Wanderlust Paddling

Shock you to life

2012-01-16T00:40:00.003+08:00

Went to upgrade myself today by attending a CPR + AED course. This was conducted as part of the National Lifesaving Day at the Singapore Expo.

Been thinking of signing up for such a course for quite some time now especially since I have conducted programmes for the elderly on a few occasions. When I found out this course was free to NROC coaches, I jumped on the opportunity and grabbed it!

The course was fairly simple. It started with a quick run through of the CPR portion since I was already certified in Standard First Aid. The AED portion was very straight forward. In fact, the AED actually gives you audio instructions. You just listen and follow!

I would probably advise all coaches to take up this course and upgrade beyond the Standard/Basic First Aid requirements needed to be a coach.

Water-Venture Pasir Ris Walkabout

2011-12-02T18:08:00.004+08:00

Water-Venture Pasir Ris is located at 125 Elias Road. There is only one bus service that plys that route and the frequency can be quite slow at around 20minutes or so.
To get there, you can take bus service 403 from Pasir Ris Interchange and alight after the roundabout in Pasir Ris Park.
Personally, I prefer to cycle there from my home in Hougang.

Water-Venture Pasir Ris offers sportclimbing, sailing and kayaking courses. What I like about this outlet is that it is very spacious! Lots of space.

Lots of open space in the storage area

Sailing boat storage

Kayak Storage

Drying rack, equipment store is the room behind the drying rack

Lockers

Washing bay

Outdoor classrooms

Demarcated area for 1 Star paddlers as per Water-Venture rules

Not picture is the 2nd floor where there are even more classrooms equipped with air con.
Aside from the space, the other good thing about the Pasir Ris outlet is that the beach is usually empty. There may be some people playing in the sand and fishermen on the breakwater, but there are no hordes who you have to share the space with.
You practically have the whole place to yourself. Unless of course, there's a sailing course :)

Downside of the place is that the beach is about 100m away from the outlet. So its quite a walk. But the club does provide trolleys that hold up to 6 kayaks at a time!

Public Service Sports Carnival at Marina Barrage

2011-12-02T12:13:00.004+08:00

The view at 7.15am from the middle of Marina Reservoir

Helped out in the water sports try out booth by Water-Venture at the Public Service Sports Carnival on the 26th of November.
There was dragonboating and kayaking. There was quite a number of people coming to paddle, which I honestly didn't expect.

Dragonboats, kayaks and the Singapore flyer

Father/son team

I like to do events like this because its I get to do things that normally arent allowed. In this case, there are normally no kayak rentals at the Marina Barrage and paddlers arent even allowed to paddle past the row of yellow buoys placed infront of the Marina Barrage.
But because of this event, our paddling area was on the inside of the "out-of-bounds" area. Nice and windy over there.

One of the trainers found a terrapin

Brining the terrapin farther out because it kept crashing into the pontoon

Rest of the pictures here

Kayaking Ubin Mangroves with new friends

2011-11-14T20:04:00.006+08:00

A friend of mine just completed his 2 star course a few weeks back and so we decided to go on a short journey.

Why did the paddler cross the road?

The river mouth

He invited 2 friends along so we made the trip with a total of 4 paddlers including myself. Starting from Water-Venture Pasir Ris, we headed over to the southern end of Ubin and entered the mangroves from the MCC Ubin Resort side. Took us 4hrs to complete the journey which is a decent amount of time for newbies to complete 14km in Perception Dancers.

The erosion was quite bad. Compared to the first time I used this route, the river has widened significantly. The width of the river used to only be one boat length wide, but it has now doubled.

Maneuvering between the trees

Sometimes it can feel like you're a pinball bouncing off the trees

Apparently, this is a secret fishing spot for locals

一路向北

Rest of the pics here

Water-Venture Bedok Reservoir

2011-11-10T17:54:00.005+08:00

Main entrance

Went down to Water-Venture's Bedok Reservoir for the first time today to conduct orientation programmes. Quite a nice place and it takes about 45minutes to travel there from my home.

I like the fact that the launch site for the recreational boats and the racing kayaks are separate. No issue of helpless newbie paddlers getting in the way of racers and being yelled at.

There's a mix of sit on top kayaks which dont require certification and sit inside kayaks that require certification.

SOTs, Bandits, Dancers, etc

There's a small "lounge" area with only picnic benches. Facilities include lockers, 1 changing room with a showerhead where you can rinse down and a watercooler.

Lounge area

Smaller personal lockers

Equipment store and group lockers

Changing room

Demarcated area

Ridiculously rocky launch site

The downside is the launch site is ridiculously rocky and covered with mimosa. There is a pontoon, but apparently PUB doesnt allow it to be used for launching kayaks. I have no idea why, but it seems quite stupid.

1 Star for SIM Canoeing Club

2011-08-26T01:50:00.005+08:00

Picture by Rayyan

Taught a 1 Star group who signed up through the SIM Canoeing Club on 20-21 August. Its not often that I teach adult groups, but when I do get the chance, they tend to be more fun to teach.

Had a great weekend even though I was recovering from a runny nose.

Kind of coincidental that one of the participants is in my Buyer Behaviour class too!

Kolam Ayer CC River Vista Kayaking Clinic Review

2011-08-19T10:53:00.007+08:00

In my last blog post, I blogged about a trip where I led a group of paddlers from Kolam Ayer CC's River Vista Kayaking Centre to the Marina Barrage. It was a fun trip with grandparents and kids paddling together.

Kolam Ayer CC runs the centre and organises kayak orientation programmes led by qualified instructors every 1st Saturday of the month.
While I applaud the initiative to start this kayak centre and organise activities for the residents, I find that it is a waste of time for anyone to join the monthly kayak orientation programmes.

Why is this so?

This is because the demarcated area for paddling is very small. Even with the qualifed instructors present as guides, the management from Kolam Ayer CC does not allow paddlers to go out of the demarcated area.
This would not be a problem if the boundary is big. However, during the last orientation programme I was involved in, it took a bunch of newbies 20 minutes to paddle from one end to the other. Participants pay $18 for a 3hours session, but the place is so small you would get bored in under an hour.

Im guessing the management from Kolam Ayer CC simply took the idea of a demarcated area from Water-Venture and implemented it without considering if it makes sense to apply it to their kayak centre.
Water-Venture allows unsupervised and unguided rentals of kayaks, having a demarcated area helps them limit where these people can wander. On the other hand, Kolam Ayer CC only opens up the centre once a month for guided orientation programmes.

If anyone is considering paddling there I'd rather you go to Water-Venture Kallang, located at 4876 Beach Road. They are open everyday except Mondays and you get to paddle freely, without a guide in a much bigger area.
Rental costs $15 for 2 hours. Or if you sign up for their bundled PAssion card and Water-Venture membership, it will only cost you $7.
For more details on membership and rates, check out http://www.water-venture.org.sg/

Opening up of waterways: River Vista to Marina Barrage trip

2011-07-14T10:40:00.006+08:00

Setting off from River Vista

Kolam Ayer CC has set up a kayak shed complete with toilets and shower facilities at the River Vista HDB estate at 38B Bendemeer Road #01-812.
You can get to paddle in the waterways that were beautified and opened up as part of the ABC Waters programme.
Paddlers used to be able to paddle all the way to the end of the Singapore River for a similar experience but authorities put a stop to it. So right now, this is probably as close as you would get to paddling in Amsterdam's canals.

Inside Marina Reservoir

Marina Barrage

The trip to Marina Barrage was a Kolam Ayer CC Active Aging activity which coincided with International Water Week. It was nice to see grandparents/parents and grandchildren/children paddling together.

More pictures here

Kayaking Ubin Mangrove (K.U.M)

2011-06-16T20:10:00.005+08:00

Not as narrow as the usual mangrove routes

Finally headed up to Ubin's mangrove for the first time in a year yesterday. With me were mostly new kakis who I've never really paddled with.
I also paddled in a Perception Dancer for what I think may be my first time in 4 years! I really dont like that boat, its so cramp!
I got the group going in circles for about 15 minutes because I forgot the route. The last time I paddled here was in June 2010! That's a year ago!
We eventually got on track and completed the entire journey in 4hours and 10min. Not bad for a group of out of practice paddlers.

Very wide entrance

Highest tide was 2.6m, more than enough clearance in the mangrove

Local resident

Remnants of an old sluice gate

Rest of the pictures here

Astral LDB

2011-05-27T22:49:00.005+08:00

New piece of equipment, the Astral LDB.
Discontinued model which I think has been replaced by the Astral Nova.

Initial impressions:

simple to adjust
does not ride up
comfy
adequate buoyancy
pockets a bit tight
kind of bulky in the front
no idea how durable is the mesh

Havent used it much, but Im happy with it so far. The 3 straps on the side make for simple adjustment and Im able to adjust it to fit snugly without the PFD riding up when Im floating in the water.
The LDB does not require me to tighten it very tightly to prevent it from floating up which makes it comfortable.
However, the pockets dont hold much. A bottle of sun block and some chocolate bars will take up all the space available. Also, to make up for the reduced flotation at the back, the front is a bit more bulky. Although I dont find it obstructive so far.

Paddle Culture under new management

2011-05-26T09:55:00.004+08:00

Taken off the PCI website:

"Wu You has purchased all paddling assets, copyright, trademarks to Paddle Culture International PTE LTD (PCI) as of 12-Mar-11 but not PCI itself. Our coaches would continue to support this new paddling player in the industry as they venture forth from therapy into overall wellness. For matters 2010 & before, please contact your previous liaisons."

They will pay you $5 if a course is cancelled, however, there has been at least one instance where they have used a coach's name and certification number without his knowledge to print certificates for a course he did not conduct. This resulted in the coach almost having his certification revoked.
Coaches should beware.

Crack down

2011-05-26T09:38:00.003+08:00

Looks like the MOE is getting serious about uncertified coaches conducting 1 Star kayaking courses. I have already conducted 2 courses where the students are retaking the course because the instructor was not certified the previous time they had taken it.
I was told that one of the operators was Camelot running out of HomeTeam NS and another was SAFYC Sembawang.

