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:

Singapore Yacht Show 2016

I make it a point to always visit the annual Boat/Yacht Show. I didn't go this year. I cruised to Tioman, Aur and Pulau Yu instead. The seas were calm after a 3 & a half month North East Monsoon that usually starts in late November. Waves maxed at 0.3m (1 foot) making a very comfortable ride onboard a Meridian 341 (36 footer) Flybridge Cabin Cruiser. Crusing on an average 20 knots, we made the journey to Tioman in about 6hrs not including stops along he way. Although the fuel capacity of 960 Litres is sufficient to make the 125 nm journey from RSYC (Republic of Singapore Yacht Club) to Tioman Marina at Tekek, we decided to stop at the SAF Yacht Club at Changi to top up about 160 Litres of diesel fuel before moving on again through the Lima Channel passage.

     We stayed at Tioman on Friday night after clearing Customs & Immigration. I would always advice boaters to use a clearing Agent. I usually use the services of Pak Darus (Hp: +60139333033) The total cost of clearing 5 Passports and 1 night berthing at Tioman Marina was RM410. We were happy to pay as it saved us the hassle of wasting time and headaches of having to anchor outside Tekek Bay had Pak Darus not been able to get us a berth at the packed Marina. I was told the original Marina was supposed to be four times larger but the developers had to scale it down to its present size after receiving overwhelming protests from Green Movements. That's a real shame, because the present Marina is way too small to accommodate visiting boats. Most of the berths are already taken up by small dive and fishing charter boats, large Mersing Ferries and Customs and police boats. Even the local fishing vessels make it a routine to dock there probably to pick up supplies or rest between trips.

Albert Khoo and enthusiastic boater attended my Coaster Skipper Course 20 yrs ago joined us to Tioma

Chui Lee, a new boater owns the Meridian 341. She captained the Yacht throughout the cruise

Refuelling from a friendly Yacht on the way back to Singapore

Pulau Pemanggil. Still desolate and Prestine

Richard, great company to have onboard these extended trips. Many hands make light work

   To check the weather before going there, I use use the information publish at windguru.cz
http://www.windguru.cz/int/index.php?sc=6344 and select under Desaru - Malaysia. The aps is easy to use and so far, pretty accurate.

The Meridian 341 was a comfortable ride to Tioman in these seas at 20 knots.. It was smooth sailing all the way with the generators and air-conditioning running 3 days non stop. Anchoring her was a breeze.  

 Perhaps the next trip we will explore the waters off Riau or make a slow passage to Phuket at an average speed of 8 knots. The options with a reliable Cabin Cruiser are plenty.

The Adventures of Sailing Vessel Delos

This is one of my most favorite videos on You Tube. The amazing voyage of the free spirited crew onboard the Sailing Vessel Delos. They started from the US to South America, Australia and New Zealand to Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and now a video of their next destination; Port Blair (India). I should be heading that way again in November, so this feature has immediate relevance for me in 2016.

How to remove Fish Hooks from your flesh

This angler has an unbelievably high tolerance to pain. I certainly wouldn't do this demo for $10K. Anyway watch the video and learn if you ever get punctured by a fish hook.

How Yamaha Marine makes Propellors

Here's an interesting video showing how Yamaha Marine manufactures their props.

The Boat Builders of Myanmar

Singapore and Malaysia may have advanced to fibreglass boats as the norm the last 35 years but luckily we still have neighbours who have stayed with wood for boat building. My first boat was a wooden sampan that cost me S$188. It was a 16 footer fitted with a borrowed Evinrude 4Hp Outboard. 4Hp is very fast compared to rowing. I loved that sampan. I spent many hours on the water each weekend exploring the East Coast of Singapore and visited the many kelongs located off Changi. Those kelongs are all gone now. Take a look at the traditional art of boat building from wood.

