1:43 AM Wed 17 Feb 2010 GMT
The wonders of Singapore - Feb 3, 2010
After an exciting stopover in Singapore, the Cape Breton Island crew is now racing towards the icy waters of Qingdao, China.
We had over a week to explore the multicultural and friendly city of Singapore. Every day was a new adventure, with highlights including a night-time safari, a monkey in the hotel room with me, and many new foods to sample.
The night safari is the world's first of its kind. You hop on a tram with open sides and drive down a dark path. Animals such as lions, giraffes, zebras, among others are in open concept environments. They seemed to keep to themselves, except one elephant I noticed shaking a man's hand with his trunk.
Lauri, from our sponsor Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation, accompanied our group for the expedition. We drove through some water, where warnings of alligators were given. All were instructed to keep their hands and feet inside the vehicle. A joker in our group decided it would be funny to grab Lauri's foot as we splashed though the water. Her scream convinced the whole tram an animal had joined us for the tour!
Back at the hotel room the next day, I had just put my towel out to dry on the balcony. I returned to the bathroom to comb my hair. As I rounded the corner back to the main room, a monkey was looking me in the eyes. He decided to snack on the Longan fruit on the table, with no regard as to where he threw the peelings! I acted like everything was normal - I didn't want to scare him off before I got a good picture!
The food in Singapore was a mix of Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, and any other ethnic food you can imagine. Spicy meant very spicy and unusual, so I chose my meals according to how brave I felt. As an example, here are some things featured at a restaurant in Chinatown: stewed pork intestine, chicken feet, pig ear, shredded pig, edible fungus (mushrooms?), deep fried frog and beef stomach. Thankfully they also had regular chicken and regular prawns, but we asked if everything was cooked before ordering!
Our first night was unexpectedly very exciting. After deciding to eat in Chinatown for supper, we stumbled upon 10,000 people celebrating the opening of the Chinese New Year. Included was a parade, fireworks and amazing dancers. The crowd was very relaxed and unhurried. A night market with thousands of lights and lanterns followed.
Overall, the entire stopover was very enjoyable!
After several days in Batam, Indonesia, to prepare the boat, then a week in Singapore, we're on our way to Qingdao, China. An eventful early morning sendoff at Keppel Bay Marina was followed by a motor to the start line. We went a little further than planned to find some wind. After a good start in about eight knots of breeze, we tacked our way alongside one of the busiest marine traffic areas in the world. It looks like a highway on the sea with all the ships coming in and out of Singapore's container pier.
After such a long stopover, I wondered how quickly I would settle into the routine on board. Now one day into racing, I already feel back in the groove of things and well rested for the journey ahead.
It's still about 30 degrees on board, but the breeze outside is quite comfortable. We have been keeping a good steady course to our first waypoint, which is 240 miles away. The top six boats are within seven miles and positioning depends on which tack you're on when the report is sent.
Now is the time to enjoy hot weather while it lasts. This leg is known to be one of the toughest in the Clipper Race, for extreme cold and wind-chill. Snow on deck is not unheard of and former crews reported a tolerance on deck of ten minutes at a time.
Typical weather patterns will have us beating into the wind and waves, with short, choppy, uncomfortable seas. Although it is a race, survival and safety are top priorities in these conditions. I've never sailed in such an environment before, so I can only imagine the stamina and willpower it will take to get the job done.
We head further north after the next waypoint, and expect the temperature to start dropping in the following few days. It's hard to imagine as we sit here dripping sweat, finishing our lunchtime meal, then lathering on sunscreen to go on deck, that it will actually get that cold so soon. From one extreme to another!
I suppose I should be primed for it after our Cape Breton winters.we'll see!
Cape Breton Island standing by.
by Elisa Jenkins
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Manly, QLD