To all certified coaches out there, I'd be wary about coaching for SAFYC. They only have 10 single slaloms, 8 dancers and some doubles. You are expected to conduct the 1 Star course using a mix of doubles and singles and swap around so everyone gets a chance to use a single.
I was told it was not possible to have 22 singles for a class of 20 students and 2 instructors as they did not have enough boats. Fortunately only 12 students turned up and I was able to convince them to allow the use of the dancers which are reserved for 2 star.
All of them had no knee braces installed and some were broken at the middle where the deck is screwed down to the seat.
In addition, the PFDs they provided had missing straps and were torn with the foam exposed.

More Jurong Lake pictures

2011-02-22T14:04:00.007+08:00

Took a bunch of Primary 5 kids for an orientation programme at Jurong Lake that stretched over a period of 5 weeks and decided to take some pictures on the last session.

Uncle Lau, my partner for the sessions

The usual pagoda shot

Kids posing for a pic

Trying to recreate the scene from Titanic

Obligatory standing up shot

Chaco Z/1 Unaweep Review

2011-02-01T20:41:00.004+08:00

Last April, my Teva sandals broke after 2 years of abuse. Shortly after, they were replaced by a pair of Chaco Z/1 Unaweep sandals. They were my first ever Chaco sandals and having used them for 10 months, I've decided to give them a quick review.

I've used this sandals in muddy and sandal conditions. They have been used while cycling, kayaking and just walking around town. They've even followed me to the Philippines and the Maldives.

Things I liked:

Good grip
Arch support is awesome
Sole is thick, feels like a shoe
Simple buckle

Things I didnt like:

Abrasion on big and last toe, even without the toe loops. Only slightly better than the toe loop version.
Straps are harder to adjust compared to my previous Teva
Straps are not as soft and comfy as my previous Teva
The portion of the strap that rubs against my big toe are fraying
Takes longer to dry than my Teva
Fairly heavy

Bottom line:

I'll probably get another pair if this one is worn out. The simple buckle reduces the point of failures on the sandals and the arch support provided by these Chacos are just wonderful.
However, I cant believe that the strap is fraying! Personally, I find it weird that its the part of the strap which rubs against my toe that is fraying. Is my skin really that abrasive?

Water-Venture early closure

2011-01-28T19:22:00.001+08:00

The PA Water-Venture outlets will be closed earlier at 4pm on the eve of Chinese New Year, Wednesday, 2 February 2011. Last rental would be at 1pm.

All Water-Venture Outlets will be closed during the Chinese New Year Holidays on 3 and 4 February 2011, and reopen on Saturday, 5 February 2011.

Water-Venture Opening Hours

2011-01-22T19:20:00.005+08:00

Water-Venture Opening Hours

Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Sunday: 0930 - 1800hrs
Open on all public holidays
(Except Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya Puasa, Christmas & National Day)

Directions and contact numbers for the various clubs can be found at: www.water-venture.org.sg

X-Current

2011-01-11T16:30:00.003+08:00

I helped to conduct a 1 star course for X-Current for the first time last week. X-Current is part of Exponent Asia and they are based in Kallang Watersports Center where they store their own equipment.

They use a mix of Dag, RTM and Eskimo boats with Feelfree and TNP paddles.

As usual, I find having to launch and recovery from a small pontoon very inconvenient especially when you are dealing with a big group. Its such a waste of time.
I wouldnt mind taking a class there if the participants are older and the group size is limited to 20. However, I find that I have to work harder for the pay here and lunch breaks are only 30min long.

Oh well, its just another option.

Level 1 Coaching Course

2010-12-29T11:23:00.001+08:00

Level 1 Coach Training Course (Recreational)
The Singapore Canoe Federation will be conducting a Level 1 Coach Training Course (Recreational) on 15th,16th,29th,30th JAN 2011

Venue : Kallang Water Sports Centre
Time : 9am to 4pm
Applicant(s) applying for the course, must have a 2 star personal skill qualification and able to demonstrate strong paddling skills.
Applicant(s) must be at least 18 yrs of age and have good health with no current medical condition.
For enquries,please email :hawthro@singnet.com.sg , Lim Jun Ping.

Its the process, not the result

2010-11-16T16:06:00.004+08:00

Heading to Pasir Panjang Terminal

I helped "lead" an overnight kayak expedition from West Coast Park to Pulau Hantu over the weekend. The teacher of the group was Yong Hui, who wanted his students to execute the expedition plan. Being new, there were cock ups and delays which meant we only got into the water at 4pm.
Long story short, we never made it to the island and were still paddling past sunset. Most of the students had to be put onto the powerboats and driven to the island. We only arrived at 8.30pm.

The next day we encountered a freaking storm 45min after setting off while we were crossing Sinki Fairway. With almost no visibility and ridiculously strong drift, we tied ourselves to the South Cardinal mark around Cyrene reef where we waited for about 3hrs.

The teachers

Losing sight of land

We never made it to the destination on both days, but it was one hell of an experience. I also took home a few lessons from this trip. It was nice and refreshin that the focus for this trip was the journey, rather than the destination.

1. Always study the plan beforehand
I was in Kota Tinggi when the route was released and only managed to see it the night before the expedition. I could not lead effectively because I was unsure of the route and was not familiar with the conditions.

2. Always have lights and a compass handy
My light was tucked away in my aft hatch, I could not access it when it got dark. I also didnt bring my compass. Being able to keep a bearing would have helped if we needed to continue paddling in the low viz during the thunderstorm.

3. Too many indian chiefs causes confusion
Having more than 1 person yelling instructions when there is chaos just makes things worse. Just let the 1st instructor who gives instructions take control. Having an arguement admist the chaos is not a good idea.
4. I still cant stand working with chihuahuas
People who try to have street cred, try too hard, have the sun shining out their ass or move around with some self inflicted sense of urgency like a chihuahua really bug me. The annoyance of this chihuahua effect doubles, when on the water.

Rest of the photos here

New Methods

2010-11-16T15:58:00.003+08:00

Did 2 orientation sessions at Jurong Lake after coming back from Kota Tinggi with Charles.
As usual, his methods are a little different from what Im used to.

Here's what I mean:

Reckless or calculated risk? These sort of things are very subjective.

Kayak Orientation in Kota Tinggi

2010-11-16T15:31:00.005+08:00

The usual antics

I went up to Kota Tinggi with a company called Asia Outdoor to run kayak orientation programmes in the Johor River last week.
While the company met industry standards, I feel that these standards could be improved upon. Each batch consisted of 60 students, there were 2 certified instructors including myself. A third person was an old bird w/o coaching certification but has conducted many orientation programmes there and has local knowledge. The 3 of us made up the core team and we had group instructors, guys who followed the kids around for all activities to back us up.
Problem was that some of the group instructors were not very proficient. I would have preferred more certified instructors present. Conducting briefings the group instructors is always necessary, but there is little a briefing can do if the group instructor's skills are lacking or if they lack the experience to identify dangers.
The company did have 2 boats following the group, which was kinda overkill for a 2-3km "expedition".

Big boat

It was tiring trying to control 30 kayaks and the $120/day rate was not really that attractive considering that work starts at 8am and ends at 5pm and I have only 10min for lunch.

We used 3 man kayaks

On the bright side, I did night paddling down the firefly tour route and managed to see many fireflies. It was really beautiful.

As usual, photos can be found here

Level 1 Coaching Checklist

2010-10-29T01:56:00.005+08:00

Here's the L1 coaching checklist that Water-Venture uses to grade L1 trainees for all those aspiring coaches out there.

Page 1

Page 2

Paddles for sale

2010-10-25T17:51:00.002+08:00

Passing on an email from another avid paddler who is selling his paddles.
Please contact him directly at the number provided if you are interested.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi paddlers!

I'm looking for new owners for my 215cm Werner ikelos and 220cm
Waterstick, both 2-piece paddles for sea touring. I just got myself
another Ikelos at 205cm because I prefer short paddles and it's really
one of the best you can get. The Waterstick is my first paddle and it
has been a spare pair for a long while.

Am selling at $500 and $200 respectively, pictures and test/demo
sessions out at sea are all available. Do email/sms me for details if
interested, thanks.

Yonghui
98787801

Relax...

2010-10-04T02:10:00.004+08:00

Serangoon Buoy

Went for a really relaxing paddle to Punggol jetty and back. One of the few times I've gone on such a slow relaxing trip.
Small group as usual, this time consisting of Huanda, Thongleng and Joyce.

Thongleng and Huanda

Trying to act young

Had lunch on Punggol jetty and the water around the area was covered with a layer of oil. Unfortunately, the ice cream uncle was not there today, so we could not buy any ice cream :(

We headed to Coney Island after lunch to basically fool around on the kayaks and once again, I tried to impart the art of Zen paddling. There we found a dead wild boar and I bravely/foolishly went to take a photo with its stinking carcass.

Balancing act

Wild boar

More pictures on facebook

Weirdest 1 Star Course EVER

2010-09-28T14:32:00.004+08:00

Had an interesting 2 days over the weekend with some students from the SIM Canoe Polo team. The weather on the first day was crap though. It would rain, then stop, then rain again. Damn annoying. Then it was bright and sunny the entire second day.
Unfortunately, one of the girls sprained her ankle on the first day and was not able to attend the 2nd day of the course. The ankle swelled quite a bit...

Newbies and old birds

Victim looks happy in the water

End of the day

More pics available here

Official Opening of Marina Bay Promenade

2010-07-19T08:54:00.006+08:00

Marina Bay Sands in the background

Decided to be part of the massive clusterfuck at Marina Bay. About a 100 kayaks, 4 dragonboats and 16 sail boats went down to the Marina Bay Promenade area to salute PM Lee and basically just paddle around aimlessly.
It was nice to paddle around inside, but then again, we used to go into that area freely without many problems. It was only after the construction of the Marina Bay Sands that the area was blocked off and became off limits.

Old Clifford Pier

Central Business District in the background

I also was part of an expedition team that escorted some PA big shots into the Singapore River. This was probably the highlight of the trip because I managed to paddle in without having to do the ridiculous amount of paperwork.