  

A Video on Kuala Rompin Accomodations & Sailfish Fishing

Kuala Rompin, West Malaysia

There has been a lot reported about the fascinating Sail fish activity at Kuala Rompin, a stretch of sea just north of Mersing and West of Pulau Tioman. Some say the sail-fishing there during the peak season in June, July & Aug can match that of Phuket anytime. We'll I'll be heading to Rompin on the 15th April to doing some light jigging for pelagics. Its too early for Sailfish, but the North East Monsoon has almost passed and it time to get the gears out into the sunshine again.

We decided to drive there from JB and enjoy the scenic route along the way up.

More report and pictures when I get back.....

Start of Boating Season off the East Coast of West Malaysia

on 7th April the seas off Desaru, Mersin and Tioman will be mirror calm. That day probably marks the start of the boating season and the end of the NE Monsoon. Time to make that trip to Pulau Tioman again. The fish are back and are biting furiously off Rompin.

 

Boating in Singapore. Where to go?

You've finally got your Powered Pleasure Craft Driving Licence, you're thinking of going boating on your newly purchased boat. The question is where to go? This simple question is hard to answer when it comes to boating in Singapore. The simple answer is, there is no where to go but Lazarus Island and Pulau Hantu. You see, boaters cannot anchor in a channel or a fairway. They can't just drift along either as you'll be impeding the safe passage of  vessels & ships in transit. Beaching is not allowed either, along the entire East Coast Park, Changi and Pasir Ris and certainly not at any Island in the South. Singapore may be an Island Nation surrounded by water, but boating in Singapore is unnecessarily restrictive. No thanks to the numerous restrictions set by Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) officers who haven't a clue about the sport of pleasure boating. Most of them are Master Mariners (ship captains) but have never seriously driven a pleasure craft.
As a large ship captain myself and a pleasure boat owner since 1975, I appreciate the hazards of piloting a ship in Port Singapore and the huge difference between the two. You see, ships keep clear of water shallower than their deep draught. So they will keep clear of reefs and shoals. Pleasure boats are attracted to reefs and shoals for their fishing and diving activities. Hence you would think we're able to keep out of each others way. Unfortunately of the 40 odd Islands belonging to Singapore, only 4 Islands are open to the boating public. Namely; Hantu and Lazarus Island in the south, Pulau Ubin and Seletar Island in the North. Almost all the Islands are restricted entry to boats. Eg.
Pulau Sentosa, Sebarok, Semakau, Busing, Ular, Bukom, Sudong, Pawai, Senang, Biola, Satumu, Sisters, St John's, Kusu, Jurong Island, Seraya, Tekong and Ketam to name a few.

So where do you go after you have exhausted your interest on those 4 public Islands. Well you do what the other boaters have been doing these past years, you cruise offshore to the Malaysian Islands of Tioman, Tinggi or Aur or you check into Nongsa Point Marina where you explore the 1,000 odd Islands off Batam and Bintan.

 
Hence buying the right boat is crucial to your boating enjoyment. If you just want to get away over the weekend for a couple of hours just cruising Singapore waters, its best to get a small boat that can be stacked in a dry berth. If you want something larger, like a cabin cruiser, make sure it can take sea state 3 and has a minimum range of 500 nautical miles. A decent cruising speed of 15 to 22 knots would be good. For those with time on their hands, get an economical passage maker that cruises at 10 knots.
Over the years I acquired a deeper respect for non traditional multi-hull yachts, especially displacement Catamarans. These boats allow you to cruise economically at 9 knots or push to 18 knots when the situation calls for it. They have ample room and are a lot more stable at anchor than a mono hull.

     

A good example of a smaller and hence cheaper Power Catamaran suitable for boating from Singapore is the Aspen. although a Cat, it is fitted with a single engine inside the larger twin hull. The design is clever and out of the box.

Till then happy boating....


