| KA Sails Singapore - 62 Bayshore Road - 03-02 Pearl Tower - 469983 Singapore - Telephone: +65 90079345 - info@kasails.com.sg - MSN: bry@kasails.com.sg |
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This August a trio of KA windsurfers will attempt the first-ever crossing from Mersing to Tioman, off the Malaysian East Coast, using shortboards and Koyote sails. Through this adventure crossing, we aim to revive the region's interest in extreme sports and also demonstrate the spirit of camaraderie that windsurfing can foster among sportsmen of different nationalities. We also hope to attract the interest of companies here to sponsor the crossing, thus helping to promote Singapore's reputation as a regional sports hub. Our departure date depends on the arrival Southwest monsoon, but we're hoping to launch in August. If however, the SW arrives late this year, which it looks like it might, we'll nudge the expedition over the Youth Olympic Games, Ramadhan and Malaysia national Day. Early September would be the next best available slot, provided the SW has by then arrived. The challenges we'll face, apart from the distance we need to cover, roughly 100 km for a round trip, will be the fairly treacherous stretch of sea, renown for its changable conditions, strong currents and infamous Sumatra Squalls that appear without warning. Even though we think the crossing is doable, we'll be escorted by a support vessel - our contingency plan in case of equipment failure or some unforeseen event. Team/Equipment
Location  Images by Google May 10th 2010 Just got back from a reccy trip to Tioman (7-9 May). The objective was to find a suitable boat and captain who can provide safety during the crossing. What we don't want is for one of us to snap a mast or bust a tendon halfway between Mersing and Tioman, coz I know from experience on our many ferry rides to and from Tioman and Dayang that this stretch of sea can get pretty hairy, not for the faint-of-heart, even less so when you've been demoted by a stroke of bad luck from happy windsurfer to sad flotsam. It's pretty much open ocean all the way to Manila after all. Remembering the age-old theory it's not so much what you know but who you know, the plan was to meet up with Taufik in Mersing. Taufik is a Malay makan stall owner based at the Mersing food court. We got to know Taufik, because dropping in for a meal at his stall is always one of the highlights during our countless Dayang/Tioman junkets over the years. His nasi padang simply rocks. However, this time around we weren't only going to partake of his ikan bilis, tempeh and sotong, but his local knowhow and his lobang too. (Lobang by the way, for the Bahasa Malaysia-challenged, is slang for connections, i.e. if you have a lot of lobang, it means that you're well connected and have a lots of friends who can help you out.) Alas though, lobang schlobang; as we arrived in Mersing, it turned out Taufik's whole family had upped and gone to Terengganu. That was a bit of a blow, because that meant we had to cold-call the various ferry operators in the area ourselves, basically start our quest at finding our support boat from scratch. In the end, we did do a few ferry-shop walk-ins and were even quoted a few prices. Problem was that these quotes were for 200HP 20-seater boats, pretty much overkill for our particular purpose. We decided to leave our boat search at that, hoping that perhaps we could meet someone in the know after arriving in Tioman. As it happened, we did meet a few people who owned boats there, but being based in Tioman meant they had to do 4 trips: 1. to pick us up, 2. to escort us to Tioman, 3. to escort us back to Mersing and 4. to return home to Tioman. Obviousl this'd be a pretty costly affair, not to mention a bit of a waste of resources. So boat-wise, we went back home to Singapore pretty much empty-handed. On the bright side, this trip we realized is that on some days, standing on the Mersing shore facing northeast, you can actually discern a faint outline of Tioman in the distance. Well it's mostly the 800 meter high mountain that you see, but that of course is good enough. And in the event that the day of our launch happens to be a real hazy day, then initially we'll aim for the smaller islands that sit inbetween Tioman and Mersing. I'm sure that as we put more and more distance between us and Mersing, Tioman will loom ever more distinct dead ahead. So now we're not only hoping for not too much wind and not too little wind on the day of our crossing, but we also would like the wind to blow from the right direction of course (anything southeastish for beam-reach reasons). But now, at the risk of being greedy, we're also hoping that we have favorable tides and that it's a clear enough day so we can at all times maintain visual of Tioman. Apart from above developments, no major break-throughs during this recce trip. Still, we have about 3-4 months remaining. No worries. July 11th 2010, SW update: Forecast for 20th of May  As you can see, the SW that usually comes up through what we call the longkang, the channel of water fringed by Sulawesi and Borneo on the eastern side and Java and Sumatra on the western side, barely reaches Sumatra. It'll have to do much better than that if we're to stand a chance of nailing the crossing. July 12th 2010 This past weekend (9-11th