Fullerton Hotel

Photos in facebook as usual

Water-Venture (Kallang) Course Forecast

2010-07-16T21:44:00.002+08:00

August '10 to May '10

August
1 Star
14th & 15th
21st & 22nd
28th & 29th

September
1 Star
4th & 5th
11th & 12th
18th & 25th
19th & 26th

Please Note:

Go to www.water-venture.org.sg for info on cost.
All courses are open to public, just providing info
Information may be outdated by the time you view this, please check with Water-Venture to confirm

Water-Venture Website revamped

2010-07-12T21:04:00.006+08:00

Water-Venture is starting to get their act together and finally revamped their website. Now it looks hip and targeted at the right audience. Youths.
That aside, navigation is also much easier compared to the old design. I feel the best part is having direct links to information about the various outlets and location maps.

Head on down to Water-Venture to see for yourself.

Passing on the teachings of Zen paddling.

2010-07-04T21:15:00.005+08:00

Joined Ziyang and some of his friends for a round Ubin trip. However, one of the girls turned up an hour late and it didnt seem possible to complete a round ubin trip.
Instead, we headed over to Ubin for lunch.

After lunch I managed to convince some of the guys and gals to "explore the boundaries of stability" with me. We did some Zen Paddling, my euphemism for monkeying around.

Fong Yee starts off well...

The Force is strong with this one

Not as easy as it looks

There were quite a big group of kayak fishermen today. Spoke to some of them, these guys are quite interesting, they made seat backs and rod holders out of PVC pipes.

Fishfinder guy

Mr. Awesome

One of them even had a fish finder on his inflatable kayak! But the coolest guy of all was the one who rigged a small windsurfing sail onto his kayak. That was just awesome!

Rest of the pics here

Rest time

2010-06-28T09:54:00.003+08:00

No more coaching! Time to take a break.
I will just be invovled in the Carnival at Marina on the 18th of July.
Will have to limit myself during the next holiday by limiting the number of coaching assignments I accept. I shoud be spending the time doing more leisure trips instead.

Its about exploring

2010-06-21T22:46:00.006+08:00

Kevin came to the trip today with this in mind "Its not about speed or distance, its about exploring". I quite like this quote.
This was his first time paddling to the southern islands and he was quite excited about it. We actually started off about 1hr late but it was to be a day of leisure paddling, so it didnt really matter.
From Labrador park, with kayaks rented from Kayakasia. We paddled along Sentosa, passing by Siloso beach till we reached the Sentosa Beacon near what I think is Sentosa Cove.
From here, we crossed over to Pulau Tekukor. Paddling along the left of Pulau Tekukor, we beached up at St. John's Island for lunch.

Ziyang with the beacon

St. John's Island

Starfish on St. John's

After lunch we decided to take a short cut and went under the bridge between Pulau Seringat and St. John's Island. After paddling around a corner, we went to Kusu Island and beached up for a while to let Kevin explore. Unfortunately, he got stung by something while swimming in the lagoon.

The aftermath

We were supposed to carry on to Sisters' Island, but my shoulder was hurting and I starting showing symptoms of a runny nose which made paddling really uncomfortable. We then decided to cut the trip short and headed back instead. Still, we managed to cover a reasonable distance of 18km and enjoyed some good surfing between Seringat and Kusu.

My body is screwed up, but it was still a good day.

As usual, more pics can be found on my facebook album

Priorities

2010-06-14T13:02:00.003+08:00

I need to get my priorities right. Was updating my logbooks and realised I have only done 6 kayak journeys in 2010 while in contrast, I have clocked 24 days of coaching.

That's it. I will not accept any more coaching assignments till August.

KayakFest Philippines

2010-06-03T17:47:00.006+08:00

I went to Philippines last week to take part in a kayaking event. The paddling was done in Subic Bay. The event starts off at Anvaya Cove, a really high class private club which was AWESOME. We had breakfast and dinner at the club and it felt like I was in a 5 Star beach resort.

I took part in the 25km race with 11 other paddlers from the Singapore contingent. We werent all Singaporeans, with 2 Aussies and Indonesians joining us.
The paddling was wonderful. We paddled in a valley and the islands we passed had mountains! Quite a view.

More pictures available here and here

Paddling in Jurong Lake

2010-05-27T00:54:00.007+08:00

Twin pagodas

In the lake

I recently conducted a series of kayak orientations at Jurong Lake and it was an awesome place.
Nice and quiet place with interesting scenery.

Located near the main entrace of the Chinese/Japanese Garden, the under-utilized Water-Venture (Jurong Lake) aka Paddlez Inc run by the People's Association Water-Venture is a nice place for families living around the area to come for a paddle.
Parking is located a stone's throw away, making it convenient for those who drive. The nearest MRT station is Chinese Garden. The walk over is quite a distance and takes you through the Chinese Garden where you enter from the back gate and come out from the front gate.
Bicycles are not allowed to enter the Chinese Garden, but the Park Connector Network goes round. There are bicycle racks for parking your bicycles infront of the main gate to the Chinese Garden, but Im sure the nice folks at Paddlez Inc will allow you to bring your bicycle in.
Careful about cycling in though, its all gravel past the main gate.

Main entrance

Both sit-on-top (open deck) and sit inside (closed deck) kayaks are available for rent. However, you will need a 1 Star certification to rent the closed deck kayaks. Afterall, this is Singapore, land of the paper chase :)
Rentals cost $15 for 2hours. For more information on rates, click here.

Kayak shed

Buoyancy vests and paddles

The launch site is a small pontoon. Although, I dont recommend beginners to use pontoons for launching, paddlers can take their time here since there is barely anyone around. There is also a ramp where those not confident in pontoon launches can wade into the water before getting into the kayaks.
To my knowledge, only the Yuan Ching Secondary School dragonboat team trains here. So its not very crowded.

Launch site

Changing room

Lockers are provided and there is even a vending machine selling drinks. For those who just need water, there is a water cooler next to the changing room.
The downside of this place is that there isnt any toilet and shower facilities. Only a changing room is provided. There is a public toilet outside, but it does not have showers.
You could however, rinse yourself off at the tap behind the changing room before changing out into dry clothing.

DISCLAIMER: I am an appointed trainer for Water-Venture and conduct courses for them on occasion.

Why I dont enjoy coaching at Macritchie

2010-05-16T00:18:00.006+08:00

There are a few things that can make coaching unpleasant for me.
Unwilling participants, learning environments not condusive for learning and coaches with very conflicting techniques are just some of them.

I dont enjoy coaching at Macritchie, in fact I think its a horrible place for leisure paddling or to conduct a 1 star course.
First of all, the kayak sheds are located far away from the launching area. Bringing 10-15 kayaks over takes up quite abit of time especially when working with secondary school kids there as part of a school programme. These students are usually not interested in taking part to begin with.
Also, there are joggers/runners using the same path. You can imagine the congestion carrying boats will cause.

Secondly, the launch area is a pontoon. I dont have a problem with pontoons, however, I feel that launching from the shore is better for beginners. Using the pontoon to teach is a problem when there are 20 other schools using the same pontoon to launch. This means having to put the kayaks a distance away from the launch site after taking them out from the shed and then bringing them to the pontoon one by one to launch in order to avoid congestion.
As the newbies launch off one by one, does the coach stay on the pontoon to help or go into the water to herd those who have launched?

Thirdly, the place is full of racers. Racers are there to train, they want to go all out. That usually means expecting everyone else to give way and lots of yelling.
However, telling a newbie touching the kayak for the first time to "Hold water" doesnt really do much. The newbies have no idea what hold water means and lack the ability to control their kayak well even if they do understand.
This situation is similar to triathletes on $5000 bicycles running red lights and expecting cars to give way to them at all times in the sense that both parties lose out in the event of a collision. Crashing the K boats would definitely result in a capsize and some damage, depending on the speed.

Lastly, Peter Chai the guy who runs Paddle Lodge and is basically the guy in charge of watersports there is a jaded old man.
He just doesnt give a shit about other people and has a perpetual scowl on his face. The only time I've seen him smile is when he thought he could gain a benefit from someone which quickly turned into his usual scowl and a look of disgust when he realise no benefit was to be gained. Very calculative guy. Like the stereotypical chinese businessman.
Dont bother to apologize to him when you have made a mistake or if he misunderstood something you did. He will ignore you and any explanations you have anyway. Just let him say his peace and carry on.
Telling him you wont do it again next time will merely get the response that there is no next time. Telling him you were given wrong info would result in him saying no such thing.
Typical bureaucrat eh?
Oh and dont be late when returning keys, he needs to close shop and rush off to moonlight.

Human afterall

2010-05-16T00:08:00.002+08:00

Went round ubin with Ziyang last saturday, the weather was ridiculously hot, I estimate it was at least 35degrees celsius. We were fine until reaching the north of ubin. Ziyang was suffering from mild symptoms of heat exhaustion and had delpeted his water source. We got our bottles refilled thanks to the kindess of the kelong owners.
After hydrating ourselves, we carried on. I stupidly left the food back at the club and by this time it was already about 1pm. I was hungry and the heat was sapping my energy.
By the time we reached the western end of ubin, I was breaking out in cold sweat and my hands were shaking. This made it very difficult for me to even grip the paddle.

I decided to give up and call the staff at Water-Venture for help. Boo came out to tow us back and he experienced some boat trouble. Just as he approached us, it started to rain. And it really poured down hard.

Oh, I was also stung by a jellyfish. Bloody bad day. Decided to cut my losses and take a taxi home. Didnt want to risk something bad happening on my bicycle.

Took a look at the thermometer when I reached back home and it was 32 degrees celsius at night! A really insane day.

Paper chase

2010-05-05T16:23:00.007+08:00

Sometime back a swimming instructor got 2 young boys to touch his privates and perform oral sex on him. There was a hoohaa in the papers and parents were suggesting compulsory registration of all coaches.
At the moment, registering with the NROC is not compulsory, but recommended.
But that was how the NCAP started too right?

Knowing Singapore, anything compulsory comes with a hefty fee. A captive market is a seen as a cash cow and not sucking the people dry would be considered a crime to the people in charge. Just like how the class sizes for the NCAP doubled along with the price.
Not only is the Sports Council earning double, the number of students have doubled as well. I supposed that amounts a four-fold increase in earnings per course?