             

FREEMAN 40 FOOT CAT

This Freeman 40 foot Cat is definitely worth another look at. Even with all that power; 1,400HP in total she still remains close to the water and does not fly off the waves in a hurry. I like that as it makes for a soft predictable ride without the hard bumps of a similar sized mono hull. Although we know that the less hull you have in the water, the lesser the drag and the greater the speed. However it also means a bumpy ride. That we want to avoid for prolonged journeys beyond an hour. Take a look at this Cat design. It has superior ride written all over it.

Outlaw 12M Power Catamaran

This 12M Power Catamaran is my kind of boat for recreation around Singapore waters and beyond a radius of 150 nautical miles. It can't get any better. Soft ride, speed, ease of operation and very low maintenance. For me a mono hull just cannot match the ride of a Catamaran especially in confused seas up to sea state 3.

Having the boat built in aluminium is a plus factor for safety and performance. Obviously it won't have the fine curves of a fibreglass built design, but after the initial visual appeal, the measure of a good boat comes down to usability, practicality and performance in moderate seas. This Cat gets my vote any day.

Smith Marine Seafood Restaurant Kelong off Ubin

Recently I revisited Smith Marine Seafood Restaurant for dinner. As usual I would visit the Kelong Restaurant on a Yacht. Good thing I arrived there at about 6.30pm. I was shocked when the staff politely told me that they close at 7pm; government law she said. What!!! That must be one of the most stupid laws, I've ever heard. They actually we forced to close at 7pm because of safety reasons... What!!! I haven't heard of a more ridiculous ruling. I couldn't breathe...

Whoever owns and operate this Floating Seafood Restaurant I thank them for having the innovation and guts to set this up. It breaks the monotony of city. Getting out for fresh sea-breeze especially for the kids is a welcome activity. Better than being cooped up playing computer games at home. So what in the world justified the authorities closing them at 7pm? I had dinner there a year ago till about 10pm with family and friends. It was a wonderful dinner gathering. The sea-food was lovely and reasonably priced. I need to find out why the ruling as a customer and advocate of a healthy boating lifestyle in restrictive Singapore.  

Watching Singapore Air Show 2016 from the Sea

Catching a close-up of the aerial aerobatic display from the sea off Changi has become somewhat of an annual tradition during the Singapore Air-Show. You immediately eliminate the long queues, Ticketing and hot environment associated with visiting the show the mainland. What's more you get a really close up of the aircraft flying immediately overhead.

Richard & Yee Fong on their Carver 360 Yacht

A bit of fishing before the show

F15 Solo Display

 

World Cat Boats - definately one of my Favorites

I have been enjoying the use of a 26 foot Grady-White Catamaran the past 7 years. Its fitted with twin Yamaha 150HP 4 Stroke Outboards and the remarkable thing, the boat has never broken down. The ride is silky smooth as it slices through small waves and wakes like a knife thru butter. So its a pretty dry boat and I can even use this walk-around when it rains, as the wrap around plastic clear view screens gives adequate protection.

My experience with Power Cats has been more than positive. It is my honest opinion that the ride of a mono hull cannot match that of a multi-hull in small to moderate seas. Beyond sea state 3 or Beaufort Scale 4 almost all types of boats below 80 feet will struggle with holding a comfortable course. I have had the good fortune of cruising on-board mid-size cabin cruisers of 50 and 60 feet and I observe that they pitch and roll a lot more than the little Cat within Port Singapore in seas confused by the collision of waves and multiple wakes of a hundred passing ships. Obviously a heavier 60 footer would be more comfortable when cruising the South China Sea as a larger boat gives greater confidence and interior luxury.
One of the Power-Cats I've been studying for some years now is the World Cat. It's popular in the US. but hasn't made its way to Singapore yet. Check out this video.

  

Mono Hull or Cat....... This video will help you decide...

A small Power Catamaran Passage Maker

Passage Makers do come in small sizes as the Aspen Cat proves so. The Aspen is a 30 foot Cat powered by a single diesel Volvo 220HP. One hull is larger than the other and she is a full displacement hull, The biggest benefit of the Aspen design is fuel economy and a much larger space for a 30 footer.

