai’97 aerospace, maritime and defence exhibition, Siam Air Sports’ experienced parachute instructors from the United Kingdom will offer several airborne activities to the public.

Director of Safety & Training Mike Skeet explains that parachuting is divided into the two categories of static line and free fall. Static line jumps are from lower altitudes with the parachute opening automatically via its connection to the aircraft’s ‘static line’. Free falls are skydives where the parachutist pulls a ripcord after plummeting through the sky.

Siam Air Sports will be offering the popular tandem free falls where you are attached to an instructor for the jump. Tandems let you experience the thrill of free falling from 13,000 feet without the time and cost of completing a course. Promising to make the best of Pattaya’s scenic beauty, tandem jumpers will be landing at the Pattaya Park complex.

Anticipating a large degree of interest from those thrilled by the tandem experience, Sam Air Sports will also offer accredited Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) courses. Consisting of seven hours of training, one tandem and six solo free fall jumps, this course will qualify graduates to free fall around the world.

The club will also be offering a static line experience with a Pattaya feel: parachuting into the sea off Jomtien. With the parachute opening automatically within three seconds of you hurling from the aircraft, it is a sensational and scenic descent into the cool waters. Dinghies will be waiting to pluck jumpers from the water within moments of splashing down.

Having set up an office at the Nova Lodge on Pattaya Klang, Siam Air Sports will be using this location for the tandem and water jump briefings as well as the AFF instructional phases. Mr. Skeet also calls attention to the club’s rigid safety standards. All instructors and equipment, including their Short Skyvan aircraft, are in line with the international standards to which they are accustomed. With close to 5000 descents on the international circuit, Mr. Skeet brings formal instructional and safety management qualifications in the parachuting field to Thailand.

Topping off the experience, Siam Air Sports will be presenting all first time jumpers with certificates. Additionally, everyone will be able to purchase photographs and videos of themselves jumping.

As the tourist season approaches and resort towns in South-East Asia gear up for the competitive drive, Siam Air Sports should provide another exciting reason to choose Pattaya. To inquire about Siam Air Sports’ parachuting activities, drop into their Nova Lodge office of telephone 361536.

Local loco lives longer

Although Jomtien has never had a train service, a part of Thai transportation history stands there. At the Jomtiem Chalet Resort, at the far end of the Beach Road, a sad looking locomotive will soon come back to its original state. Railway enthusiast Geoff Wilde, a retired supermarket manager from Manchester England, noticed the train and asked the owner of the resort if he could renovate it. He also wants to move the very heavy steam engine to the front of the property, so the public can see this piece of history.

"Although I have never driven a train, they have always been a fascination with me", Geoff told Pattaya Mail. "My Father was working for British Railways when I was a child and it was the highlight of the year to go to the coast for the annual holiday, by train."

The train engine was built in Switzerland during World War 2. It served as a passenger train on the Bangkok-Samutsonkram route. The Jomtiem Chalet Resort acquired it from Mahachai Railway Yard in 1984, along with the carriages, which were built in Japan in 1946. That year the resort stripped the train bare to give it a new lease of life, with the carriages converted into air-conditioned overnight en-suite accommodations, complete with kitchen.

By now, with the hazardous sea air, deterioration has crept in and its time for the old timers face lift. "All the original livery will be put back in order, and as Jomtiem is known as a Family Resort, the owners want to turn part of the train into a nursery and the surrounding grounds into a picnic area during the day and at weekend evenings, a beer garden," Geoff stated. Definitely a place you can call your loco pub.

For those who are railway enthusiast’s: The Thai railroad system, which totals about 3940 km (about 2448 mi) of track, is owned and operated by the state. Consisting of a network of lines radiating from Bangkok, the system extends as far north as Chiang Mai, southward to the frontier of Malaysia, eastward to Ubon, and northeastward through Udon Thani to Nong Khai near the Laos border. Another line extends northwestward to the Myanmar frontier.