July) we made another recce visit to Tioman. During our ferry ride we noticed a huge swath of suitable beach near Kampung Mukut, at the southern-most tip of Tioman. So we decided to make landfall here on the day of the crossing. I'm pleased to say that we also found and confirmed our support vessel. The boat belongs to Ibrahim, a local boatman introduced to us by Taufik. Yes, our prodigal son had miraculously returned from Terengganu. Sha and I exchanged gleeful apa kabars after we spotted him at his stall upon our arrival in Mersing, after which we wasted no time ordering a nasi padang ayam hitam. Within minutes we were digging into our exquisite dish while relating our request to him. True to form, our ever-helpful Taufik instantly started working his mobile. Well, one of the texts he sent was a golden one, because Ibrahim is not only very experienced and level-headed but his boat is perfect for the job. So a great big shout out to Taufik. One little problem that became clear this trip was the tricky nature of weather forecasts. I'd checked the various charts before we headed for Malaysia but I'm afraid that, apart from the tide charts, the wind forecasts were off-base. From Friday, the day we left for Tioman, until Sunday, the day of our return, the charts forecast 20-30 km/h SSW to SW winds. However, we never got more than 5 kts all weekend, and the light winds we did get were mostly east-south-east. it did pick up a knot or two as our ferry reached Tioman, but I suspect that was more venturi effect than original wind. The tide charts, on the other hand, were of course correct. Although, that said, there was some bad news there too, because it turns out that the tides really chase each other out here, which in our case leaves us only a small window of opportunity to launch before the water level is too low to surf. Translation: if we have an unfavorable tide, we'll need to walk and/or wade our gear out about 50-100 meters off-shore. This is not a happy prospect because that stretch is really muddy. Worse, it's am infamous catfish and stingray haunt. Still, what's a windsurfing adventurer to do? Hope for that magic day of all-around ideal conditions, I suppose. July 17th 2010, SW update: Forecast for 22nd of July  No improvement from May I'm afraid. It seems the SW is a wee bit tardy this year. I understand that 2010 is a La Niņa year; less windy days in the SE Asia region will be result apparently. The baffling thing is that last year was an El Niņo year, yet they said the same thing - less wind. What gives, weather peeps? Be that as it may, let's hope the SW kicks in soon. July 21st 2010, SW update: Forecast for 22nd of July What a difference a few days make! The forecast for July 22nd has changed completely, from sad no-wind conditions to a potential ripper of a day.  There's even a pocket of green just north of Tioman. Of course the direction it's blowing on this chart is way off, because if it really blows SW we'll end up doing the downwind run from hell. I mean, I'd say it's well nigh impossible to downwind the entire distance. Still, it's promising to see the wind reach up this high. Let's hope for more of these in the weeks to come. Anyways, if nothing else, it looks like at least we'll have a decent surf at PA tomorrow. Mind you, let's not count our chickens just yet.... 22nd of July 2010 Time to count our chickens. What a ripper today was! We awoke to a massive downpour that started before dawn and only eased when it was well and truly light. The happy surprise was that, in spite of the lack of any red zones on the radar, the wind didn't seem to ease. At around 9.00am I got a bit fidgety from the howling of the wind around Bayshore Park, so I went upstairs to check out the conditions from the 20th floor balcony. When I stepped out of the elevator it was already pretty drafty up there. But what I saw at SW was nothing short of mind-blowing. From the distance I could see a huge area of white horses galloping in. It was going to honk! After picking up my jaw from the ground, I texted my mates and scrambled back down. Within a few minutes I was high-tailing it to the club. Once there, the wind gradually picked up to an average of 16 knots for 2.5 hours, although behind the ships, in particular at SE, near Keta and SW, near the Jetty, the gusts reached 18-20 knots. Suffice to say a blast was had on the Koncept. Im getting more and more convinced that the 8.3 and Falcon 104 make for a very balanced set, especially with the 38 F1 fin. Hardly any spin-outs, just lots and lots of blistering speedruns. Ideal for the Mersing-Tioman dash. Note: Graeme Latoa took some decent pics of today's session. Have a look here. 8th of August 2010 Today we were invited for an interview and photo-shoot by Ms Ng Wai Mun, reporter at the Lianhe Zaobao newspaper, the national Chinese-language daily here in Singapore. They're interested in the whole Mersing to Tioman crossing concept and would like to do an article on it. We set a date, a time and a place for the meeting and pretty much everyone is off from work that day, excellent. Some great ideas from Sha, by the way, who's going to be there too, together with, Billy, Ah Na and yours truly. Sha suggested that we should all show up in berms to give the interview a real laid-back beach atmosphere. I reckon he's got a point. Talk about laid-back beach atmosphere, let's hope it's a sunny day and there's a decent wind blowing. It would be great if the newspaper photographer can shoot some action shots of us out at sea. If we, in our modest little way, can inspire a few kids in Singapore to pick up windsurfing, coolio! Big shout out also to Leona for her efforts to make this possible. 