The Ambassador's Cup 2017

One of the activities that we enjoy the most here is sailing and whenever possible we join friends when they sail their yacht in the weekly Changi Sailing Club (CSC) races. The highlight of the CSC calendar is the Ambassador's Cup. An annual event where the club invites foreign Ambassadors posted to Singapore for a days racing. 

Yachts from other Singapore sailing clubs are brought round to CSC in the days before the race and I was lucky enough to be invited to help sail a beautiful 47ft ketch from Raffles Marina to CSC.

In the photo below I was on the blue hulled boat, L'Attitude, moored between her sister yachts -Cavatina and Maybritt

We arrived at Raffles Marina early in the morning as we had a long sail ahead. During the briefing we were told that the journey was approximately 45 nautical miles and should take about 8-9 hours. We set off in glorious sunshine and motored out of the Marina and passed the Tuas crossing-the bridge in the far west of Singapore that connects it to Malaysia

We had company on our journey as we stayed in sight and radio distance of Cavatina and Maybritt, 

On the way it was interesting to see the other craft on the Johor Strait- a huge vessel full of sand being pushed by a tug. Presumably heading towards one of the areas being reclaimed to help increase the land mass of Singapore 

Then we passed a semi submersible driller rig used in the oil industry

Ships of different sizes carrying equipment, this one seemed to be carrying huge rolls of metal cables 

The weather was hot, without much wind but for a time we were able to put the mainsail up and motorsail

As well as myself and my two friends; SH and KS, (both very experienced and expert sailors)

we were joined by Andrew, the skipper (in the black hat in this photo) plus 2 lovely young lads who are members of Big Brother Big Sister, a mentorship programme that matches an older student with a younger student, sailing is one of the activities they do together to form friendship and support. 

 It became very hot and shade was hard to find but it was very relaxing watching the world glide by

It was fascinating to sail pass some of Singapore's smaller islands, some of which are used only by the military but others  can be visited. Below is Pulau Salu whose coral reefs offer great diving

As we neared the shipping channel we had to make our way through the large number of boats moored there, most waiting for a load or job to go to

We were enjoying ourselves and feeling very relaxed as we passed by the busy container ports

We sailed by the Sister's islands and Kusu (below). Kusu means tortoise or turtle in Chinese and is so named because of the legend that a giant tortoise turned itself into an island in order to save two ship wrecked sailors. In gratitude the sailors returned to the island some while later and built a temple which is still visited today on the eleventh month by many to give thanks and say prayers. We could just see the green roofed temple complex near the shore

With such light winds we were making slow progress and 6 hours later we passed by Sentosa and were just over half way! Gradually the central Business District came into sight, but the visibility was deteriorating as the weather was changing...

It became very overcast and ahead we could see a dark and ominous looking sky. We prepared the boat and tied down the loose sails

As the clouds thickened we could hear but barely see the planes just overhead as they approached Changi airport

Within a few minutes the storm surrounded us and the heavens opened, we were quickly soaked. Then the lightening and thunder started, the lightening flashes struck the water closer and closer to us. After a while the storm was directly above us, we counted less than 1 second between the lightening and the incredibly loud thunder claps. It was quite alarming particularly when the lightening struck the water only a few feet from us!  

The rain continued to fall relentlessly and we were all soaked through to the skin, in spite of our 'waterproofs'! The two youngsters (who did not have waterproof jackets)were soaked and cold so we sent the down below to get dry and warm. The storm lasted for over an hour. Gradually we passed through it and carried slowly on. 

It took a very long while and it was getting dark as we rounded the south eastern 'corner of Singapore 

Finally the rain stopped and we could see the lights of Changi Sailing club ahead. Once there we were guided to a visitor's buoy and caught the mooring buoy using the glow from the lights on shore. 

We left the boat for the night and made straight for the bar at the clubhouse, arriving there just after 8pm, our journey had taken nearly 12 hours and in less than 12 hours we were due back at the club for the big race. We all slept very soundly that night!

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The following morning, back at CSC, the sun was shining, the place was buzzing with excitement, flags were flying, and people were gathering for the big day

As I had helped bring one of their yachts over yesterday, I was invited to join the Big Brother Big Sister group photo. The youngsters as well as the mentors would all be allocated places onboard one of the 62 boats that would be on the water that day.

