Reality at Sea - For Cruisers, Singlehanders, and Normal People.

[MedSailor]

Originally Posted by itsaboat

Good stuff, Med, thanks.

If you haven't, you should check out Mark Crislip's blog.. Most of his ID case studies are pretty funny.

GOLD pure gold! (for an ID nerd like me) If you don't see me posting on sailnet for a while, you'll know why.

I'm still trying to answer the question I have posed for myself (and to countless doctors): "If you were to go remote regions of the world on a boat, and you could only take 3 antibiotics, which ones would they be."

His website might help me find the elusive answer....

MedSailor

[thesocket]

This thread may be getting a little long in the tooth, but here's a slight update regarding Cha Cha... for those interested.

Striking but Abandoned, Yacht Could be Claimed by the City - Newport Now

[thesocket]

On another note...

@ drakeParagon - There seem to be a lot of armchair sailors who are quick to point out all the negatives of your journey on Sailnet, but I'd personally like to commend you. As one of those not currently in a position to "live the dream," I am envious of your ability and resources to actually be out there rather than sitting land-locked - hoping that day comes.

Thanks for the videos, and I hope to see more in the future.

[MedSailor]

Originally Posted by thesocket

On another note...

@ drakeParagon - There seem to be a lot of armchair sailors who are quick to point out all the negatives of your journey on Sailnet, but I'd personally like to commend you. As one of those not currently in a position to "live the dream," I am envious of your ability and resources to actually be out there rather than sitting land-locked - hoping that day comes.

Thanks for the videos, and I hope to see more in the future.

Question: Would I have done it the same way Drake did it while sleep deprived and out on the big blue ocean?

My honest answer: I don't know, because I'm not there, and that IS the point and that IS why the video is valuable. Because he WAS there.

I can tell you from experience that sleep deprivation WILL do strange things to you. I once worked 124hrs in a 7 day period and right at the end of the week I actually drove the ambulance away from the gas station while the diesel pump was still attached. I tell you, it looks different from the armchair than from the helm. I respect Drake for making the videos and not editing out the bad bits.

MedSailor

[travlineasy]

Originally Posted by MedSailor

I'm still trying to answer the question I have posed for myself (and to countless doctors): "If you were to go remote regions of the world on a boat, and you could only take 3 antibiotics, which ones would they be."
MedSailor

Having spent more than 15 years in the field of medicine, the first choice would be Doxycycline

Doxycycline - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Doxycycline - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Doxycycline - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

. Outstanding drug with very few side effects and the only known cure for Lyme Disease.

Augmentin Augmentin Official FDA information, side effects and uses. would be my second choice, particularly if you have dental problems.

A broad spectrum antibiotic such as Ciprofloxacin

Ciprofloxacin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ciprofloxacin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ciprofloxacin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

to cover the oddball infections that don't tend to respond to conventional treatment is always good to have on hand.

Add to the above list ordinary Bayer Aspirin. It really aids in lots of situations, including some of the more serious situations such as heart attacks and strokes. It's a wonderful anti-inflammatory drug, excellent pain reliever, and very few side effects.

Hope this helps,

Gary

[MedSailor]

Nice choices! I hadn't really considered adding augmentin to my list, but it's an intriguing possibility especially since it has some activity against anaerobes, which is hard to find in anything besides metranidiazole (and that's not good for anything else).

My top three choices so far are:

1. Doxycycline: I love this drug, and it's currently under-used in medicine (which is a good thing for those of us who like it). Great for skin infections as it has good activity against staph and strep and has high bioavailbility in the skin (thus the sunburn problem). Very effective malaria and traveller's diarrhea prophylaxis, works great for pneumonia and urinary tract infections. In case of the end of the world it works for Anthrax, Plague, brucellosis, tularemia, and cholera. Cheap as chips too. Heck, I'd spread it on my toast!

2. A quinolone. Cipro would be fine and is cheap but Levofloxacin and Moxifloxacin have expanded coverage. Coverage for bugs that you may not need, in our scenario, so again, Cipro would be fine. Bioavalibility is nearly as good orally as IV and tissue penetration is good everywhere! What's not to like.