10th of August 2010 We received our Oakley shades today. I hadn't mentioned this yet because talks were ongoing, but Oakley Singapore is sponsoring our crossing. We are henceforth Team Oakley :)  We were warmly received by Joey at Oakley's SIS Buidling office. Joey then showed us how it is that Oakley shades are a cut above others, and why Oakleys are not offered at the same price level as other shades. Suffice to say that when it comes to optimal performance and preserving your eyesight, it probably isn't a good idea to assume all sunglasses' lenses are the same. The examples that we were shown, both in the presentation but also by seeing the demo with our own eyes, are quite conclusive. Since the way shades fit around our eyes is also quite crucial, we tried a few different models until the right fit was found. For me that's the "Radar", which if it looks half as good on me as it does on Lance here, I'll be as happy as a clam. But, more importantly, my eyes are now fully protected from the sun's harmful UV rays. Thanks Joey! And thanks Oakley! 12th of August 2010 Yesterday was the day of the interview and the photo-shoot with the newspaper. It was a rip-roaring success. The timing was perfect, the pictures were awesome and now that I've seen the article, I couldn't be happier with the outcome.
As I scrambled out to catch the wind, I saw him set up his gear on one of the breakers. A few dozen blistering runs later, after the wind had swung NW (read: offshore), I headed back in to do the interview. But just before we started, the photographer showed me some shots he'd taken. They were mind-blowing. That's the good news. The bad news? Unfortunately, they're copyright. That said, I was told that they can be bought from the newspaper, so that's just what I'm going to do. Anyway, the interview itself was fairly straightforward. They asked us if the crossing is safe, whether Singapore is suitable to be a sports hub, if windsurfing is easy to learn, that kind of thing, mostly feel-good stuff. I guess all our answers are in the article, so best go and buy the paper. Or click here to translate to English. 23rd of August 2010 I've had a few sessions out at sea while wearing the Oakley shades and I have to say that I'm smitten. Gee whiz, the lenses are ever so clear. The moment you put on the shades, you feel the soothing effect on the eyes. The unique design of the frame and lenses is really neat, because it makes for such a seamless fit that none of the sun's rays can find a gap in to reach my eyes. In other words, I don't even need to squint away the light that tends to come in obliquely through the gaps between the lens and the wearer's face, which is the case with most sunglasses because very few shades have this seamless fit. While wearing the Radar however, the muscles around my eyes are immersed in a cool shade, no matter which way my head is tilted, and therefore my eyes are totally relaxed, allowing me to see completely clearly all around. Ace.  The best part is that the Radar's lenses are said to repel water droplets. Now, most surfers know that the toughest thing about surfing while it's raining is the rain droplets that are either 1. hitting your eyes (ouch!) or 2. collecting on your sunglasses' lenses. Both make it almost impossible to see anything, obviously a bit of a liability when tearing along at 20+ knots. I have to say, when I wore the Radar during a rainy spell, the lenses did seem to be repelling the water off them almost instantly. I mean sure, I was aware that ocasionally there was some water on the lenses, but the apparent wind that I was generating while surfing was more than enough to make the water droplets slide outward across the lens almost immediately, leaving the lens clear and thus free of distortions. It's the coolest thing. Like having tiny windshield wipers! Conclusion: The Oakley Radar is a winner. It's the ultimate in UV protection and it's ideal for rough and tumble sports. A sure buy. 29 August 2010 Today was meant to be a windy day off Mersing. So Team Oakley (a.k.a. The Outer Quadrant Jimmie Jen-goes) and I decided to give it a serious go and drove off to Johor Bahru from Woodlands, i.e. the north of Singapore, just after dawn. When we hit Mersing at 10am, the wind was next to nothing, however. Still, undaunted, we simply shifted gears and turned the outing from a crossing into a road trip. As it turns out, the eastern coast of Malaysia is peppered with gorgeous sandy bays. Most are long and broad - perfect for kite-launching. They all have this idyllic feel to them, no doubt because of the crystal-clear blue water and the relative remoteness. In the end we "discovered" half a dozen of these beaches and were even treated to some 12 knot breezes for over an hour in which to have a pretty decent blast. All in all, this trip was an ideal dry run for the real thing. The fact that we chowed down on copious portions of fresh still-hot lemang with ayam merah and rendang made this trip an epic one in my book.
