Words of Wisdom from an Old Salt

I spent a good 3 hours speaking to an Old Salt at one of my favorite haunts, Raffles Marina. It was here that I got my first taste of Marina life. I have YP Loke, then the GM to thank. Back to the Old Salt, I'm keeping my end of the bargain by not mentioning his name, as he treasures his privacy, so lets just call him JL for short. Now, what did I learn from JL. For one it was humility. JL received little formal education on marine engineering and naval architecture, yet he knew more about pleasure boats & marine engines than most naval architects. He had kept paced with the latest development in the pleasure boating industry, whereas naval architects were schooled on well & proven science (hence outdated now). JL built his first boat at the age of 12 and soon his obsession with boats became his career. He told me the biggest setback with boating in Singapore was the lack of a playground for boats, so boaters need to travel to Malaysian & Indonesian waters to experience the fullness of boating. He remarked, You don't become a boater by buying a boat, You'll enjoy the sport when you become good at it. How true. His advise for new boaters; Start with a small boat first, learn the ropes before progressing to a larger boat like a cabin cruiser. Its not how much money you have, its your level of proficiency that determines your boat choice. Too many new boaters buy a boat based on their budget. Hence many start straight away, with a large cabin cruiser, with no idea how to handle it and end up with a whole load of trouble. JL sited an example of a new boater who damaged his prop and drive, in a grounding incident. He came back to the marina and demanded a warranty on the craft as the drive no longer functioned properly. An examination showed the badly chipped prop and damaged drive. It was obvious that the boat was grounded. Unlike cars, boating is much more complicated, it pays to start small, learn the fundamentals, then progress to something larger when you are more proficient. Anything that can go wrong at sea usually does and you're often alone to handle the crisis yourself. On a brighter note, it is great to see the boating population increase each month in Singapore. If you ever need advise on a boat purchase, navigation or seamanship lessons, just email me at wf@wfmagic.com. I'm on a crusade to make safe boating fun. Happy boating.

Batuta Kelong - Pulau Mapor

This feature is dedicated to my old boating buddy Philip Seow. (pictured far right) It was taken during one of our many visits to Batuta Kelong at Pulau Mapor. The resort was built & run by Richard, a Singaporean with a passion for carpentry and the rustic seafarers life. Featured here are my fishing & boating kakis in the 1990s from left, Alfred Heng who now resides in Perth, Jon Lum who runs his own Nautical School, Supra who's still in the Army (& probably will be for life), me and Philip Seow. Those were the days when diesel was 28 cents a litre and fishing kakis met every weekend and day dreamed about fishing during the weekdays. Friends, those days are back. Happy days are here again...

Boats for the busy Executive

An old friend of mine recently ordered a brand new GradyWhite Express 330. It is a first for Singapore. Its really a 36 footer and fitted with a pair of Yamaha 4-stroke 250Hp OBMs. (my personal favorites). Being a Grady, the price tag is a hefty S$500K on the water. What's unique about all this, is the fact that the buyer has owned a 62 foot Flybridge cruiser just before he made the order. Why this size 'downgrade' Certainly, it has nothing to do with the budget. The buyer can well afford a 120ft mega-yacht. There's appears to be a paradigm shift amongst seasoned boaters, from Bigger is Better to Smaller could be Smarter. Especially if the only time you can afford is a quick weekend getaway. The Express 330 was purchased with this advantage in mind. With her 350gal fuel tank & a cruise speed of 28 knots, you could leave for Pulau Aur on Saturday morning , dive & fish in the afternoon & Sunday morning and be back at the marina by nightfall without refuelling. Accommodation would be onboard, she sleeps 5 comfortably with all the creature comforts of home; air conditioning, heads with shower, tv, music, fridge and a galley to boot. Another unique advantage is, you don't have to hire a captain & crew to man the boat, you could easily captain it yourself. This boat would be very much at home within the confined waters of Singapore, as she would be offshore. She is versatile enough to be anchored just off the beach or in the middle of the South China Sea. When you've finished using the boat, it sits on a dry berth, either a float-lift or on a trailer, well clear of barnacles & damage associated with a wet berth. Even if the next trip was 3-6 months later, she would be ready, good as new to serve her owner on his next sea adventure. No headaches and little maintenance is needed. What's unbelievable is, this express cruiser will look as good as new 10 years from today, a fact proven by many Grady owners all over the world and now more than ever in Singapore.

Alex Yip, Seasoned Angler

Mr Alex Yip, rarely comes back with an empty cooler box; its usually full of quality fish. He certainly qualifies to be in "The Old Man & the Sea" category. It was a rare occassion for me to meet up with Alex onboard his Grand Banks 36' My mission was simple, to ask Alex for the many fishing spots he kept in his trusted NavMan Chartplotter. Alex was generous to a tee. He gave me 20 hot spots. Last Saturday 28 July, I fished at one of the spots. At 2230hrs, under a full moon, SW of St John's Island, 01 12.970N 103 50.867E, we landed a 1.5kg Kachi drifting over that spot. The bait used was frozen kelong squid bought from a fishing tackle shop opposite Yishun MRT & run by an enthusiast angler name Henry. The bottom was coral & rock. My business buddy Cedric Chan caught the fish using an apollo rig in 105feet of water. Thank you Alex, I owe you one buddy...

