By Mr Tan Jieh Her
1st May 2009, Labour Day, I woke up early and was all pumped up to go on the Labour Day Kayaking Expedition organized by Water-Venture (Changi).
The usual gang I paddle with was down in club early to prepare for the expedition; Tingsheng and Jeremy were the trainers in charge of this expedition from Changi to Punggol Jetty and back. I am extremely excited as this will be an opportunity for me to learn from my seniors as I have recently completed my Level One Kayak Coaching Course.
After a quick briefing by Jeremy, with Tingsheng in the lead, we embarked on this exciting trip!
It was a bright sunny morning, the wind was blowing gently on our face and the tide was slowly pushing us towards our destination. It was definitely a great paddling day!
Just after leaving Changi Beach, we approached the busy river mouth of Changi Creek where a continuous stream of bum boats was bringing the holiday makers to and fro between Changi Point Ferry Terminal and Pulau Ubin. The relentless traffic created a lot of waves and made the waters very choppy; we bobbed up and down just before the river mouth and just as it seemed like we would never be able to cross, Tingsheng spotted a window between the bum boats and led us all across swiftly in compact formation!
Paddling further down, we passed by the rows of sail boats moored just outside the Changi Sailing Club, it was an interesting experience going up close to the sail boats, listening to the gentle wave splashing against the hull of the boats and waving to the sailors who were on board. At the same time, we can see the morning walkers strolling along the Changi Boardwalk, enjoying the idyllic sea view with Pulau Ubin in the background and gentle morning sunray beating down on our faces.
As we paddled past Pasir Ris beach, we can see the fishermen on the Kelong hard at work, mending their fishing nets, a very ‘kampung’ scene that is hard to find in rapidly urbanized landscape of Singapore.
Rounding the quiet beach of Coney Island, we can see our destination, Punggol Jetty beach. As we approach, we can see fishing enthusiasts casting their lines from the pearly white beach and couples taking romantic walks along the pathway facing the sea.
After a quick lunch and rest at Punggol Jetty beach, we set upon our return journey toward Changi. Perhaps it was due to fatigue, perhaps it was due to the wind condition that picked up in addition to the drift of the water that was going against us, and we somehow found it a little bit more tiring to paddle back to Changi. The wind kept hitting us on the starboard side and we had to make the extra effort to keep our kayaks on course.
Under the brilliant guidance of our expedition leader, Tingsheng, we managed to reach Changi within two hours at about 4 pm. Although it was tiring trip, it was definitely a fruitful and enjoyable one, having gotten the opportunity to see the scenic view of the coastline along the North-east of Singapore, as well as the chance to observe how the trainers work to bring the participants safely out and back on such an expedition.
I cannot wait for my next expedition! Next up will be the Southern Islands Expedition 2009! WOOHOO!
Jieh Her is currently a L1 Trainee Instructor with Water-venture (Changi)
1st May 2009, Labour Day, I woke up early and was all pumped up to go on the Labour Day Kayaking Expedition organized by Water-Venture (Changi).
The usual gang I paddle with was down in club early to prepare for the expedition; Tingsheng and Jeremy were the trainers in charge of this expedition from Changi to Punggol Jetty and back. I am extremely excited as this will be an opportunity for me to learn from my seniors as I have recently completed my Level One Kayak Coaching Course.
After a quick briefing by Jeremy, with Tingsheng in the lead, we embarked on this exciting trip!
It was a bright sunny morning, the wind was blowing gently on our face and the tide was slowly pushing us towards our destination. It was definitely a great paddling day!
Just after leaving Changi Beach, we approached the busy river mouth of Changi Creek where a continuous stream of bum boats was bringing the holiday makers to and fro between Changi Point Ferry Terminal and Pulau Ubin. The relentless traffic created a lot of waves and made the waters very choppy; we bobbed up and down just before the river mouth and just as it seemed like we would never be able to cross, Tingsheng spotted a window between the bum boats and led us all across swiftly in compact formation!
Paddling further down, we passed by the rows of sail boats moored just outside the Changi Sailing Club, it was an interesting experience going up close to the sail boats, listening to the gentle wave splashing against the hull of the boats and waving to the sailors who were on board. At the same time, we can see the morning walkers strolling along the Changi Boardwalk, enjoying the idyllic sea view with Pulau Ubin in the background and gentle morning sunray beating down on our faces.
As we paddled past Pasir Ris beach, we can see the fishermen on the Kelong hard at work, mending their fishing nets, a very ‘kampung’ scene that is hard to find in rapidly urbanized landscape of Singapore.
Rounding the quiet beach of Coney Island, we can see our destination, Punggol Jetty beach. As we approach, we can see fishing enthusiasts casting their lines from the pearly white beach and couples taking romantic walks along the pathway facing the sea.
After a quick lunch and rest at Punggol Jetty beach, we set upon our return journey toward Changi. Perhaps it was due to fatigue, perhaps it was due to the wind condition that picked up in addition to the drift of the water that was going against us, and we somehow found it a little bit more tiring to paddle back to Changi. The wind kept hitting us on the starboard side and we had to make the extra effort to keep our kayaks on course.
Under the brilliant guidance of our expedition leader, Tingsheng, we managed to reach Changi within two hours at about 4 pm. Although it was tiring trip, it was definitely a fruitful and enjoyable one, having gotten the opportunity to see the scenic view of the coastline along the North-east of Singapore, as well as the chance to observe how the trainers work to bring the participants safely out and back on such an expedition.
I cannot wait for my next expedition! Next up will be the Southern Islands Expedition 2009! WOOHOO!
Jieh Her is currently a L1 Trainee Instructor with Water-venture (Changi)
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