1 September 2010 Team Oakley is having another go tomorrow. The charts are promising some serious fun.  We're setting off at 8am and should arrive at Mersing close to 11am. All that remains to be done is for our support boat to be settled. Once that's done, we're on our way. Godspeed to us :) 4 September 2010 So close yet so far. Conditions were perfect for the crossing, a steady 14-15 knot side-off to sideshore breeze and blue skies as far as the eyes can see. We arrived in Mersing about 11 o'clock and went seamlessly into launch mode. Zam and Zhar had journeyed ahead of us earlier that morning and were arriving in Penyabong to pick up our support boat. We were all in position, ready for the chips to fall into place. Haroon and I started rigging up around noon and just as we were carrying our gear to the waterline, the wind shifted to southerly, side-on. Perfect for a beam-reach to Tioman. Haroon got his kite airborne in a flash and launched for a few warm-up runs. I followed soon after and within minutes we'd set off and were on our way. It couldn't go any smoother. Or so I thought. Because just as my GPS had ticked down from 50.1 km to 48 km, I looked over my shoulder and saw an area of grayness over southwest. A storm was brewing. I know that this time of year this location is Storm Alley, so I called Haroon over and said that we'd do well to pause for a while to see what that cell behind us is going to do. Last thing we want is go get ambushed by a Sumatra Squall while we're halfway between the mainland and Tioman.  So we stood in waist deep water for about 5 minutes keeping an eye on the storm. In these 5 minutes it became clear to both of us that it was growing, both in intensity and size. Worse, it was merging with another storm over at west, turning that entire segment of the sky black as night, with almost constant flashes of lightning for good measure. We had no alternative but to get back and take shelter. We made it to the car just in time. Within minutes the sky erupted. The rain was lashing the car, making it impossible to hear each other speak. This was one mean storm and we were lucky not to get caught in it on the open sea, especially since the wind, by now howling, inexplicibly shifted from south to west - directly offshore! While in the car, we called Zam and Zhar to alert them of the impending gale winds, not to take the boat out, to stay close to shore. In fact, they'd already left Penyabong and were making tracks to our meeting point somewhere midpoint between Tioman and the mainland. Fortunately, they turned back in time after they too caught visual of the storm at the horizon. Lucky for all of us, they managed to outrun the storm's fury and made it back safe. Long story short, the violent weather passed within an hour, but the rain persisted till 5 o'clock. At that point, we didn't really have any choice but to de-rig our gear, re-group and head back home. Plotting our next trip as we speak.... 1 October 2010 Sadly, ever since above attempt, there hasn't been a single day of steady double-digit wind in pretty much the entire South East Asian region. We did catch a few storms here in Singapore, sure, but they were exclusively all-or-nothing blows, lasting at best an hour or so, perhaps 12-14 knots, nothing really to write home about. Still, we're taking this time to continue our preparations. I guess we're like that proverbial duckie on the pond; from above it looks like it's just bobbing around lazily. But below the surface, its little feet never stop paddling. And if there's no more SW forthcoming (there's some buzz going around that we're in the intermonsoon), then we'll do the crossing during the NE. Either way, the crossing is on. Watch this space.... |