So.. long story short, I decided to be an early adopter. Took more than a month for the application to process and the card to arrive though.

What've we got here?

2010-05-04T00:33:00.004+08:00

New Chaco sandals that's what!

They will be baptised at Macritchie this coming Friday. Walking round the house, it feels kind of odd not to have the toe loops after having been used to them for 2 years. But Im pretty sure there's going to be less abrasions on my poor big toe.

Death of a Teva

2010-04-25T02:01:00.006+08:00

My Teva sandals have died. I first bought them a little more than two years ago and they were used for cycling and casual walking around besides kayaking. As you can see from the pictures, they're quite worn out. Kind of suprised they lasted that long especially since Im so hard on my gear.
Ordered myself a pair of Chaco Z/1 to replace them.
My experience with these Tevas was that sand tends to get caught in the toe loops and rubs my skin raw, so Im experimenting with the Z/1 which does not come with toe loops for now. Will see how they compare.

These sandals were nice and comfy while they lasted. Having survived 26months of abuse, mostly in a marine environment, I'd say it was worth the money.
I previously reviewed these sandals after using them for 8 months and commented on the push button which kept getting stuck. The button got jammed eventually and got stuck permanently. However, it was not the cause of destruction.

So, goodbye Teva and hello... Chaco!

Round Ubin on a hot day

2010-03-28T20:50:00.004+08:00

Went round ubin with Huanda and Ziyang today. The sun was scorching! Luckily there was wind to cool us down.

Having an "energy stick"

The trip went smoothly until we reached OBS when the wind picked up and we had to paddle through a headwind. Damn torturing. We were also going against the current to make things worse. We did make good time on the northern side though. Following winds and sea made it really enjoyable.

Imitating a certain Changi trainer

Huanda having cramps!

More pics available here

Oakley Radar Field Report

2010-03-16T22:05:00.003+08:00

Ask any sports person to name one brand of sunglasses and they're sure to say "Oakley". Go into specific models and they'll most likely say, the Oakley Radar. The latest and most hip model now may be the Jawbone, but the Radar is still a classic.

Spots on the lens

I own an Oakley Radar and have been using it for cycling as well as kayaking. As you can see from the pics, there are spots on the lens. The polarising filter is shrinking from the sides of the lens and tearing apart. It gets worse everytime the sunglasses come into contact with seawater. It was fairly tolerable at first, but now its starting to get annoying with so many spots. I rinse them after every use, so I dont see whats the problem.

The only time I've ever had problems like this was when I bought swimming goggles with polarising filters. Those were cheap $30 googles. But its such a disappointment for a pair of $300 sunglasses.

Polarised lenses are supposed to really aid in cutting the glare from sunlight reflecting off the water while doing sea sports, but after this experience, I will not buy a polarised Oakley for such a purpose.

3 Star Course at SCF

2010-03-15T07:48:00.001+08:00

3 Star Kayaking course
Date: 3rd,4th,10th,11th April 2010
Venue : Kallang Water Sports Centre
For more information please email : limjp@scf.org.sg, Lim JunPing

Paddling in reservoirs

2010-03-12T09:38:00.003+08:00

Source: http://geotacs.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/CRW_1531-1024x680.jpg

Reservoirs have been open up for watersports sometime back and members of the public can rent sit-on-top kayaks for a leisurely paddle. Unlike in most other areas, you do not require any certification to paddle in reservoirs if you use the sit-on-tops. This makes it a perfect activity for families who would like to spend an hour on the water on a Sunday morning.

However, these reservoirs are also provide perfect conditions for flatwater racing and competitive canoeing and dragonboat teams flock to them. This can be nerve wrecking for other users on the water, happy to just float around. Having fast moving racing crafts speeding by and yelling for you to get out of their way might just spoil that serene Sunday morning that families were hoping for.

So I suggest giving the outlet a call and asking them if the time you intend to paddle coincides with training times and if its too crowded, to give paddling a miss all together.

Bombproof your roll?

2010-03-08T00:56:00.002+08:00

Got this interesting video on how to bombproof your roll from Have Kayaks, Will Travel

Towing game from Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin on Vimeo.

Bring Your Own Kayak

2010-03-05T10:13:00.003+08:00

Found yet another source for easily transportable boats in Singapore.
http://www.byok.com.sg/index.php

Its a whitewater design, built with fiberglass and isnt recommended for whitewater. From the looks of it, it'll be great for people who just wanna float around in reservoirs or do some flatwater playboating, but I seriously doubt you will want to do some long distance paddling in it.

Looks like Peter Chai is testing it in their videos.

Upcoming Trip

2010-03-04T23:02:00.004+08:00

Date: 27-28 March 2010

14.1km expedition from Water-Venture (Sembawang) to Water-Venture (Pasir Ris) on 27 March.
Overnight stay and sumptious BBQ dinner at Pasir Ris.
14.1km return trip to Water-Venture (Sembawang) on 28 March.

Price: $30 (WV member), $40 (Non-member)
Pre-requisite: 1 Star Award
Deadline: 14 March 2010

Payment at Water-Venture (Sembawang), 57 Jalan Mempurong S759057.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At only 14km per way, this trip might be too short or too slow for more experienced or fitter paddlers. Seeing as how a 22km round ubin trip can be done in 4 hours, experienced paddlers might want to try doing the route in a single day on their own.
However, this would be a great and relatively cheap opportunity for less experienced paddlers to try going out of Water-Venture's imaginary safety zone.

2 full day kayak rental costs $12 x 2 =$24, so participants are effectively paying only $6 for the BBQ and lodging at Water-Venture Pasir Ris.

My thoughts? Go for the cheap BBQ and chance to socialise, not if you want a challenge.

Folbot in Singapore

2010-03-02T02:17:00.003+08:00

Was browsing around and discovered Speedmatrix the company that brings in foldable bicycles like Dahon is also selling Folbot. Prices are abit steep, but still cheaper than Feathercraft.
Another alternative for Singaporean paddlers.

Kayak Camping

2010-02-28T21:36:00.006+08:00

Finally have something postworthy to write about after a month! I just came back from a wonderful kayak camping trip with 11 other paddlers.

Labrador Park

We set off from Labrador Park most using kayaks provided by Kayak Asia. Cher Huey was at Labrador Park on Saturday morning, but I didnt recognise him at first! Its the first time I've seen him out of the water.

Feathercrafts on Sisters Island

We paddled to Sisters Island and stayed the night. Great paddling with lots of waves to surf and the emerald green water was just beautiful.. Simply awesome. The kayak handled well and I was confident enough not to put on the spray cover while paddle for both days. Some water did enter the kayak, but it was minimal and I didnt think it affected much.
This trip also tested my kayak in the surfing department. Im glad to say it passed! I was happily surfing along during both days, reaching some incredible speeds. Although the creaking sounds didnt really help to boost my confidence at first.
The safety aspect could have been better, but Im assuming it was the organiser's first time leading a trip in these waters.
I definitely need to organise my own private trips to Sisters Island with friends in the future.

Feel free to view the rest of the pictures in my Facebook album

Moving on

2010-01-25T03:05:00.002+08:00

A year has passed since I last joined the SIM Canoe team for training.

After some thought, I've decided not to paddle competitively anymore. There's too much committment invovled and I'd like to do other things during my holidays. Im also looking at getting a motorcycle so time will be spent getting the license and money needs to be earned to pay for a motorcycle and the lessons.

Akan Datang

2010-01-14T01:02:00.003+08:00

It has long been obvious to most paddlers that kayaking can never accommodate large numbers. 20-40 paddlers in the water would present a logistic nightmare preparing the boats and be a safety hazard with paddlers drifting all over the place.

This is unlike in dragonboating where you can dump 20 kids into one boat and have one helmsman at the back. They take up less space compared to 20 kayaks when moving around and the helmsman has full control of the direction.

Enter the Bellboat. The Singapore Canoe Federation's answer to the dragonboat.

Source: http://www.riversaccess.org

The Bellboat is 9m long and 1.4m wide. Basically it is 2 canoes bolted together to form a catamaran. There is a steering oar at the back, dragonboat style.
Obvious advantage over the dragonboat would be storage as it can be dismantled and Im guessing the weight wise, it will be lighter.
Made of plastic too! Injection moulding shouldnt cost too much and it can come in fancy colours.

More information on the Bellboat can be found here.

Level 1 Coaching Course

2010-01-13T22:57:00.002+08:00

Level 1 Coach Training Course (Recreational)
Date: 6th, 20th, 21st, 28th Feb 2010
Venue: Kallang Water Sports Centre (Singapore Canoe Federation)

Contact Lim Jun Ping, limjp@scf.org.sg for more details.

This is how we roll

2010-01-07T03:01:00.003+08:00

Sun, sand, 'sea'. Love it.

Headed down to Kallang for some rolling practice and to catch up with Kevin.
Kevin had managed to do 2 consecutive hand rolls the week before and wanted to see if he could repeat the feat. Unfortunately, he was having an 'off' day. Almost managed one, but failed in the end.
Nevertheless, I took the opportunity to take some videos and photos.

Kevin rolling up

Relaxing...

Greenland style Storm Roll

Another Top Hat Roll video

3 Star Course 17/01/2010

2010-01-04T06:15:00.002+08:00

3 Star Training Course
17th Jan 2010
Water-Venture (Pasir Ris)
$80

Course application must be made by 10th Jan
For more details, contact Water-Venture (Pasir Ris) at 65824796

Im back!

2010-01-04T05:39:00.003+08:00

Relaxing

First kayak trip in 5 months. Was not able to paddle for such a long time because I was in Europe during autumn/winter.
Still able to paddle comfortably at a decent pace. 45Min was spent eating lunch, so the journey was actually completed in 4hrs 15min.
Companions have improved. Huanda was incredibly tired the last time we tried to complete round Ubin in 4hrs.

Huanda's new toy

Ziyang with his new paddle

Ziyang bought a new Bracsa Hurricane max paddle, the paddle has a very firm catch and feels almost like a wing paddle. He was winded as he was not used to such a strong catch. More initial fitness was required to use the paddle. When I used it, I felt like I could fly. The firm catch allowed more power to be applied and transferred to the stroke. Nice feeling, but might be tiring in longer distances.