The first practical locomotive was constructed in England in 1804 by the British engineer and inventor Richard Trevithick. This locomotive, with four driving wheels, had smooth wheels operating on smooth metal rails; its success proved that sufficient traction could be obtained without using gear wheels and a cogged or toothed track. Equally important, the Trevithick locomotive exhausted its steam into the smokestack of the engine’s firebox; this provided a forced draft for the fire in the firebox and was employed on all subsequent steam locomotives.

Muay Thai school opens in Pattaya

by Boonleua Chatri

(Muay Thai) or Thai kick boxing has been an integral part of the Thai culture for hundreds of years. In ancient days, Siam was engaged in many wars to protect or gain territory. Young Thai men were all expected to participate in the protection of the country and it became customary for men to learn hand to hand combat as well as weaponry. With the passage of time, (Muay Thai) developed into a martial art.

The aim of this art was mental concentration and beauty of movement which, when necessary could be deadly.

In the Sukothai era, stone carvings tell us that the Kingdom was often engaged in wars with surrounding kingdoms and all young men were schooled in the art of the sword, shield and spear in conjunction with fighting techniques using the feet, knees, elbows and other parts of the body as weapons.

In times of peace, men would practice (Muay Thai) to keep themselves physically fit and mentally acute.

This art continued and developed in the Ayuthaya period. The men who were recognised as being especially good at (Muay Thai) were greatly respected and sought after as teachers.

One may wonder why Thai women, who often fought in wars, did not take up the sport. It was recognised that women were naturally more agile than men and could develop very powerful kicking skills. The one impediment was women were more vulnerable, as their most sensitive area, their breasts, covered more area than a man’s most sensitive area, his genitals. It was for this reason that the art of fighting with two swords was practiced by women who wished to be warriors. Some did develop impressive kicking skills, which they used in battle, guarding their upper bodies with the two swords.

His Majesty King Narai the Great encouraged the study of (Muay Thai) and especially talented young men to make it their profession. The first ‘boxing camps’ were founded.

At that time, all bouts were on level earth with string defining the boundaries of the ring.

The ‘gloves’ worn by fighters were made from thread which was dipped in rice flour paste. The wet thread was wound around the boxers hands and allowed to dry and harden. This was called ‘string’ boxing.

At the end of the Ayuthaya period, after that great city had lost its second war with Burma, a renowned boxer named (Khanom Tom) was taken prisoner of war by the Burmese.

The King of Burma commanded a grand festival to celebrate the blessing of a giant Stupa built in Rangoon. On March 17th, 1837, he ordered that (Khanom Tom) fight the best of Burmese boxers. (Khanom Tom) succeeded in winning ten consecutive bouts against 10 Burmese fighters with no rest in between bouts. This made him a legend and the ‘father’ of modern Thai boxing. This victory also made (Muay Thai) well known in many parts of Asia. This date is now celebrated as (Muay Thai) day in Thailand.

His Majesty King Chulalongkorn the Great, or Rama V, learned (Muay Thai) at the Royal (Muay Thai) Office, under the tutelage of Master Pholyothanuyok, the leading teacher of that time.

His Majesty would often have Royal Command bouts staged and encouraged the best boxers in His Kingdom to fight in the Royal Ring. His Majesty also ordered that the sport be promoted throughout the Kingdom as health and fitness training. (Muay Thai) was also declared the national sport.

His Majesty encouraged the building of boxing camps in each city to teach the fundamentals of the sport to any wanting to learn.

When His Majesty founded the first Thai Ministry of Education, he commanded that (Muay Thai) be a part of Thailand’s national educational curriculum.

As the size of boxing rings was being standardised in foreign countries, the (Muay Thai) ring was redesigned to fit international standards.

Today, Muay Thai is the most popular sport in Thailand and has many professional camps and amateur enthusiasts.

At present, Boxing Master Yord Thong Senanan is the head of the (Muay Sit-Yord Thong-Payak Aroon) group and is an honorary advisor to the (Suksongchai) boxing camp in Pattaya.

Master Yordthong and Professor Sawang Siripai of Srinakharinviroj University are petitioning the International Olympic Committee to allow (Muay Thai) to be an official event in the Olympics.