3. Ertapenim: When you need a gun, why not use a cannon? This antibiotic choice could be construed as cheating, since it's not an oral antibiotic, but it can be given as a once daily intra-muscular injection. It has excelent anerobic coverage, which nothing else besides metranidazole has and works for dang near everything. It can even be used for intra-abdominal infections, so if you appendix bursts, you have a shot at survival. Another bonus here, is that if said appendix bursts, you're not likely to be keeping down oral antibiotics anyway.

The above list would essentially be used as follows:

1. Sorta' sick or exotic use (such as anthrax/plague) give doxi.
2. Sicker than usual but not actively dying, give the quinolone, or 1&2.
3. Trying to die, or anarobes are highly suspected, give door number 3.

Honorable mentions would go to:

1. Metranidazole. The anerobic coverage you desire, without killing every bacteria in you and the person sitting next to you, as Ertapenem will do.
2. Keflex. Sometimes a skin infection is just a skin infection, and you don't need the big guns messing stuff up in your gut. Or maybe you even have a bone infection from a broken bone or broken finger, and when that's the case you want REALLY good staph coverage and bone bioavalibility. It's dirt cheap too.
3. Ceftriaxone (Rocephin) Same as keflex but much wider spectrum and is given by injection. Great all around drug, used every day in the hospital and is a heavy hitter to be sure. Also the only surefire treatment for meningitis.


You get a full 10 points for your suggested ABX and a bonus 5 points for being one of the few Doxy fans out there! They say it's old-school but I say it's better than sliced bread. Thanks for playing!

MedSailor

PS 10 more points for pointing out that Asprin is THE most important drug to have on any boat. Even if you're young and don't have heart problems you could save someone else some day.

Benadryl is also a good one. Great for allergies, even anaphylaxis (take 4), stops itch, helps you sleep, works for sinus congestion from hay-fever or a cold, works quite well for sea-sickness, and a crushed pill is a great topical anesthetic for wounds, or crushed and mixed with water is a topical anesthetic for dental pain or esophageal refulx stomach pain.

[JonEisberg]

Originally Posted by MedSailor

Question: Would I have done it the same way Drake did it while sleep deprived and out on the big blue ocean?

My honest answer: I don't know, because I'm not there, and that IS the point and that IS why the video is valuable. Because he WAS there.

I can tell you from experience that sleep deprivation WILL do strange things to you. I once worked 124hrs in a 7 day period and right at the end of the week I actually drove the ambulance away from the gas station while the diesel pump was still attached. I tell you, it looks different from the armchair than from the helm. I respect Drake for making the videos and not editing out the bad bits.

MedSailor

Perhaps it's time we attempt some sort of definition of what constitutes an "armchair sailor", as the term is so often leveled at those critical of others in certain situations...

Does mere criticism alone, or offering anything other than praise, define the armchair sailor? Or, the fact that one "wasn't there"? The latter would make everyone not aboard a particular boat, in a particular situation, an armchair sailor, of course...

As one in this thread who was "critical" of certain aspects of what Drake did, I can only assume I might be one of the Armchair Sailors the socket had in mind in his last post... However, it is simply my belief that a series of 3 minute naps does not constitute a very effective sleep strategy for the singlehanded sailor. Is that opinion invalidated due to the fact "I was not there", or is it better to simply withhold such an opinion out of some sort of deferential respect for Drake's most admirable candor, or lest I be branded as just another Armchair Sailor?

For the record, I NEVER post here from the comfort of an armchair... Usually from a desk, or perhaps from a hotel room or an airport boarding gate, or in this instance, from the nav station on a Cabo Rico 42... (grin)

[smackdaddy]

Originally Posted by JonEisberg

Perhaps it's time we attempt some sort of definition of what constitutes an "armchair sailor", as the term is so often leveled at those critical of others in certain situations...

Does mere criticism alone, or offering anything other than praise, define the armchair sailor? Or, the fact that one "wasn't there"? The latter would make everyone not aboard a particular boat, in a particular situation, an armchair sailor, of course...

