It’s a lovely passage from Nongsa Point Marina in Batam
to Pantai Mutiara off Jakarta stretching 500 nautical miles of coastal waters off
the East coast of Sumatra to the Southernmost tip where the Sunda Strait
divides Sumatra from the Northern tip of the Island of Java. This new frontier will
soon become a familiar playground for Singapore boaters. So throw off the
bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds. Explore,
Dream, Discover.
Mr Gerry de Souza, the President of the SPBA has a vision of
empowering the larger community to be a part of this project. He works to integrate
all the comforts of a sea passage into the route to keep seafarers safe,
engaged and prepared for the journey. Stay tuned for the unfolding of this
colossal project and join the party when it is all complete and ready to
receive you, the seafarer in all boats big and small.
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| Nongsa Point Marina to Pulau Lingga |
However there is a much larger side to this story. This is
the part where the SPBA is working to build 1,000
homes on the water along this passage with a clever idea of integrating these
homes for a multitude of purposes.
Each home is an independent fish farm for a single family operating
on a proven system that guarantees a yield that can be sustainable
commercially.
For a start it is proposed that for Phase 1, about 200 Farm
Houses be consolidated along the Riau Straits between Batam & Bintan towards
Pulau Lingga about 100nm south.
Once that is established and the challenges understood
and contained we will commence Phase 2 where the remaining 800 Farm House will
be spread along the route all the way down south to Pantai Mutiara Marina off
Jakarta.
I have personally made this passage on board a Viking 55 Sportsmanship non stop. It only took me 25 hrs travelling at an SOA (speed of advance) of 22 knots. I was constrained by a deadline to delivery that boat to a private marina and hence didn't have the luxury to enjoy the islands along the route. This time I intend to spend quite a bit of time to get to know that stretch of sea more intimately. Well, this vision of opening up the Riau all the way to Sunda Starits will soon a be reality. All it takes is believe and super human effort to see the project to fruition.
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| WF at a private marina off Jakarta |
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