Rest of the pics here

Taking a break

2009-10-01T02:53:00.001+08:00

To all the folks who visit my blog regularly, there wont be any updates because Im 1200m above sea level in Switzerland.
Im high and dry and wont be back till next year.

More press on the River Clean-Up

2009-08-29T00:28:00.003+08:00

SIM Canoeing Club was featured in Gaia Discovery, an online lifestyle magazine dedicated to give people around the world an insight into sustainable development and tourism.

You can read the article here

Canoe Polo!

2009-08-22T22:38:00.000+08:00

Joined the SIM Canoe Polo club for their training session today. The newbies (thats us) train separately, so the whole group was basically a bunch of newbies led by one experienced player.
I found it quite tough to do so many things simultaneously. Not only do I have to paddle, there's the added element of the ball.
The boat was so easy to roll I managed an elbow roll with no difficulty. Since I could easily roll the boat, I can concentrate on other skills such as ball handling.

One of the newbies just got his 1 star a month ago and is on his way towards a hand roll. Im quite interested in how rolling is taught. Seems they have been taught the hand roll without first learning the C-to-C or Sweep style eskimo rolls. I suppose boat design has got something to do with it, but I've got to give some credit to the teaching methods. Almost all of them can hand roll while holding the paddle blade to give additional support.

Paddling down the Singapore River

2009-08-19T11:33:00.003+08:00

The SIM Canoeing Club organised a freshman orientation camp over the weekend. I only joined in from Saturday onwards due to some prior commitments.
One of the highlights for the camp was the river clean up on the final day. All of us got into kayaks and paddled into the Singapore River. As we paddled along, we collected rubbish that we could find in the river.

Apparently this was the first social responsibility event ever organised by a sports club in SIM. We created SIM history!

Yet another 1 Star course for SIM

2009-07-29T10:43:00.002+08:00

There was yet another 1 Star course for SIM held over the weekend and it was their biggest one yet with a total of 28 participants!
Couldnt really clique with the group this time so it wasnt that enjoyable for me.
As usual, we have the obligatory Singapore Flyer pics.

Rest of them can be found here

Sabotaged!

2009-07-23T11:27:00.003+08:00

I recieved an SMS from Eddy regarding a coaching assignment on the 22nd and 29th of August for NJC. I then checked my calendar and realised I was free and accepted the assignment.
So yesterday I left my phone in the living room while I was busy playing some computer game for practically the whole day. My phone started to ring at about 3.20pm and when I answered it, Eddy asked where was I. It seems he gave me the wrong date. It was supposed to be 22 and 29 JULY instead of August.
Rushed down to Macritchie on my bike and reached there to find a bunch of unmotivated Sec 1 students carrying boats. These kids were totally uninterested! They moved slowly and the only thing they did in the water was raft up and chit chat or day dream. Not being that experienced, I couldnt really motivate them in such a short time span so I made them demonstrate the skills to me individually.
After 50min we had to end the session because there have been feedback from parents that the students are coming home very late. Honestly, if they moved faster, they can be dismissed earlier.
It took 1 hour to move all the equipment back. Some of them would carry a boat back and hide somewhere. When there was 2 boats left, Eddy and myself decided to carry the boats back to save time because the kids were no where to be found. On the way to the storage shed we saw a few loitering around and when they saw us, they ran away. The worse thing was that as we were carrying the 2 boats back, 6 kids sneaked off.
Goodness. Cant help but feel disappointed that this is the standard of our future leaders.

Ignoramus

2009-07-20T10:43:00.005+08:00

Just did a kayak orientation at Water-Venture Kallang on Sunday with 2 other trainers. Quite unhappy with the way things went.
One of the instructors is a trainee who has been putting off taking his assessment since he did the L1 coaching course in 2007 and the other trainer is ignorant and proud of it. The trainee established his presence from the beginning and took charge. He began the session by getting the participants to carry all the equipment to the beach.
This was the trainee's 1st KOP and he wanted to do the theory part so after carrying stuff around he gave a theory session that lasted 30 minutes! There was constant use of jargon, talk about hull shapes, etc. Being 6 hours long, this KOP session is twice as long as usual but I dont see the need for so much talk. He also gave the usual ill informed canoe vs kayak explanation.

That wasn't the main issue though. When discussing about teaching rescues, I suggested showing the participants a rafted TX rescue. I was then treated like a blasphemer. The trainee went on to say how its almost impossible to do a rafted TX rescue with a tandem kayak and how we should use the H rescue. Was then told by the other trainer that a TX rescue will snap the boat in half.
From past experience, the "H" rescue usually ends up as a "N" or "Z" rescue after the boats get pushed around by wind and waves. Also annoying how the 2 rescuers are fighting against each other as they try to pull the victims bow/stern onto their respective decks.
Later on, while actually demonstrating the rescue, he told the rescuers to do a "see-saw" motion after lifting the victims kayak. From my understanding, in a "H" rescue you just lift up the capsized kayak and water flows out on its own due to the boat design. No need to do a "see-saw".

Later on as the session was ending, the other 2 trainers talked to the participants about the certification courses and told them the usual PA Water-Venture propaganda. No rentals without 1 star, no crossing of channels without 2 star, etc.
The one that really took the cake was the trainee telling them that if you're 1 star certified, you do the rafted TX rescue and only 2 star certified paddlers do the TX rescue.

Walk-in participants

2009-07-19T00:39:00.008+08:00

Met up with Huanda and Ziyang at Pasir Ris yesterday. We planned to paddle round Seletar Island which would be about 26km. However we met 2 paddlers at the club and Huanda invited them to join us. Unfortunatley, they were slow compared to us and I decided not to go further after reaching Punggol Jetty.
They were out to have fun and having them chase us all the way to Seletar Island would definitely not be fun for them. So we chilled out on Punggol jetty. One of the guys said you can buy ice cream there. I thought he was joking, but he walked off and returned with ice cream and 100plus! Was quite interesting.

We then went on to Coney Island to take some pics and practice our skills before heading back. Although we didn't manage to complete the 26km, the 2 guys were quite funny and interesting. They made good company and the trip was actually quite enjoyable.

Virgin whitewater trip

2009-07-17T12:31:00.007+08:00

Just returned from a whitewater paddling trip on 14-15th July. Went up to Sungkai for this trip to paddle in a grade 2-3 river.
The first day went by very slowly. Started out with drills and other stuff since it was the first time for most of us. We learnt about the safe swimmer position, how to swim across a river and how to jump in. Once that was settled, we got into the boats and played around in the eddy to get used to the boats. We were then taught to ferry glide and eddy in/out.
Personally felt it was dry, but then these are necessary skills.

Things were better on the second day when we did a run down the river. Got the chance to practice whatever we learnt the day before. There was more free play and it definitely felt more fun than the first day.

I did have higher expectations after hearing comments from people who've been on such trips. Guess the stories have been exaggerated a wee bit. Anyone who has a decent roll and quick enough reflexes can have fun.

Durian time!

Unscrupulous practices revealed

2009-07-08T17:11:00.005+08:00

I spent my last 2 days at SIM HQ manning the Canoeing Club booth for its recruitment drive. Basically freshmen from UOL are down in the school for their Freshman Orientation Day where the OGLs will guide them around the school and let them play games to know their coursemates. One of the activities is a massive recruitment by the clubs and societies in SIM.

So there I was manning the booth when 2 girls approached. One girl was interested in the 1 Star and another later revealed that she's already certified. The certified girl was telling her friend to go for the 1 Star. At first I thought it was great that this girl was doing my job for me, but then she told her friend 1 Star very good, can become instructor. What the hell?

I wanted to find out more, so I smiled and told her you need 2 Star before you can become an instructor. She replied that you only need 1 Star to be an instructor at Camelot. She also revealed that she worked there before.
To make matters worse, Camelot is the operator that MOE has chosen to run its Adventure campsite in Changi.

Oops. Let the cat out of the bag.

I hate red tape

2009-06-29T10:33:00.006+08:00

As usual, many permits and paperwork is required if you want to paddle to certain places in Singapore. Its almost as if the authorities are trying to discourage any paddling outside of the confined reservoirs.

The SIM Canoeing Club is trying to organise a trip up the Singapore River. I've done it in the past and gone all the way to Clarke Quay. At that time you only needed to ask permission from PUB and have a powerboat escort.
However, PUB is now asking for acknowledgment emails from SDBA, NCC, SCF, PA, Waterways Watch Society, Singapore River Cruise, Duck Tours, Singapore Explorer, MINDEF, URA, Singapore Tourism Board and an endorsement from SCF.
On top of that, they are limiting us to the UOB Plaza. So basically, all these permits are required just to go pass the Anderson Bridge and Cavenagh Bridge. Pathetic.

Culture of Fear

2009-06-27T17:50:00.003+08:00

I've heard stories and have had first hand experiences. It seems to me that some of the staff and trainers at Water-Venture (Changi) are spreading a Culture of Fear amongst the paddling fraternity.

Here are some of the highlights.

There's an escort that brings you to the equipment when you do a rental. For fear that you might take a boat other than the fiberglass slaloms. For some reason, they dont like renting the plastic whitewater kayaks.

Here's an interesting story. A fellow paddler was told not to venture out of the demarcated area even though, he was allowed to do so, according to Water-Venture rules. He is at least 2 star certified. The staff on duty at that time told him not to go out because it was drizzling. Some weird safety precaution perhaps? Acid rain may burn into the paddlers skin and it would be good if they were near shore to seek shelter.
He ignored the instructions and ventured out. Soon after, he recieved a phone call and was told to come back immediately. The staff on duty was watching them!
Probably has some control issues.

On another occasion, one of the trainers was wearing a helmet to teach either a 2 or 3 star certification course. Maybe he was afraid of swimmers kicking his head when he tries to demonstrate the eskimo bow rescue or the eskimo roll?

I've also read comments left online and heard the Changi trainers exaggerating the conditions at Changi. If you didnt know better, you'd think you're up against 5foot high waves and unrelenting seas that will toss you around like a washing machine.
Currents and tides? Big deal. I think the biggest danger out there are the swimmers near the beach.

Kayaking/Canoeing is a safe sport, especially in Singapore. Perhaps they are trying to make the place less inviting so it becomes exclusive to them?
Or is it just one-upmanship? I paddle in Changi, therefore Im more experienced! You lower echoleon paddlers dont waste my time.

Most annoying is how they seemingly "worship" some of the old birds. Gushing like little school girls when talking about their idols. But only false gods give bad intel about their own playground.

Oh btw. I just did a trip through the Ubin mangroves without having to back track. No need to worship any false gods...

Round Ubin in my Feathercraft

2009-06-08T13:36:00.003+08:00

Led the NJC Outdoor Adventure Club on a day trip around Pulau Ubin on Saturday. We started off from Ubin Chalet where the Asian Detours boats are stored.
While Kian Seng co-ordinated the students to move out the kayaks from the shed, I rushed to assemble the Feathercraft, this time, I remembered to put in the foot pedals! Took about 20min to assemble.
RX told me he once assembled one in 10mins! But that was with the help of another person.

The aim was to let the OAC leaders lead the trip on their own. I was attached to the expedition leaders and paddled in front with them. All I did was to provide the local knowledge and give them tips on leading the group.

Nice blue skies

Say "cheese"!

All in all, it was a good trip. Nice weather and following seas most of the way even though we took 5 hours to complete the entire trip...

My kayak managed to track fairly well and had no problems going straight. However, the boat would flex as it went over a wave making it quite hard to surf. Maybe next time I should try tensioning it to the maximum.

3 Star Course Date (UPDATE!)

2009-05-30T09:15:00.001+08:00

Kindly note that the dates of the previously mentioned 3 STAR Personal Course has been adjusted as follows:

Day1 - 07/06/09 (Sun)
Day2 - 14/06/09 (Sun)
Day3 - 28/06/09 (Sun)
Day4 - 05/07/09 (Sun)

Time: 0900hrs to 1600hrs
Venue: Kallang (SCF)
Cost ranges from $90-$125

For sign-up or more information please email: Lim Jun Ping (limjp@scf.org.sg)

Minute of Silence

2009-05-23T10:02:00.004+08:00

A friend of mine who was a freelance canoeing/dragonboat instructor drowned yesterday evening at Macritchie.
An avid adventurer and champion for Diabetes, he has paddled around Singapore within 24hrs while in a canoe and dragonboat. I believe the dragonboat event made it to the Singapore book of records.

Last I heard he was planning to do a marathon swim in aid of diabetes too.

Alas, another life lost.

Read the news article here

3 Star Course at SCF

2009-05-22T00:41:00.001+08:00

Got this news from the twodegreesnorth mailing list.

Dear friends,
Please be informed that Singapore Canoe Federation will be conducting a 3Star Personal Skills (Training Course) on the following dates:

Day1 - 31/05/09 (Sun)
Day2 - 07/06/09 (Sun)
Day3 - 14/06/09 (Sun)
Day4 - 21/06/09 (Sun)

Time: 0900hrs to 1600hrs
Venue: Kallang (SCF)
Cost ranges from $90-$125

For sign-up or more information please email:
Lim Jun Ping (limjp@scf.org.sg)

Course syllabus can be found under Awards -> Personal Skill at http://www.scf.org.sg/asp/default.asp

Round Ubin again and again!

2009-05-10T18:08:00.004+08:00

Coney Island in the background

Paddled round ubin twice over this weekend after having been out of the water for more than a month! The last time I even touched a kayak was on 5th April...
On Saturday, I brought Seh Suan and KC who had just passed their 2 star course last weekend. They managed to survive the trip but took 5 hours to complete the whole distance.

Seh Suan posing

House No.1 near Chek Jawa

Today, I went with Huanda and Zi Yang who are better paddlers. It was also their first time though.
A total of 4.5hrs was spent to complete the journey but that included a 1 hour lunch break at a seafood restaurant on Ubin. Doubt Huanda will go on a round Ubin trip anytime soon though. Haha!

Now I've got some muscle aches. Better stretch again before I sleep tonight or I'll wake up or sore tmr!

Rolling Clinic

2009-05-07T07:46:00.000+08:00

Rolling clinic by Paddle Culture

Date: 17th of May and 24th of May
Time: 1pm to 4pm (free and easy after that until 6pm)
Cost: $25 per day (non-Friend of PC) $20 a day (Friend of PC)
Maximum number of participants: 10 on the 17th, and 20 on the 24th.
Minimum requirement: 2 Star. If 1 star and have prior knowledge or skils, email/call us first.
Things to bring: Yourself and paddling gear. If you feel you need a nose clip, do purchase one beforehand.

Contact Details
Please email us at courses@paddleculture.com or call us at 96552337. Please indicate the subject line as Learn to Roll Class. Please also indicate your skill level. You are also welcome to join if you already know how to roll and want to refine or pick up a different roll.

Places on a first come first served basis. See you in the water!

Cognitive Dissonance.

2009-04-18T21:48:00.003+08:00

Took up a module on marketing some time back. During which I learnt about the consumer buying process. One of the last stages is cognitive dissonance.
Basically its when you regret making that purchase when you realise there's 2 conflicting thoughts in your mind.

Eg. You bought a $1000 Gucci bag and later feel guilty because you also would like to have saved that money.

Likewise, I bought a Feathercraft Kahuna and now I regret the purchase. I've used it a grand total of 3 times since I bought it and in the process damaged the hatch rim.

Sigh.

Find it a hassle to dry before packing it up. I dont drive and bring that humongous thing around by bus. Washing up at home is also a chore.

Plan to use it a few more times after my diploma and then sell it off by September where I would hopefully be at the Kandersteg International Scout Center in Switzerland as a short term staff.

Water Sports Licensing

2009-04-06T15:52:00.003+08:00

Some time last year, Teo Ser Luck suggested a water safety license. No news on that so far.

But SIM has taken matters into their own hands and gone ahead with starting their own version.
From now on, any person joining a watersports club in SIM is required to show proof of ability to swim or take a swimming test.
The test will include:

treading water for 3min
drownproofing for 1minute
swim 50m in any recognised stroke

Personally I am against such a rule because I feel it is the personal responsibility of core members of the various clubs to ensure they are proficient in swimming. Making it compulsory takes away the personal responsibility from people and usually such rules are put in place for an organisation to cover themselves.

Quick shocked to hear the windsurfers saying people might have difficulty treading water for 3min. Dont think its too much to ask from a person doing watersports.
Then there was this weird ODAC guy who was saying that getting the members to know how to swim isnt enough. He suggesting getting the ODAC exco to be trained as lifeguards.
If you are really so concerned about safety, you would have taken it upon yourself to equip yourself with such knowledge. Not wait till now to do ask. Im guessing he probably wants to do it for free or at some subsidized rate.

What I found funny was that the diving club has to go through this test too. Haha.

1st Failure

2009-03-31T21:50:00.002+08:00

Results so far.
I've used the alternative capsize drill coaching technique 3 times so far.

Have since made some changes over my original idea.
I basically split the whole capsize drill into 2 parts. For the first part, I get the paddlers to capsize but stay in kayak till I flip them over.
For the second part, they do the usual capsize drill.

This is what I do.

Get 2 boats out in the water.
1st boat does part 1, 2nd boat watch.
2nd boat does part 1, 1st boat watch.
1st boat does part 2, 2nd boat watch.
1st boat goes back to shore and empty water, 2nd boat does part 2
2nd boat goes back to shore, 1st boat does part 1.
Repeat.

This has been successful so far till today. I got the water phobia group. Out of 9 paddlers, 4 were afraid of doing the capsize. After some coaxing, I got the kids to do the capsize drill.
3 of them managed to overcome their fear and do the drill after completing part 1.
But the last boy was just too afraid of water. He couldnt even do part 1.
The first time he tried, he wet exited on his own. On the second try, he held on to the kayak with only one hand and I couldnt flip him over. During the third try, he grabbed on to my leg underwater!!!
He wouldnt even try the normal capsize drill, he only wanted to do part 1 because I would be there holding him and flipping him. Physical contact was a big factor in calming him. He needed someone to hold him.

Guess even this method is not fail proof.

Some funny things happened though. The 4 boys who were afraid of capsizing kept giving excuses. One particular excuse really took the cake.
The boy said: " I cannot do, I got block nose."
His friend replied: "Nobody can breathe underwater lah!"
Well said. Haha.

At the end of the day after washing the boats, their teacher came up to me and thanked me. She said that she knew some of them were quite "scaredy cats" and she really appreciated my patience when teaching them.

Hearing things like that are nice.
Great for the ego :)

Bleh

2009-03-30T00:39:00.005+08:00

Just conducted a 1 Star course on Sunday and it was horrible. Didnt feel like there was much learning involved, though I tried to make the best of the situation.

An NPCC unit had signed up for the course held at Water-Venture through a company called PaddleH2O. This company is run by 2 trainers from Water-Venture, Richard Lim and Mary Zoe Lek.

So I more or less just let things happen the way Mary wanted it. This went on till I couldnt take it anymore and voiced my opinions to Mary. We then split the group and carried on coaching in smaller more condusive numbers.

Here's why:
During the split to do the capsize drill, she got her entire group to raft up and wait in the water and take turns to do the capsize. It looked all nice and organised at first, but in the end the group just ended up floating around in a mess.

It all started to go downhill when Mary started demonstrating embarking and disembarking to 28 paddlers sitting in the kayaks on the beach alongside each other. How did she expect the paddlers at the extreme ends to see her?

When I questioned her on this, she said the other instructors were supposed to teach/facilitate while she did her coaching. Whats the point? So I have to repeat everything WHILE she is talking? Who do the paddlers pay attention to then? Herself or me?

Next, she basically dispatched the whole group of 28 participants into the water at one shot. While she stood on the beach. She got them to paddle towards a pontoon abt 10m away and reverse paddle back to shore.
So there we had 28 pple floating around paddling in circles and myself and Sam had to herd them back to shore.

She did not even take a boat out into the water! Coaching a 1 Star course without getting into a boat? So you can guess the kids spent alot of time at the beach or near it.

All that techincal stuff and jargon she used didnt help facilitate learning either.

