16 year old is youngest person to sail round the world solo

Laura Dekker is probably the youngest person to sail solo round the world. Her dream started when she was 8 years old, Born on a Yacht in New Zealand, she actually started her journey at age 14 years crossing oceans alone. Mentally she is probably years ahead of full grown working adults.

I never tire of listening to LKY

I never ever tire of listening to LKY's speeches. He was a legend and will always be the face of Singapore. How lucky we are to have had a leader like LKY. His legacy will live on for centuries.

 
The wise thing Singaporeans can do is to work with our top leaders and stop senseless criticisms especially during election time. Gratitude brings out the best of us.  

Why is the pontoon entrance at newer Marinas gated

Raffles Marina put in place a friendly well balanced Marina culture when she was 
established 22yrs ago. Boaters respected the sea and each other. If you went through a 
storm at sea and lived to tell the tale, you became friends for life. Boaters are a friendlier 
lot. That's one of the reasons I love boating.


I've observed that the newer Marinas namely 1Deg15 and Marina at Keppel Bay have gated 
entries to the wet berths. So you can't just walk down to the berths unlike at Raffles Marina, 
RSYC and Marina Country Club. At Keppel you'll need a boat owner with a dongle or a pass 
to open the gates going in and leaving the pontoons. I was told the MPA may have influenced 
such measures for fear that illegal immigrants would slip into Singapore through a Marina. 
That caused boat owners and their guests much inconvenience and distress when accessing 
their boats. One solution is to have gates but not lock them. Think about this before you rub 
it off as ineffective.

I intend to dwell deeper into this subject and recommend smarter measures as I wish to 
promote the friendly well balanced Marina culture that Raffles Marina began 22 yrs ago. 
We shouldn't allow fear to influence our better judgement and common sense.  

Raffles Marina, the first Marina to be established in Singapore

Weird and wonderful days at the Andaman Islands - Delos

I first visited the Andaman Islands 25 years ago. It was a fascinating place that time had forgotten. I sailed there onboard a Naval LST (ex American Landing Ship Tank)  The main attraction at the town Port Blair was the old city Jail. There was a sight & sound presentation that was worth a visit. I just couldn't fathom it to be the main tourist attraction. The Andaman Islands is part of India and it shows. I revisited the Islands again in early 2000. Nothing much has changed in the way of progress. recently the infamous Sailing Yacht Delos sailed there and had quite an adventure. I found their video entertaining and educational. Port Blair has changed very little the last 25 years. Thank goodness.

      

A super cool Tuna Sports Fishing Boat

I really should have been born in the USA. My spirits just got lifted watching this video. What an awesome boat. Wow!!! Well though of for serious tuna game fishing. Truly fitting for an old salt.

Just being onboard this boat alongside a dock will give me immense pleasure.....

Tioman in Early May

The seas en-route to Tioman from Singapore is no longer predictably calm in mid March. Early April may also bring periodic rough seas & strong winds for a few days. Come early April to mid May, the weather usually calms down predictably when the winds change from North-Easterly to Easterly to a Southerly direction. By this time it has lost all its velocity and reduces to a mere 2-3 knots of breeze. The wind only picks up when its rains, usually from Convection clouds that build up over the South China Sea and relief clouds hovering over the many Islands south of and including Pulau Tioman. Nothing much has changed physically in these seas. The locals still fish usually traditional wooden boats and enterprising locals cater to the tourism industry offered by these tranquil Islands and beautiful crystal clear waters. I must commend the local authorities for having done a good job of preserving this natural habitat and restoring the corals & marine life back to health. We had a wonderful dive at the Northern tip of Pulau Tulai. The corals & fish life was amazing. Only thing missing were the large schools of Trevally and Barracuda.

Tioman on the morning of 8th May 2016

Customs & Immigration Clearance at Sisters Island. Channel 74: Western Immigration  

Triple 350 Yamaha Outboards. Comfortable Cursing Speed: 29 knots. Top Speed: 43 knots

Edmund Lee owner & Captain of the Pursuit 385 Express Cruiser

Fred Chua, my boating kaki the past 26 yrs

Washing down the gears after a dive off Pulau Tulai, Tioman

Direction to Tioman. Pulau Tinggi is the Island in the background

First Stop; Pulau Yu. A popular fishing spot for locals and a sanctuary for sea birds. A pleasant half-way stop to Tioman 

Pu Yu

Dinner Choice; Ikan bakar at the Malay Restaurant or Chinese Seafood, both 3 mins walk from Cheers Chalet.

WF with Hasnol the CIQ agent and Zan the fishing pawang

All calm alongside Tioman Marina

CHEERS Chalet where we usually stay

Fred Chua, our  Dive Master buddy

WF relaxing on the way back to Pulau Yu

We took a short ride to Berjaya Resort to check out the place. I'm glad we stayed at CHEERS

     

Safety at Sea Fire & Breach in the Vessel

This video is a good example of responsible boating. The experienced crew of the Sailing Vessel Delos, briefing the new crew on emergency procedures onboard. This time the topic is Fire and Hull breach. You never want to have a fire onboard any vessel. Its dangerous and will certainly sink the boat if not attended to immediately. Any small fire must be extinguished immediately and the alarm raised. Watch the video: