The Hatch

Postcard from Singapore

23 January 2008

The arrival of the Clipper fleet in Singapore was spectacular. The boats had a short break at Nongsa Bay, a developing marina on Batam in Indonesia, across the Malacca Strait from Singapore at the end of their voyage from Fremantle in Australia. This is a small holiday development with palm roofed holiday chalets, bars and restaurants, and lovely white sandy beaches. It was chance to relax and explore or just lounge about in delightful surroundings. Then the fleet motored across the Strait and arrived at precisely at 1150 at the new Keppel Marina developed in front of the old Keppel shipyard which will be familiar to anyone who visited Singapore in the Navy. The yard has gone. The dry docks are open to the harbour and blocks of flats now stand where the workshops used to be. Keppel shipyard has become a very upmarket housing estate where many of us are based.

The Marina was opened by the Senior Minister at 1140 and at the end of three short speeches the yachts came in. They came in in threes, swung into the basin and reversed smartly into the new pontoon berths. Along the new bridge which connects Keppel Island to Singapore Island, stood 40 “nymphs”, attractively clad young ladies who greeted each boat with the national flag of their sponsors. The last to arrive was, of course, Uniquely Singapore which was greeted with loud cheers by the partisan crowd. Then the crews paraded before the Senior Minister who presented the prizes and pennants for the leg. The new bar and restaurant facilities at Keppel Marina were then put to their first big test!

The Blackhand gang have got to work on the usual run of maintenance that yachts require at the end of any voyage, and once the yachts had been cleaned the crews began to explore the exciting city of Singapore and some to return to Nongsa. Provisions are being calculated and sourced, bearing in mind that colder weather demands more energy and therefore a greater calorie intake.

Although hot and humid in Singapore, except when the wind swings round to the northeast and brings some relief, the next leg will bring in a distinct contrast. The current temperature in Qingdao is below zero Celsius, and this leg, which takes the boats north through the China Sea, past Hong Kong and the Philippines and outside Taiwan to Qingdao, is likely to provide plenty of heavy beating. The Race Management team are finalising the course at the moment, working how the keep the fleet clear of less well charted areas but still leave plenty of scope for individual initiative when it comes to making tactical decisions. The spinnaker skills practised on the last leg are unlikely to be exercised much if at all on this coming race. Bashing into headwinds is not the most enjoyable sailing, but if you are bashing faster than the competition it becomes more pleasant!