By midday 29 foreign Ambassadors and their Embassy staff  had arrived

The draw was then announced stating which yacht would host which ambassador. Papa T and I were crewing for our friend KW, who owns and sails Wildcard and when his name was called out we discovered that we would have the Mexican ambassador and 3 of his friends on board for the race

Once we were all on board Wildcard we hoisted the Mexican flag and set sail

 Only 1 of the 4 Mexican guests had any sailing experience but as well as our skipper-KW, his wife JW, Papa T and I and 2 other sailing club members there was enough crew to handle this big, complicated racing boat

In the half hour before the race started KW gave our guests a crash course in how to sail, and we all practised gybing and tacking, using the winch and ducking as the huge boom crossed from side to the other. 

Ten minutes before the start the course flag was hoisted at the end of the jetty and the boats now knowing which of 5 possible courses has been chosen manoeuvre to get into a good position. The perfect position being facing the right way and timing one's approach to the start line so that the bow of the boat crosses the line moments after the starting horn is sounded, even a second too soon incurs a penalty meaning having to tack back behind the line and re approach, which obviously wastes valuable time.

It was really tense as 62 boats moved around each other in the narrow channel jostling for position but our skipper timed it perfectly and we crossed the line soon after the horn sounded, the race was on!

From the start the winds were strong, which Wildcard favours, and we made fantastic and fast progress, gradually passing the other boats one by one...

...until we had pulled ahead of all but one other boat! We and our Mexican friends were ecstatic 

it was exciting sailing although one of our guests didn't seem that thrilled and as we heeled over put on a buoyancy aid, poor chap said he couldn't swim, we reassured him he would not be tipped out of the boat!

A short while later the weather deteriorated and the rain arrived, once again I and the others were soon soaked but fortunately this time there wasn't any thunder or lightening

I just love the photo below ( taken and kindly shared by one of our guests) showing the approaching storm  

even the deteriorating weather didn't dampen our high spirits

We remained in second position as we raced around the last racing buoy and headed to the finish line. 

As we passed through the storm the wind died away and we were becalmed, of course so was every one else. It was so frustrating, we were only about 300ms from the finish. We gently drifted inch by slow inch and could do nothing when a lighter hulled boat with the Peruvian ambassador on board slowly cruised passed us 

Finally we crept over the finish line and the horn sounded for us, we were delighted to be the third boat to finish

After mooring and tidying up the boat we celebrated onboard with champagne and some delicious Mexican guacamole.

our guests and now new friends seemed very happy with their days racing and NW the Mexican Ambassador, a complete sailing novice before the race, declared his interest in coming again as part of the crew

We then went ashore and waited for the rest of the boats to finish. Everyone showered and changed in readiness for the evenings entertainment including a delicious buffet, speeches and the declaration of the winning boats after the boat handicaps had been taken into account followed by presentation of the Ambassador's cup

There was a loud cheer when Wildcard's name was announced as coming third in the Ambassadors cup, we went up together to collect the trophy presented by Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State

Once all the prices had been presented the party really got going and we danced the night away. 

Despite of or maybe because of the awful weather it had been a very memorable weekend of sailing and meeting new people and I feel very privileged to have been a small part of it

Sri Lanka 3- Trincomalee

The following morning we checked out of our hotel as we were driving to Trincomalee to spend a couple of days relaxing on the coast. Before leaving the Habarana area we stopped off at a wood carving workshop.Large logs were stored outside waiting to be carved into masks, furniture, Buddha's or possibly elephants.