In 1996, the first International Amateur (Muay Thai) championships were held in Bangkok.

The Thai Boxing School, the first in Thailand and the world, was established on May 30th, 1996, by the (Muay Thai) Federation. The school was established with government approval after small Muay Thai associations in 78 countries requested a school where those who wished could learn Muay Thai in Thailand, the home of the sport.

Khun Amnuay Kesbamrung, an official of the World Boxing Federation and owner of the Rangsit Boxing Stadium, had new construction done and training areas and ‘classrooms’ added to the stadium.

Thai experts on Muay Thai, physical training, sports medicine and health readily agreed to be a part of the instruction faculty. This group is also responsible for bringing the best Thai boxing Masters to the school.

The school registered for and received accreditation from the Thai Ministry of Education.

The school officially opened on July 5th 1997. After 3 months the school has 162 full-time students of many nationalities.

The boxing curriculum has four levels; Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Muay Thai. Those successfully completing the Advanced Level are encouraged to take the Instructor’s Course which has three levels. The first is to teach the proper methods of refereeing and scoring. The final two levels are courses in the instructing of young boxers. This is to encourage the study of Muay Thai in foreign countries.

Basic, Intermediate and Advanced English courses are also offered at the school for those who wish to travel to foreign countries in their pursuit of a career in the various aspects of Muay Thai.

The school has living quarters, a cafeteria with a qualified dietician designing the menus, a doctor and masseur.

The establishment of this school is not implying that the many Muay Thai schools throughout the world are lacking in quality.

The school was founded on the premise that Thailand is the home of Muay Thai and the many requests from abroad that a school be founded in which foreigners could study, supervised by the keepers of the tradition.

In the boxing courses, Thai psychology and the philosophy of Muay Thai are taught.

This accredited school is proud to be the first international institution to teach this traditional Thai martial art in Thailand with instructors who have been teaching Muay Thai their whole lives and living in the culture in which it was born.

Those who wish to know more about the Muay Thai school and enrolment should call the school at Tel. (02) 992-0096-9 between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Students are accepted for enrolment at the beginning of each month.

Health and Nutrition Facts

When you want to lose weight...

by Laura Zubrod, Registered Dietician

So, you want to drop a few pounds. Weight loss takes a lot of effort - just wanting to lose weight is not enough. Your attitude toward weight loss affects your ability to succeed. When you have the wrong attitude and beliefs about weight loss, it can sabotage your efforts. Here is a short test to see if you are you ready to begin tackling your weight loss goals. Answer true or false to the following questions.

1. I have though a lot about my eating habits and physical activities and I know what I might change.

2. I know that I need to make permanent, not temporary changes to my eating and activity patterns.

3. I will only feel success if I lose a lot of weight.

4. I know that it is best if I lose weight slowly.

5. I am thinking about losing weight now because I really want to, not because someone else thinks I should.

6. I think losing weight would solve other problems in my life.

7. I am willing and able to increase my physical activity.

8. I can lose weight successfully if I have no slip-ups.

9. I am willing to commit time and effort each week to organize and plan my food and activity choices.

10. Once I lose a few pounds but reach a plateau (when you can’t seem to lose more), I usually lose the motivation to keep going toward my weight goal.

11. I want to start a weight loss-program even though my life is unusually stressful right now.

To score your quiz: for questions 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 9, give yourself 1 point if you answered true and 0 points if you answered false. For questions 3, 6, 8, 10, and 11, each true answer gives you 0 points and each false answer gives you 1 point.

If you scored 8 points or higher, you probably have good reasons to lose weight now and you know some of the steps to help you succeed. If you scored 5 to 7 points, you may need to reevaluate your reasons for losing weight and the strategies you would follow. If you scored 4 or less, now may not be the right time for you to lose weight. You may be successful initially but you may not be able to sustain the effort to reach or maintain your weight goal. Reconsider your reasons and approach, then try again.

One pound of body fat contains 3,500 calories worth of stored energy. For weight loss, you need to create a 3,500 calorie deficit for each pound you want to lose. At a 500 calorie a day deficit you will loose weight at a safe rate of about 1 pound per week. Since eating 500 less calories each day is difficult, it is best to combine exercise with cutting back on food to create a deficit.

One of the easiest ways to cut calories is to trim fat from your diet. Fat is a more concentrated source of calories, it has 9 calories per gram while carbohydrate and protein have 4 calories per gram. Fat calories should be no more than 30 percent of your day’s calories.

These shortcuts can help you cut fat and calories from your diet:

Eat a variety of foods. Don’t eliminate food groups when trying to lose weight, eat smaller portions while still eating a variety of foods.

Cut back on the fat in your food choices. Examine your diet for areas you can trim the fat from your diet. Look at your cooking methods, favorite restaurant foods and substitute lower fat foods for those higher in fat.

Choose foods high in fiber. Foods high in fiber make you feel fuller faster and keep you feeling fuller longer. Fiber also guards against constipation and colon cancer and can help lower blood cholesterol.

Fill up on fruits and vegetables. These are high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber and low in fat. They fill you up with fewer calories.

Learn how to eat what you like. Including your favorites. No one food by itself can make you fat. You are more likely to stick to your eating plan if you don’t deprive yourself of your favorite foods. Just eat small amounts in moderation.

Control your portion sizes. Even calories from low fat foods can make you fat. Remember a calorie is a calorie whether it came from chocolate cake or a piece of fruit. If that calorie is excess of what your body needs, it will be stored as fat.

Go easy on alcohol. Alcohol supplies 7 calories per gram. A 12-ounce beer contains 150 calories, a glass of wine has 100 calories, and 1 jigger of hard alcohol has about 80 calories. Calories really start to add up when drinks are made with fruit juices and sweet syrups. Drinking alcohol can also stimulate your appetite so you may eat more.

Snack. Plan snacks to prevent yourself from becoming extremely hungry and then overeating. Snacks are also a great way to get additional servings of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that may be missing from your diet.

Remember, weight loss is about making life-style changes and adopting new habits that will not only help you shed those pounds now, but keep them off for good.

Readers may write Laura care of the Pattaya Mail with questions or special topics they would like to see addressed.

Maria - an innocent victim

by Elfi

Maria is a beautiful young lady born seventeen months ago. Doctors presumed she would die before she reached the age of five, for her mother Ratree, nicknamed Gae, had AIDS in the final stage of her pregnancy. Maria was born, as so many other unfortunate babies now, with the deadly virus in her blood.

Gae came to Pattaya at the age of sixteen to work in the bars, and died at the age of twenty-one. When she got too sick to take care of herself, her weight was frighteningly reduced to 28 kilogrammes. She was taken in by John and Nin Hopkins, who actually knew her since she arrived in Pattaya and who always wanted to help her to get out of this life, after they heard about her illness through another friend. Like a miracle, one week before mother and child arrived, the Hopkins’ moved to a bigger house, therefore making it more convenient to host their guests.

Nin and John have three children of their own, Mary 11, Supanee 7, and Prawee 6, but didn’t give a second thought to nursing Gae and the baby Maria. John says, "Let’s put it this way. I did something I couldn’t refuse, and so would many others."

After about one month in their house, Gae called John one night and asked to be brought to a hospital, for she felt very sick. John drove her to Banglamung Hospital and left her there after he was assured that they would take good care of her. The next morning, John and Nin were planning to go visit her, but learned that she had been transferred to another hospital in Chonburi for an operation. John called Chonburi, only to hear that she was doing fine and he could visit her the next day. Only the next day, when he and his wife arrived at the hospital, they learned she had died.

The truth was, Gae had died one hour after the operation, before John had called the day before. When he asked what the reason for the operation was, the doctor told him that Gae’s whole body was infested with TB and that the performance of the operation was absolutely necessary.