Sam also wasn't too interested in coaching. He condemned the group before they even arrived and ended up shouting most of the session. Could see that the teacher in charge was worried at this and spent most of the time hanging around his group.

Lost my watch too :( I guess one of the links came loose.
The new club manager Joyce kept coming out to the beach. Judging from her character, chacnes are she was "assessing" myself and Sam.

Quite a bad day.

But, at least 3 things brightened up my day.
1. The new capsize drill thingy worked. Got the kids all excited about capsizing. Even the non-swimmers! They found the technique fun and awesome. Saw a few smiles and heard a few screams of delight!

2. The teacher in charge was cute. Really cute :)

3. I got an exciting trip home, cycling in the rain.

Eventful Paddle Round Ubin

2009-03-27T19:10:00.004+08:00

Went round Ubin with Kevin again. Quite an eventful paddle.
He used a Bandit this time while I switched from a wooden paddle to a wing paddle. So I was way ahead of him.

Looking for a workout

He mananged to paddle 22km in a whitewater boat within 4hours. Quite an achievement I'd say.

East Nenas Beacon

It was the 1st time I used a wing paddle since January and the stronger catch of those blades wreak havoc on my shoulder for longer distances. Was paddling quite leisurely, so my shoulders didnt really hurt. But I could feel the strain.

Sea snake!

On our way back to Pasir Ris we paddled past a group in open deck kayaks. I think it was led by Jessica with Addison at the back. Looked like them.
Then we saw a group of SMU paddlers launching when we finally reached Pasir Ris beach.

Got Kevin to help me take some videos, so here they are!

Top Hat Roll

Balance Brace

Fear of Capsize

2009-03-20T22:52:00.003+08:00

It seems that the most feared thing during the 1 Star course is the capsize drill.
Sometimes I feel that the only thing thats on the participant's mind is getting out of the kayak. I often see them dropping out of the kayak before it even turns upside down. Sometimes I see the capsized boat shaking violently from the violent kicking and trashing from a panicked participant.

I've had ideas of getting the participants to capsize and stay in the boat for as long as possible, but "as long as possible" could only mean 1 second to a panicked person.

For those who are really panicky I usually get them to hug the kayak, telling them to hug the kayak until they hear a loud thud from my banging on the hull. I then flip the kayak over, count to 5 before banging the hull.
There have been few successes with this method, but I've been using this as a last option.
Should I use this method from the start? A stepping stone leading up to an actual capsize?
Kinda feels like too much hand holding from the start though. Not really my style and it would take up quite a bit of time.

Lots of coaching

2009-03-18T19:07:00.004+08:00

All my paddling for the past 2 months have been limited to coaching. I have not trained or done any leisure paddling on my own.
Hopefully it does not rain tomorrow so I can do a short paddle from Pasir Ris to Coney Island and do some rolling after that. The skills are getting a little rusty.
There's lots of cool stuff in Water-Venture Pasir Ris, including a store room full of different types of paddle. Planning to try using the wooden paddle I saw inside.

Not forgetting the Greenland paddle that I plan to make. Will have to find a 2.2m long piece of wood. Now where am I gonna find one?

Good Day.

2009-03-15T20:47:00.005+08:00

Today was the 2nd day of the 1 star course that I am conducting for SIM. There were 16 participants and when we split up the group during the first day, I ended up with the older group, everyone in the group was older than me. Except of my younger sis.
The other group consisted of all girls, 21yrs old and below. Lucky I didnt get them, they didnt seem to motivated.

Quickly settled the TX rescue and went on to do other fun stuff like the all-in rescue, went for an early lunch afterwards.
Did a leisure paddle around Kallang and brought them out to the Singapore Flyer. As usual, functioning like a tour guide, stopping at certain places to take pics. All in all a good day

Went for makan at Lau Pat Sat after the course and pigged out on satay, sting ray and nasi briyani. Ended the meal with a mango ice dessert too!

Its not just our drivers

2009-03-12T17:51:00.003+08:00

I've spent the last 2 days conducting kayak orientation programmes for St. Patrick's School at Lower Seletar Reservoir. That is also where Republic Poly and Nanyang Poly canoeists train.

The Water Venture outlet there doesnt get much business. So basically, these kids have the entire area all to themselves most of the time.

So they weren't too happy about it when we had a bunch of newbies on sit-on-top kayaks in the water. The poly kids were just sprinting and bashing through the newbies shouting things like "hold your boat".
Unfortunately for these kings of the road. They were talking to a bunch of newbies who had no idea what "hold your boat" means and even if they knew they needed to stop, they didnt know what to do. Shouting probably just makes them to panic.
Too bad for those folks, they just banged their expensive racing kayaks into indestructible sit-on-tops.

That was yesterday. What they did today defines the meaning of "assholes".
I got the kids to go back to shore after our session. This invovles having the kids to come alongside a small pontoon, get out and carry the boats to shore.
With only 3 pontoons, it does get kinda squeezy.

Seems that squeezing doesnt bother the Republic Poly kids too much. When we were halfway through the recovery, they just paddled in and recovered their boats too. So 20 boats trying to get up isnt enough, they added another 10 or so.

Im sure waiting another 5-10mins wont kill you. Or maybe their fingers have wrinkled too much and they were desperately trying to get out of the water before the fingers drop off?
Looks like we dont only have impatient and psychotic drivers on our roads, we've got them in boats too!
Does seem that these things happen when some people think they have some sort of god given right. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, even when the power is imaginary.

Smelly Smelly Tevas

2009-03-11T23:41:00.004+08:00

My sandals stink!
Once they get wet, they stink like hell. Unfortunately, I wear them for kayaking and other outdoor stuff when Im too lazy to wear shoes.
Putting them in the sun doesnt help much. I tried soaking those buggers in Dettol and scrubbing the sole, the smell went away for a while, until I used them for kayaking again.
They just freaking stink!

Looks like I have to resort to soaking them in Dettol every 2 weeks or so.
All that Microban anti-microbial stuff is bullshit man... Doesnt work. Or maybe it worked in the beginning and doesnt last.

People skills!

2009-03-09T18:08:00.004+08:00

The new club manager of Water-Venture Kallang is the latest of my encounters with WV staff that need to work on their people skills.
Since, she took over as manager, all emails she has sent to trainers have included a short threat to kick them out should they not fufill their minimum coaching quota for the year.
In her latest email, she invites trainers to attend a gathering with food and booze. Encouraging trainers to attend. Might seem like a harmless invite.
But she goes on to say:

As the saying goes.."out of sight, out of mind"....in this case it's out of the trainers family...so attendance is STRONGLY encouraged!

These new generation of PA Staff seriously need to work on their people skills. This reminds me of the army where you are given options. You know, the kind of options where you get screwed no matter what you choose?

Oh yeah, she's gonna implement more guidelines too. Its just another fucking euphemism for RULES.

Different Methods

2009-02-22T16:00:00.005+08:00

Coached a 1 Star course under Asian Detours today. This was my first time coaching for them and I have a feeling my teaching methods are quite different from theirs.

1st, the other instructor tried demonstrating a TX rescue to 18 students while they were not rafted up. On the 2nd try, the raft was so wide those at the ends could hardly see whats going on.

We split up after the demonstration and I took 9 kids with me. Unsure if they saw how the victim was supposed to re-enter the kayak, I did a demonstration again. I split them up into 3 groups and we started on the rescues.
My teaching style is to allow the kids to suffer a bit and experiment with what works instead of just telling them what to do from the start which would eliminate any authority on the rescuers part.
As you can guess, this might take some time...
Well, the other instructor managed to finish everything with her grp by the time I finished my first rotation.
The other instructor helped out with my group after she was done with hers. Perhaps with good intentions. But I felt it kinda messes things up and adds chaos. Especially when she just left her group hanging around.

I noticed the other instructor got the kids to demonstrate the skills one by one. I tried this once during my attachment and found that kids didnt like waiting for their turn to demonstrate the skill. Not only is it boring, it feels alot like school.

Maybe my teaching style is too casual and laidback. Its quite obvious I have a more lassier faire of coaching compared to most other coaches. Probably look like I couldnt care less. But I feel that it should be a chance for the kids to experiment. Most times the kids will tell me they cant do a TX rescue, but leave them alone long enough and they end up emptying the boat of water and performing the rescue.

Well, at the end of the day. Im glad the reluctant boy who didnt want to capsize and found 101 excuses to go back to shore had fun. And its also quite hard to forget the boy that cant stop singing and randomly spouting verses from songs like "baby, come back!"
So I guess there are some redeeming qualities about today.

SIM 1 Star Canoeing Course Flyer

2009-02-18T22:31:00.003+08:00

Round 1 Fight!

2009-02-16T21:37:00.002+08:00

Helped Cher to coach the first session of a 1 Star course for Bukit Panjang Govt High. The kids were a handful. They consisted of a bunch of Sec 1 boys trying to get into the school canoeing team and 6 NCC boys.
During the swim test, Cher got the boys to take off the lifevest and swim. Higher standard for future competitive canoeists? Non-swimmers were told to stay on shore and weak swimmers were identified and given until the next session to at least be able to swim a short distance.
This is the first time I have seen anyone do a swim test without lifevest. Heard of another incident with Mary when teaching a bunch of future canoe polo players.
Well, I guess it makes sense. These people would be a liability to their team if they cannot swim.

During the lunch break, Cher got me to bring the kids to lunch and there were fights between 2 pairs of boys. Go to lunch also must fight.
There was this annoying boy, most likely a 小霸王 . Who pissed off another boy and got a punch in return.
Then another 2 NCC boys started grabbing each other and I had to pull them apart. All this while walking to the food center in full view of public. So paiseh.