 Inside the open fronted workshop there was a display with examples of the types of wood that is used and our guide explained which were good for different uses including wood from Jackfruit, Ebony, Mara and Coconut trees

and the amazing 'rainbow' wood, the shavings of which change colour when combined with other substances such as lemon juice or just boiling water 

 
          


   

The resulting dye can then be used to paint masks and other decorative crafts

We watched one of the craftsmen carve an intricate elephant themed wall hanging

 Of course there was a salesroom full of wonderful pieces, it took a lot of choosing and some bargaining before HT found the 'perfect' elephant to take back home with him

 On our drive to Trinco we passed many stalls by the side of the road selling 'curd'. Made from buffalo's milk this is a traditional type of creamy yogurt served in clay pots 

We checked into our next hotel, the lovely Trinco Blue and spent the afternoon doing not very much other than enjoy the beautiful weather and sea views

 That evening Asoka took us on a brief tour of Trincomalee, starting with Ford Frederick. The fortress is still occupied by the Sri Lankan Military but we could wander around parts of the old garrison, including this cemetery containing graves dating back to the 1800s

They did not seem to be very well preserved

 Further up the hill and on a rocky outcrop is the Kandasamy Kovil, a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, one of the three gods responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the world. Shiva's role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create it. When represented as a man his face, and sometimes his body, is painted blue-I've yet to find out why.

Below- the phallic statue represents the power and masculinity of Shiva

 As is usual with Hindu temples the outside is heavily decorated with colourful statues and images of gods and religious icons

 With the main temple at the centre many smaller shrines are dotted around. We ducked to pass through a small stone doorway carved through a wall of rock 

On the other side was a cliff top path and a frangipani tree draped with small wooden boxes, like cradles, tied on with pieces of sari, prayers left by women pleading to the gods for a baby

Every niche within the rock contained another shrine 

In one area there were more 'prayer offerings', coins wrapped in cloth were tied to lianas hanging down the rock

Below the sheer cliffs we saw lots of small fishing boats, it was by now early evening and the local fishermen were setting off for their night's work

 Each boat came close to the cliff face and stopped for a few minutes so the fishermen could pray to the gods in the temple above them.

 This daily ritual includes the symbolic washing of the boat before it's journey

 lighting incense

 and praying, presumably for a safe and productive night fishing

 Walking back to the car we were blessed with another beautiful Sri Lankan sunset

 The following day, our last full day together, we decided to do nothing except relax and sometimes  swim in the beautiful pool 

 I tried to blend into my surroundings in my towel-matching bikini!

Thoroughly rested I took a gentle stroll along the beach late in the afternoon and came across a river which led on to a village. The fishermen were starting to get their boats out for the night

 The river mouth became a narrow channel and they had to cut the engines to walk their boats through the shallow water with a rocky outcrop on the seaward side

Then clearing the shallows they were off to work for the night

 Our evening was a lot lazier. We managed to walk a short distance to a beach bar for supper. Some of the tables were suspended by rope from the ceiling, which was fun initially but made eating quite tricky, particularly when your son keeps pulling the table away just as you are trying to reach the plate!

The following day we said goodbye to beautiful Trincomalee and commenced the journey back home, HT back to the UK, Papa T and I to Singapore. Our flight from tiny China Bay Airport was really exciting, it was in a little Cessna Caravan plane 

With only room for 8 passengers, a pilot and co pilot. The co pilot had to squeeze in to present the brief safety talk

On our way back to Colombo we had great views of the countryside below us

 Not long after taking off we flew over Habarana and we could just spot Sigirya Rock sticking out prominently 

Just over an hour later we landed at Colombo airport, our very relaxed pilot was happy for HT to briefly have a seat in the cockpit

it was only once the pilot walked back to the airport did we notice he was bare foot, we wondered if he had flown the plane like that!

Asoka, who had driven back to Colombo whilst we stayed in Trinco, met us again at the airport and greeted us like long lost friends. He gave us a brief tour of the city, first pointing out Colombo's General Hospital. I wondered if this was the area where my niece who founded https://slv.global spends quite a bit of time when she works in Sri Lanka organising mental health placements for psychology students and graduates from around the world.

The very imposing Colombo Town Hall

One of the entrances to Virharamahadevi Park

and the new and yet to be completed; Lotus Tower. Due to be completed by the end of this year the tower is set, at 350m, to be the tallest in S.E. Asia

That evening we said goodbye to HT who caught the overnight flight back to the UK. Papa T and I had one night in a hotel overlooking Beira Lake before we too headed back home

This was our second trip to SriLanka and we left hoping to return and see other parts of this beautiful and varied country