Voices Reloaded - Smooth Sailing

From the Beginning

Mabel at the wheel

I was introduced to the sport by my husband back in 1997. Our virgin sail was at a lovely fresh water lake in the Netherlands called Lake IJsselmeer which was roughly the size of Singapore. Along the lake there were many picturesque fishing villages where we could anchor and explore. The whole trip took us about 10 days.

In 1998, I got my Powered Pleasure Craft Driving License (PPCDL). I had to sit through a series of grueling theory and driving lessons for that. It was certainly tougher than getting the usual driving license! Then in 2003, I got the 'Bareboat Chartering' certification from the American Sailing Academy. Basically this means that I was able to skipper a boat and was qualified to charter a boat in countries where certification is required.

Sailing away!

I sail every weekend around the Singapore straits with my family and we’ll depart on our boat (christened Mei Poh by my husband) from Friday evening until Sunday. We’ll go for longer trips 2-3 times a year and sail around the Riau Archipelago, Phuket, Langkawi, Nongsa etc.

The memories…

One of my most memorable sailing trips was when Paul and I helped a friend to plan for a marriage proposal to his girlfriend. It was so romantic – we sailed them out to the open seas, prepared a lovely candle-lit dinner, with champagne and all. His girlfriend was so touched that she burst into tears when he popped the question.

On another sailing trip with a few of our close friends, all the ladies were gathered onto one boat while the guys and went through a “boat ceremony” they created. They stripped to their bathing suits and jumped into the sea upon our crossing the equator line! So much for male bonding!

In January this year, Paul and I were supposed to sail our boat from Langkawi to Port Blair in India across the Andaman Sea. Unfortunately, before we left for Langkawi, the Boxing Day tsunami struck. According to the marina staff, our boat was swept out from the dock by the waves and then back in again, landing on the shore and damaging the entire hull. So we spent the next 2 weeks of our holidays learning how to fix the boat. During the sail back home from Langkawi after the repairs soon afterwards, the winds were billowing at a top speed of 30 knots (about 60km) an hour and the waves were threateningly high. I think that was the first time in all my sail trips that I felt truly intimidated by the sea.

The Likes and Dislikes

Sailing allows me to get away from the busy city life and all its hustle and bustle. Every time I sail, it’s a much-appreciated retreat which I use to reflect on life.

Of course there are things that we need to put up with when on a sail trip as the boat is not a luxurious liner. Some inconveniences include the toilet (the Head) which is very small and cramped and chokes easily. We also have to settle for very minimal cooking facilities and food sources. Usually we try to fish for our food. If we cannot catch any, then we’ll have to settle for canned food. Another thing I dislike when I sail is having to apply sun-block! It is so uncomfortable and sticky but an absolute necessity to get protection against the sun, so most of the time I’ll wear long sleeve tops and my hat even though it can get pretty hot on board.

Advice for wannabe sailors

Anyone can pick up sailing and age is definitely not a barrier. Our sailing students are aged between 12 to 80 years old. The ability to take instructions is important for beginners. I have experienced over-confident students not listening and making potentially fatal mistakes during a sail. Teamwork is very important in sailing as you cannot work alone on board and need to rely on each other to drive the boat safely.

Future sailing plans

I would love to sail further to Vietnam and East Malaysia (around Sabah and Sarawak) in the near future. Come January, I will sail around the islands near Phuket on the Andaman Sea and may be making another attempt to visit Port Blair. Australia is a dream and maybe that would feature in my retirement plans :)