The Aspen Power Cat

   Here is a video of the Boat builder Larry Graf and his son Nick attempting to set a record for the circumnavigation of Vancouver Island in one non-stop shot. They made the record comfortably.

There are no Aspen Cats in Singapore yet. I can easily see the benefit of this boat for the type of cruising we do in Singapore to offshore destinations in Malaysia, Riau and Thailand.

Pulau Bawah, Anambas Islands

When the boating season starts again in March/April, I should be heading to Pulau Bawah; 40nm shy of the popular Anambas Islands. Apparently Bawah is stunningly beautiful with plenty of fish life and live corals. It is 141nm from Nongsa Point Marina, where we clear immigration and customs before heading straight for Bawah. We will have to watch the fuel as the nearest fuelling station is at Pulau Siantan in Anambas. The boat I'll be onboard has a range of 288nm at 25knots SOA (Speed of Advance) so we should be fine. From my experiences in the South China Sea, April and May are the calmest months for offshore journeys in a small boat.

We'll I better start getting my dive and fishing gears in order before April.

Could this be the future of Small Boats

The first time I saw the Nauti-Craft on Youtube a year ago, I knew it was a great idea. Although revolutionary for a boat, the use of hydraulic shocks is standard on land vehicles and its function is fully understood. The decision to make the Nauti-Craft a Catamaran is a wise one. This has enabled her to cruise at high speeds with standard outboard motors in heavy seas with ease.
Buy why would anyone opt for a Nautical-Craft. The answer is... so they'll arrive in better shape.
This is so true when making an offshore trip to exotic destinations like Pulau Tioman (120nm), Pulau Bawah (140nm), Anambas (180nm). Its easy for a 60 foot Cabin Cruiser to cruise there at 16 - 24 knots in relative comfort. But for a small craft, the faster you arrive at these destinations. the better it is for you. It is unlikely that anyone will be able to sleep along the way or have a decent rest when cruising in a boat less than 36 foot & under 6 tons.When the seas go beyond Sea State 2 (Beaufort state 3), you will have to throttle back to 15kts max. With the Nauti-Cat suspension system, you'll probably be able to maintain the SOA (speed of advance) of 25 kts in similar conditions.  

The Nauti-Craft in Head seas fitted with twin Yamaha V6s

As the height of the free-board is unusually high for a boat this size, she provides a generally dry ride. The main hull is built like a standard mono-hull, probably to give it added bouncy in heavy seas. I guess the video say its all.

  

Diving in Raja Ampat Indonesia

Much has been said about the rich marine life at Raja Ampat situated west of Pulau Waigeo, just north-west of West Papua, Indonesia. As expected, accessibility to Raja Ampat is only by boat, after a long domestic flight to Sorong from Jakarta. It would probably be quite an adventure to try to cruise to Raja Ampat from Singapore. The journey of 2,000 nautical miles will take 8 days non stop cruising from Singapore at 240nm a day or 10kts SOA (Speed of Advance).    

Is Raja Ampat worth the arduous journey there. Watch this video and decide yourself.

Princess Cruise 19 Jan 2016

I must have been a seafarer in my past lives. The sea continues to intrigue and invigorate my life. Hence whenever I feel down or just dull, I would go out to sea. It never fails to bring life back into my daily routine. On the insistence of my wife, I went on a cruise onboard the Sapphire Princess. She's about 110,000 tons and has 16 levels of glamorous entertainment whilst on voyage to Penang, Langkawi and Port Klang. The decor is fit for a king.

Leaving the Cruise Centre at Marina South

Inside the enormous Cruise Centre. Plenty of space and only occupied during boarding and disembarkation 

My family arriving onboard the Sapphire Princess

Check out the sacks of potatoes waiting to be loaded onboard

The Central Stairway

The cabin is spacious compared to Star Gemini. Very well designed indeed.

There were so many restaurants on the ship, The most popular on was probably the buffet on the 14th floor