1Deg15 to Sebana Cove 21July07

Edmund Lee one of the PWC enthusiasts ridding all the way to Sebana Cove

The Grady White Tiger-Cat with Ngak Hoe, Kong We, Fred Chua & me at Sebana Cove

Dark Clouds over 1Deg15 just before departing for Sebana Cove

It was a dark and stormy morning at 1Deg15 Marina. I was onboard the Tiger-Cat waiting for the marshall to flag off the 'boys' from the S'pore Paddle Club. They were off to paddle 400km to the equator, off Pulau Lingga, south of Bintan and back. There were 6 paddlers in each ocean going outrigger canoe. Arthur Tay, owner of 1Deg15 was aboard a Yamaha Jet-ski with 6 other jetskiers, all raring to throttle their way to Sebana Cove, a short 23nm away up Santi River, 01.24.742N 104.09.822E. The winds were pickig up, it was going to be a rough ride, especially if they pushed their craft to the limit, which now exceed 80mph in flat water. We stopped at the SAFYC in Changi, just next to the Changi Naval Base, where a US Aircraft carrier was moored. A PT class Police Coast Guard vessel on duty nearby saw us racing towards the Carrier and hastened to block our passage. We turned port and went into the calm waters of the marina.

It was about 1300hrs when we finally reached Sebana cove. What a stark contrast from the hustle and bustle of Singapore. The first order of the day was fuelling. Petrol was RM2.40 per/ltr. We topped up 520ltrs and went alongside the marina for some piping hot coffee. There I met up with an old buddy of mine, Alan Koh, we were pals in the school water-polo squad. He was invited onboard Arthur's Ferretti, Hye Seas. The trip was an uncommon break for Alan, he had made it big in the market and now it was time to let some hair down.

The Marina at Sebana Cove. Completely still and tucked away from the madding crowd

As with most trips, the fun part was the journey. The destination held relief from the choppy seas, but also a sudden quiet, as to what to do at Sebana. Oh!! but we had plans, we had prepared ourselves to fish off Karang Mas, 10nm NNE of Horsburgh. But that's another story...

Sebana Cove, right up the Santi River

Fueling is usually done at the ferry terminal just outside Sebana Cove 

The Club House at Sebana Cove 

Front view of the Club House

The Grady White Tiger Cat

It has been 7 long years after I sold all my boats. Suddently, I got access to a stunning 26 foot GradyWhite Tiger-Cat fitted with twin Yamaha 150s. Her owner bought her on a flash decision knowing that Grady no longer built catamarans. He knew she would ride soft in rough water. And what a performer the boat was. It handled all the chops in Singapore harbour and for a 10 year old boat, she looks pretty darn good. The owner is currently fitting her with the latest electronics including a humminbird 997cSi side imaging sounder & GPS chart-plotter. I am looking forward to many exciting days on the boat. The first cruise was to Sebana Cove, next on the menu is Pulau Aur & Tioman. Here's to tight lines & screeming reels.

The Early Years - Fishing off Bedok

same type sampan, different outboard

It was on a hot & windy Sunday afternoon in 1976 on the beach off Marine Parade, that I decided that I would pursue boating and fishing as my hobby. It fascinated me, to see the local fishermen bring in their catch, comprising huge jumping prawns and hundreds of Selar Kuning. All in a day's catch. My curiosity boosted my courage to ask them many questions on fishing. Soon I became a volunteer deck hand, helping a Mr Lim man the nets and haul in catch after catch of prawns & small fish on his 20 foot locally built wooden sampan fitted with a Johnson 6hp outboard. I went fishing with him on weekend nights as I was still schooling. We caught lots of  giant prawns and small fish. Life was simple, carefree & fun then. It wasn't until 1977, a year prior to joining the Navy that I got my own boat, a wooden sampan with a Johnson 4Hp. It was to be the start of a life-long passion for the sea and a love for boats. It soon became an obsession, one that would not ever go away... I loved everything about boats and the sea and would spend long hours at the boat park gathering information and helping the fishermen haul-in their boats back up the beach. Everything was done manually. There were no winches and no tractors, it was all hands on deck. I got along well with the local fishermen. They were simple folks and always willing to share their knowledge and stories with anyone who cared to listen.

What's left of those sampans at the East Coast Park today

I'm Back

I will always remember the year 2007, as the turning point in my life. After 7 years in the MLM industry, I finally made it. I've earned my time freedom and escaped the rat race. Today I am able to live my Dreams. I sleep when I'm tired and wake up when I'm finished sleeping. What a life. I decided to devote the next couple of years to fulfilling my passion for boating & fishing. This blog is dedicated to my wife Roslyn, who has stood by me these 28 years & to my 3 sons, Chester, Crispin & Cyrus. I have set a course on a new voyage of adventure to explore the wonders of the last frontier, the sea. Here's a toast to all my seafaring friends, past, present and future. May you journey ahead with fair winds and following seas.