For John and Nin, who loved Maria very dearly, it was clear that they were going to keep her and raise her as their own. "She has brought so much happiness and love into our life," says John, "we wouldn’t have left her for all the world. I have a grown up daughter and a son in England, but while they were growing up, I had so much work to do I never realised how beautiful it is to raise a child. Even with my children here, I never had enough time for them. Now, with Maria given to me, I can see and enjoy every single minute. After her mother died, we hired a good lawyer and he made it possible for us to get custody of her."

"I was afraid that it might be too much for my wife to take care of four children. We got offers from orphanages to bring Maria there, but both my wife and I refused to do so. We know she was born into this world and she must have a reason for living. We are trying to give her a nice and happy life."

Did he ever have doubts about taking her as his own child? John shakes his head emphatically, "There was never a doubt we would help that poor woman, taking care of her and her child. It was just the right thing to do. Nobody else was around to help, it was our duty." He adds on, "So many things are wrong in this world, it makes you wonder why God lets them happen. You know, many times I wonder if He will spare Maria."

"She is only a baby. Here in Thailand there is so much ignorance about AIDS. Many doctors in a lot of clinics don’t know enough about it. Many times I was warned not to eat out of the same plate with Maria or not to kiss her. They don’t know the truth. I contacted a few specialists in Europe, first of all to get all the necessary information and second to learn how to prevent my own children from catching the disease. One of the world’s top specialists, Professor M.W. Adler of the University of London Medical School, wrote me a few letters back."

The doctor wrote: "Maria is still fairly young. I don’t know if it has been pointed out to you, but the diagnosis of HIV infection in babies is notoriously difficult since there is passive transfer of HIV from the mother to the baby. This can sometimes take 18 months to clear. Therefore, using a normal traditional test it is possible for a baby to appear HIV-positive for anything up to 18 months before it clears the mothers blood, when the baby would then become negative, and be truly negative."

More explanations about testing follow, and then: "The advice that you have been given about eating utensils is inappropriate. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that HIV is contagious in this way."

John says, "See what I mean with the ignorance here in this country? I kiss Maria at least three hundred times a day and so do my wife and my children. We eat out of the same plates and drink out of the same cups as she does. Of course, we are all, and I have instructed my children, very aware of when she hurts herself. If she’s bleeding, we take care of ourselves when helping her. Most of the people are too afraid and they show it. But they don’t have to be afraid. They should realise that AIDS patients cannot be ignored. For God’s sake, we’ve got to help them, they need it badly! We don’t worry about catching the disease, for it is not easy to catch. And if it was, what choice do we have? Somebody has to take the chance! I know I am responsible for my family, but Maria is family. I believe God’s spirit is in the goodness of all people. I have always tried to live according to that."

The Girl who would be Hotel Queen

When Bernadette Van’t Hof was born in Den Helden in the north of Holland 25 years ago, little did she realise that one day, like her adventurous, seafaring Dutch ancestors, she too would cross oceans in search of dreams.

And what better way to do so than by choosing a profession that would take her to the antipodes? With those dreams and Dutch determination, she decided to be a part of the hospitality business and joined the fast growing hotel industry.

Bernadette studied at the "Hotel School-Amsterdam." As part of her education, she received training in England and at the Hong Kong Renaissance Hotel.

After graduation, she applied and was accepted to work at the soon to be opened Mercure Hotel in Pattaya, as F&B Management Trainee. In the autumn of 1995, with optimism of new wisdom and tenacity to succeed, she arrived on Pattaya’s shores, and the rest is history.

The vibrant and energetic Bernadette worked in the administration office while the hotel was being completed, and when the Mercure Hotel opened its doors to its first guests, she became the restaurant supervisor. The magnificent feather in her cap was then to be promoted to the most challenging job of her career; to manage the Fun Pub.

As manager, she transformed the Fun Pub into one of the "in" places around Pattaya. Many celebrations and parties were held there. Personalities from all walks and ranks of life became regulars. It became a favourite meeting place for expats and businessmen from the community. Her sweet smile and radiant personality was always there to greet her guests when they came for a fun filled evening.

