Yesterday’s sailing was supposed to be the maiden voyage of the Royal One on the 113km crossing from Pattaya to Hua Hin. As the trip was the new service’s debut and was also free, a full complement of dignitaries and travellers were eagerly awaiting the 09:00 departure.
Although strong winds and high waves had prevailed, the skipper of Royal One set sail for the offshore island of Koh Larn to give passengers a taste of the vessel’s capabilities. The ferry’s operator, Royal Passenger Line, said afterwards that while strong winds and high seas would have made the voyage a little rough, the boat was strong enough to withstand it and all aboard would have been safe.
12GO ASIA currently offers tickets for buses between Pattaya and Hua Hin and will probably add the ferry option to the portfolio once scheduled voyages begin in the middle of this month. Buses take longer to make the journey, but only cost around a third of the proposed THB1,250 price for ferry tickets.
Bad weather stops trial run of Pattaya Hua Hin ferry
News in Asia
A scheduled test run of a Pattaya to Hua Hin ferry service was scrapped yesterday because of bad weather. The head of the local Marine Department in Pattaya, Ekkarat Kantharo, made the decision to cancel the scheduled departure as four metre high waves were blowing across the Gulf of Thailand.