As one in this thread who was "critical" of certain aspects of what Drake did, I can only assume I might be one of the Armchair Sailors the socket had in mind in his last post...

I think it has more to do with the attitude of the critic than anything else. If the critic only criticizes - without finding anything redeeming in the account or, worse, without acknowledging his own foibles, you have an A-S...even if that A-S has 100K miles under his keel. Worse, if the critic holds the "I would never..." or "What kind of dolt would..." stance in his criticism, you have an A-S, because it's the sea out there..."he will" make similar mistakes.

Basically, if a sailor presents himself as "having arrived" at all things sailing, the only place he has really arrived at is his armchair.

IMUSO. Heh-heh.

[thesocket]

An "armchair sailor" falls in to the same category as "armchair quarterback" or "Monday morning quarterback." i.e., someone who (after-the-fact) sits in judgement, criticizing the performance of another - without having been there.

We're all armchair sailors at one time or another.

Drake was the skipper of that boat, and it's obvious he's been around enough to know his systems and his limits. He is in charge of his vessel and the decisions he makes aboard. He also has to face any consequences for his decisions and actions. Picking those decisions apart because they don't constitute your limits, or textbook limits doesn't change anything. It was his decision.

Single-handing on such passages is always risky - no matter how much experience you have or how wide a safety margin you plan in to your journey. Everyone has their own abilities and limits, which may not align perfectly with those of another. That's how it is on the water, that's how it is on land.

Taking away personal lessons from the experiences of others is one thing, but taking a pious and self-righteous position that you are beyond such elements is another.

...there's my armchair sailor rant for the day.

Originally Posted by JonEisberg

Perhaps it's time we attempt some sort of definition of what constitutes an "armchair sailor", as the term is so often leveled at those critical of others in certain situations...

Does mere criticism alone, or offering anything other than praise, define the armchair sailor? Or, the fact that one "wasn't there"? The latter would make everyone not aboard a particular boat, in a particular situation, an armchair sailor, of course...

As one in this thread who was "critical" of certain aspects of what Drake did, I can only assume I might be one of the Armchair Sailors the socket had in mind in his last post... However, it is simply my belief that a series of 3 minute naps does not constitute a very effective sleep strategy for the singlehanded sailor. Is that opinion invalidated due to the fact "I was not there", or is it better to simply withhold such an opinion out of some sort of deferential respect for Drake's most admirable candor, or lest I be branded as just another Armchair Sailor?

For the record, I NEVER post here from the comfort of an armchair... Usually from a desk, or perhaps from a hotel room or an airport boarding gate, or in this instance, from the nav station on a Cabo Rico 42... (grin)

[JonEisberg]

Originally Posted by smackdaddy

I think it has more to do with the attitude of the critic than anything else. If the critic only criticizes - without finding anything redeeming in the account or, worse, without acknowledging his own foibles, you have an A-S...even if that A-S has 100K miles under his keel. Worse, if the critic holds the "I would never..." or "What kind of dolt would..." stance in his criticism, you have an A-S, because it's the sea out there..."he will" make similar mistakes.

Basically, if a sailor presents himself as "having arrived" at all things sailing, the only place he has really arrived at is his armchair.

IMUSO. Heh-heh.

Yup, that's pretty much my take on it, as well... I'm not inclined to review the entire contents of this thread, however, but I doubt there's much in there that can rightfully be characterized as such... Perhaps someone will point to such an example? (grin)

However, I think within reason, it's legitimate for someone who was not there to still state without equivocation something to the effect of "Well, I would NEVER do such and such..."

The example of RULE 62 comes to mind... I have difficulty imagining the circumstances, short of having someone holding a gun to my head, under which I would have attempted to enter that cut, at night, in those conditions... So, I think it's fair for me to say, that I would NEVER have attempted to do what he did, under those or similar circumstances...

Likewise, I think I can reasonably claim that I would NEVER depart Mexico for Hawaii, aboard a boat like that Yorktown, without having ever so much as having done an overnight shakedown cruise...

Then again, maybe that's just me.... (grin)