Bernadette has thoroughly enjoyed her nearly two years of stay in Pattaya. She made many friends and "was never bothered or had problems in Pattaya." At work, her colleagues were very helpful and though being a very young manager, gained the love and respect of her co-workers. "The Mercure team are like my family, especially John Gardner and his wife Marion who took me under their wing and made me feel like their very own."

Being a woman and managing mostly male workers was of no problem to her. "I respected them and they respected me. There are no conflicts between men and women in our work place. We have a mutual understanding that we had a job to do and we were going to do it to the best of our ability. That could only be achieved by doing it with unity, poise and understanding."

Asked about her future plans, her eyes lit up and sparkled. With a far away gaze, focused beyond the horizon, as if to get a glimpse of somewhere "over the rainbow", she replied, "I want to own my on hotel someday. I don’t know where or when, but that is my dream."

In departing to her new role as a Restaurant Supervisor at the Stratford on Avon Hotel in England, I’m sure she can already hear the words of William Shakespeare which too, echo in our thoughts, ‘I am a feather for each wind that blows".

Royal Varuna sailors leave for SEA Games

Although the major contingent of yachting participants at the 19th South-East Asian Games, which opened at Jakarta last week, are coming from the Royal Thai Navy sailing clubs at Sattahip, Pattaya will be represented by the Helms siblings - Patrick and Bianca.

Patrick, two-time Laser national champion of Thailand - at 15, the youngest ever to win this title in 1995 - and now current champion at 17, will be racing in the Laser division which is the toughest of the Games, pitting him against Singapore’s Olympic competitor and several regional and national champions.

Little sister Bianca, at just 14 years of age, will race the Europe dinghy and she, too, will be facing the region’s best - all older and more experienced ladies.

But these two "wunderkinder", under the watchful eye of mother, Wassana, a wee lady from Petchaburi Province, with weeks of hard training, plus local and international racing, are going to give a very good account of themselves and could well bring back some SEA Gold from Indonesia.

Probably the best practice for these "teenage tigers" was competing in the first Laser Radial Youth World Championships (under 18), held off Mohammedia, Morocco.

In the fierce competition, Patrick finished 45th out of 122 entries from 25 countries. His best score, interestingly enough, was a second place in race five (out of the 12 scheduled), sailed in a westerly which produced the strongest (15-knots plus) winds of the event, "conditions," he said afterwards, "which rather resembled Pattaya’s South-westerly Monsoons."

Little sister Bianca, a most courageous young lady, was fearless in the alien, cold waters and big seas of the Atlantic, finishing 14th out of 24 - a remarkable performance against bigger, much more experienced girls.

One observer from the Laser International Association, watching Patrick’s performance against the world’s best, remarked: "Patrick is still developing but he has shown such good form in a number of races that, if he continues to improve, he will certainly be representing Thailand at the Sydney Olympiad."

A test closer home for the Helms was the just-finished Royal Varuna’s "Off-the-beach" series, the most difficult part of which, as the title suggests, was actually leaving the beach. With the prevailing Monsoon dumping some big rollers onto the Club’s foreshore, the teams waist-deep - or higher - were hard-pressed to keep their craft stable and aimed in the right direction at the starting signal.

It was reduced down, basically, to "different heights for different flights", so to speak. There was diminutive Bianca struggling just to keep her head above water - let alone worrying about which way her Laser was pointing, as successive swells surged in. Right alongside that determined young lady, however, was somewhat taller (like about half a metre) Great Dane Jens Overgaard, nonchalantly holding his Fireball into the wind, as successive waves barely reached his waist.

But little Bianca was only "out of her depth" IN the water. On top of the water, among the machos, she was very much in control. In fact, in a fleet of some of the Kingdom’s best sailors, Bianca finished third, behind series winner big brother Patrick Helms and Swiss flag-carrier Charlie Zbinden, who was second overall.

As Thailand has consistently dominated regional yachting events - particularly the SEA Games, the Helms are going to continue this tradition at Jakarta, I feel.