1 Star Course for SIM Students

2009-02-11T09:17:00.004+08:00

The SIM Canoeing club will be organising a 1 Star course on the 14th and 15th of March.
Only 20 slots are available. To book a slot, please email sim.canoeing@gmail.com
Updates and more info will be posted on http://simcanoeingclub.blogspot.com/

Water-Venture (Kallang) Course Forecast

2009-02-10T18:54:00.003+08:00

March '09 to May '09

March
1 Star
7th & 8th
14th & 15th
21st & 22nd
15th & 29th

2 Star
14th, 15th & 22nd

3 Star Training Course
21st, 22nd, 28th & 29th

April
1 Star
11th & 12th
19th & 26st

2 Star
11th, 12th, 18th

May
1 Star
9th & 10th
23rd & 24th
17th & 31st

2 Star
10th, 16th & 17th

3 Star Training Course
9th, 10th, 16th & 17th

Please Note:

Go to http://www.water-venture.org.sg/1179821374073.html for info on cost.
All courses are open to public, just providing info
Information may be outdated by the time you view this, please check with Water-Venture to confirm

Leisure Paddling

2009-02-10T18:48:00.002+08:00

Finally managed to do some leisure paddling, which meant I spent half the time rolling! (:
Kevin who had been posted to Taiwan for his National Service ORD-ed yesterday and asked me to paddle today.
His skills are now rusty from lack of practice. Sorta like when I went to gay beach with Aaron after I POP-ed. Couldnt catch up with him.
So to help him improve and at the same time clock some distance for the 4 Star kayaking course next year, we've sorta decided to paddle round Ubin at least once a week. Hopefully we can actually pull it off.

Busy Busy

2009-02-09T11:52:00.003+08:00

I've been so busy with school and trainings that I've been putting aside my Greenland paddle and throwing stick projects.
Got reminded of these uncompleted projects when I saw Jun Bin paddling with a Greenland paddle yesterday. Will start on these projects first thing after my exams.

Tired of rushing

2009-01-30T11:44:00.002+08:00

Training starts at 8.30am on Saturdays and my lectures begin at 2pm. Finding it a hassle to rush from training to school.
I end up being late and have no time to eat my lunch. So I've decided not to go for the Saturday training sessions and only go for the Sunday sessions.

Qualified?

2009-01-25T13:47:00.004+08:00

The time trials for MR500 was held yesterday. Wont be entering the finals with that sort of timing achieved.

For the T1, I finished the 500m sprint in 2:58, 5 seconds slower than Junsheng. Paired up with Jason for the T2 and finished in 2:48, 1 second behind the pairing of Junsheng and Nizam.
I lose stamina and speed after the first 200m and start to slow down, allowing the others to catch up.

Just for fun, I tried to do the 500m sprint in a K1, was unstable moving at sprinting speed and took 2:53 to complete.

Time Trials

2009-01-21T09:16:00.003+08:00

The upcoming MR500 race regulations limits the number of participants a team can send for each category. Only 2 rowers are allowed per category.

So to select the best rowers, the team is conducting a time trial.

I am aiming to take part in the T1 category. However, Jun Sheng wants to take part in that too, meaning there's only one slot left. There was talk last night about getting Alex to try out for the T1 category too.
I will need to row hard to ensure I get that slot!

Humbled

2009-01-17T22:43:00.003+08:00

Got my butt into a K1 again today. Balance was has improved since the last time I tried. Managed to paddle 6km and do some sprints. I did capsize twice though.

At the end of the training session, everyone who came down tried the K1, including Alex. That guy is incredible. He managed to balance in a K1 with just 5minutes of trying. 15minutes later, he was paddling around!!! Incredible lah.
The first time I tried a K1, I spent almost an hour on the beach just trying to balance.

Singapore Canoe Marathon 2009 Results

2009-01-15T10:47:00.006+08:00

The SCF website is full of broken links. But you can download the results here

SCF finally released the results for the Singapore Canoe Marathon with adjustments made.
I missed a medal placing by 2minutes :( So close, yet so far.
But the timing of 1:29.35 is decent for a 14km paddle. Will just have to buck up.

Anyway, congrats to Sarah who came in 1st for the Women's T1 Novice category, Nizam and Jason for coming in 5th, Vincent and Alex for their 10th placing in the T2 Novice Mens category and Junsheng and Lex for coming in 9th for the K2 Novice Mens category.

The timing for this medal haul couldn't have been better. We've recently spoke to the Student Care Services manager who has agreed to get 6 kayaks for the team. More reason for them to get the boats now.

When Your Best Just Isn't Good Enough

2009-01-11T22:16:00.005+08:00

Well, well, more disappointments. Didn't manage to win anything for the SCM.
However, I did manage to keep up with the T2 pairing of Alex and Vincent for the first round which is quite a feat for me.
Also finished ahead of Sarah, which is a first.
So although I've come home empty-handed, I guess I've improved?

Its been said, it isn't all about winning, but winning sure would be nice. Feels worse when it seems that its so easy to get a medal in the T2 Novice and T1 Womens categories.

To quote Vincent "Try again next race".

I shall end this post with some smiling pics. Cant be all doom and gloom.

The racers

The SIM Canoeing Gang

TDS STAR!

2009-01-10T21:45:00.006+08:00

Early last year, I volunteered to take over Yizhen as SA Rovers' champion for a project with Touch Diabetes Support (TDS). This was not to be a one off event but rather a long term project to help TDS start up a Scout group.

Long story short, I unknowingly volunteered myself to be the overall champion from SA Rovers for this project. And instead of a Scout group, it turned out to be more of an activity group for diabetic kids and their siblings with some Scouting elements in the programme structure.

Today we organised a kayak orientation for the parents and kids. Winds were strong which meant most of the time was spent kayaking away from hazards. But thankfully everyone seemed to have fun. (phew!)

Many thanks to Kian Seng who runs Splashaxis, without him, this activity would not have been possible. He even helped out on a volunteer basis. He is also much better than me at dealing with kids!!!

Thanks also goes out to David, who came down to help run this activity. Apologies for not updating you on the change in venue.

Btw, some background knowledge.

TOUCH Diabetes Support (TDS) is a service of TOUCH Community Services, a not-for-profit charitable organisation was formed in 1992 to reach out to people living with insulin-treated diabetes. TDS offers a community of care and support made up of people and families living with diabetes, volunteer healthcare professionals and many who have a heart for this community.

Here's their contact details:
TOUCH Diabetes Support
Blk 149 Lorong 1, Toa Payoh, #01-943, Singapore 310149
Tel: 6252 2861 Fax: 6252 9695
Website: http://www.diabetessupport.org.sg

Breathless

2009-01-08T23:22:00.003+08:00

I've been feeling breathless the past few days. Can't believe my asthma is acting up days before the race.
Pre-race anxiety? Unlikely.
Probably due to the cold weather. The winds have been blowing hard and the nights have been cooler recently. The damned LT in school is also freezing. Can still feel cold even when Im wearing my windbreaker.

Singapore Canoe Marathon Goals

2009-01-08T00:03:00.002+08:00

The SCM will be held on 11th Jan which is this Sunday at Kallang. I will be taking part in the T1 Novice Men category which is a short 14km paddle.
Targeted timing for this distance would be 1:35:00 and below. Probably wont be winning any medals with this kind of timing but will be an acheivement considering my lack of training.

Bureaucracy

2009-01-02T16:28:00.003+08:00

It has become increasingly difficult to organise activities with PA. They used to be quite supportive in the past, but recently perhaps due to a change in personnel, there's been lots of red tape. All these restrictions hamper efforts to organise activities.

Things were much better back when Terry was around. Now everyone is kiasee and annoyed when they have to do extra. Seriously lah, 3/4 of the week is spent not doing anything in the office.

On top of that, trainers now have to start filling up rental forms when taking out the racing K1 or T1 boats. Sigh... Lost faith.

Wanderlust Paddling

Shock you to life

Water-Venture Pasir Ris Walkabout

Public Service Sports Carnival at Marina Barrage

Kayaking Ubin Mangroves with new friends

Water-Venture Bedok Reservoir

1 Star for SIM Canoeing Club

Kolam Ayer CC River Vista Kayaking Clinic Review

Opening up of waterways: River Vista to Marina Barrage trip

Kayaking Ubin Mangrove (K.U.M)

Astral LDB

Paddle Culture under new management

Crack down

More Jurong Lake pictures

Chaco Z/1 Unaweep Review

Water-Venture early closure

The PA Water-Venture outlets will be closed earlier at 4pm on the eve of Chinese New Year, Wednesday, 2 February 2011. Last rental would be at 1pm.All Water-Venture Outlets will be closed during the Chinese New Year Holidays on 3 and 4 February 2011, and reopen on Saturday, 5 February 2011.

Water-Venture Opening Hours

X-Current

Level 1 Coaching Course

Its the process, not the result

New Methods

Kayak Orientation in Kota Tinggi

Level 1 Coaching Checklist

Paddles for sale

Relax...

Weirdest 1 Star Course EVER

Official Opening of Marina Bay Promenade

Water-Venture (Kallang) Course Forecast

Water-Venture Website revamped

Passing on the teachings of Zen paddling.

Rest time

Its about exploring

Priorities

KayakFest Philippines

Paddling in Jurong Lake

Why I dont enjoy coaching at Macritchie

Human afterall

Paper chase

What've we got here?

Death of a Teva

Round Ubin on a hot day

Oakley Radar Field Report

3 Star Course at SCF

Paddling in reservoirs

Bombproof your roll?

Bring Your Own Kayak

Upcoming Trip

Folbot in Singapore

Kayak Camping

Moving on

Akan Datang

Level 1 Coaching Course

This is how we roll

3 Star Course 17/01/2010

Im back!

Taking a break

More press on the River Clean-Up

Canoe Polo!

Paddling down the Singapore River

Yet another 1 Star course for SIM

Sabotaged!

Ignoramus

Walk-in participants

Virgin whitewater trip

Unscrupulous practices revealed

I hate red tape

Culture of Fear

Round Ubin in my Feathercraft

3 Star Course Date (UPDATE!)

Minute of Silence

3 Star Course at SCF

Round Ubin again and again!

Rolling Clinic

Cognitive Dissonance.

Water Sports Licensing

1st Failure

Bleh

Eventful Paddle Round Ubin

Fear of Capsize

The PA Water-Venture outlets will be closed earlier at 4pm on the eve of Chinese New Year, Wednesday, 2 February 2011. Last rental would be at 1pm.

All Water-Venture Outlets will be closed during the Chinese New Year Holidays on 3 and 4 February 2011, and reopen on Saturday, 5 February 2011.