Meantime, some others among our Pattaya sailors have competed overseas: in the Hobie Cat 16 World Championships at Sotogrande, Southern Spain and a wind-surfing carnival on the Red Sea, off the southern coast of Egypt.

All Varuna sailors did very well, indeed, and, following the excellent performance of our sailors at Sotogrande, Thailand has been confirmed as the venue for Hobie Cat 16 World Championships to be held at Pattaya in March 2000, just prior to the Sydney Olympics.

It seems, too, that the performance of the Thai team at Mohammedia, as in the case of the Hobie Cats in Spain, has convinced the International Laser Class Association that Thailand is the place to come, awarding the 1998 Laser Pacifics to the Kingdom - for the second time in just over a decade.

Meantime, back in Spain, the Bates team - Peter and Juliet - undoubtedly the best catamaran sailors to land on Thai shores (their brilliant victory in the 1997 Vega Rudder Trophy Race was reported in the Pattaya Mail, 12 September), as 1997 Hobie Cat National Champions of Thailand, automatically had a pre-qualified slot for the open championship.

The rest of the four-strong Thai team, David/Susan Race and John Marten/Alexis Welsh, finished in the top tercile of the Master’s event - seventh and 14th, respectively - while novices, Ben/Suzanne Merz, who "went to Spain for the experience", handled the tough conditions very well, improving up to an 18th placing in the final race. Juliet Bates also found time to enter the Women’s Championship, finishing very close to the top, in sixth place.

As Royal Varuna Flag Commodore David Race pointed out after the event, the performance of the Bates team at Sotogrande, "was a great boost for yachting Thailand." Winning even one race and finishing 26th in the World finals of the largest (200 plus), most fiercely contested one-design catamaran event in the world, "was an incredibly good result," added the Flag Commodore, a top catamariner himself.

Peter Bates, Thailand Hobie Fleet 148 Captain, is a man used to the horrendous Pacific winds off the Australian coast, but even he was startled at the ferocity of the Mediterranean. "With some tide and a little ‘slop’, we thought conditions would be similar to Pattaya," mused Peter. "What Team Thailand did not realize was that the competition average wind of 15 knots, was derived from three days of zero wind, to three days of 30-knots plus, with gusts of 40-knots recorded - a wind blowing the mud crabs out of the water," he added, with typical Aussie hyperbole.

With a water temperature of about 15 degrees Celsius at Sotogrande, it was no wonder that the Hobie Cat International executives gave an over-whelming endorsement for Pattaya’s warm waters and moderate conditions.

Finally, focus switched to the Red Sea where Royal Varuna’s Murray Maunder sailed in an annual wind-surfing competition, fighting 40-knot winds and a debilitating heat.

According to Murray, these events are in the nature of an "annual friendly", whereby associates and wind-surfing addicts meet each year at a different venue. "But that does not diminish the competitiveness," he quickly added, avoiding too much mention of his own overall placing in the 1997 regatta.

There is a curious anomaly about wind surfing and its legion of devoted practitioners: it is pure, unfettered sailing with no fancy gear and very few trappings, in complete contrast to dinghy sailing, with high-tech fittings, gear and paraphernalia.

When dinghy sailors head for a regatta, they travel lightly, taking only the basic sails and other items. Hulls are usually at the venue for charter. On the contrary, when wind-surfers travel, they take their boards and a huge amount of accessories. Murray’s outfit weighed in at some 75 kg of air freight.

In fact, when their flight arrived at Heathrow, after the event, and the baggage handlers learned it was full of wind-surfers and their gear, they went on strike!

"That was a temporary occupational hazard," opined Murray, in a classic New Zealand under-statement. "After a week fighting the elements on the Red Sea, a hassle at Heathrow would not even rate as an obstacle on the course," he added.

This weekend sees a team of Hobie Cat aficionados head for Hong Kong to participate in the Third Hobie Cat Asian Classic, a fore-runner of the highly-successful "Yacht Haven Varuna Cup," to be sailed in Pattaya during the first week of December.

Pattaya’s Peter and Juliet Bates will be defending their Classic title against the region’s best.

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