Ok I'm back. And I'm not slacking away playing DotA everyday. I'm currently under effect of the fatigue from this insane race they call the 'Round Ubin Race' they had yesterday. Sounds fun? Think again. I'll share some experiences with all you lucky readers.
Quotations from this site
Comments hidden. Read at your own discretion.
This exciting paddle racing sport challenges participants’ endurance, speed, stamina and paddling skills in the open sea.
(Yup, sure does. Seemed exciting at first, but everyone came back speechless and just needing sleep.)
In approximately 22 km, they will pit their paddling skills and race strategies against one another from the bustling Pasir Ris Beach to the southern side of Pulau Ubin.
(Oh that's crap. Everyone just wants to get it over with.)
They will also pass by Tajam as they paddle swiftly round the corner and straight through the Straits of Johor, with the Malaysia state of Johor on one side and the erected fences along northern Ubin on the other side.
(Ok, this has some truth to it. But the fences are more of silent traps lurking in the dark. If you attempt to empty water from your capsized/sinking boat there, you will scratch the boat and yourself on the sharp rock edges. Credit for the much damage taken goes to the waves, too.)
As they race closer to the finish line, the contestants paddling across Chek Jawa – the spot well-known for its rich marine life – and taking in the sights along the southern shoreline of Pulau Ubin with the scattered kelongs.
(Actually we went in the other direction around Pulau Ubin, so we passed Chek Jawa first. They wanted us to attempt Chek Jawa earlier in the day because the afternoon waves would 'kill' us. Note that the morning waves did the same too. Anyway, the main point is that we missed all its 'beautiful' sights because half the time we were in the water swimming to shore. Personally my boat sunk 3 times here. Sinking is different from capsizing because you capsize in the event that you lose balance and fall into the water, while you sink in the event that your entire boat goes under water and your lifejack evacuates you. Ok this happened 3 times, and if you're asking how I managed to complete the race after my boat sank, it is because our boats have a piece of styrofoam to keep the boat afloat even if it is completely under water. Lucky for me I'm not using a Nelo, as it will totally sink (no buoyancy), resulting in SGD$4,000 going down the drain. Or the channel rather.)
Ok, on a whole, I think it was fun. But now I have countless scratches on my legs and an aching body which I trained with today.
They should increase the number of medal placings from 3 to 5. Maybe if they did that this year I would get a prize. You might be thinking: 'Hey, 5th? That's pretty slow!' But please care to note that there is no catergory for secondary school students, so all of us were taking part under the 'Open' catergory. Oh well, I guess it's over. There was a shirt, a certificate and lunch provided. The shirt design is relatively nice, but it's yellow(?). The certificate is printed on some nice textured paper and signed by some random guy unknown to most of us. And the lunch was quite bad, consisting mostly of rice.
Nonetheless, I'm going to take part again next year! With a spray-cover, though.
In the K1 'Open' catergory, the winners are as follows:
1. Clifton (Sec 4 senior, member of National Junior Team, also Vice-Captain until tomorrow)
2. Mr Goh (my coach, National Team coach, used a Nelo)
3. *unknown until results are released, we missed the prize presentation*
On a separate note, tomorrow is AGM(Annual General Meeting)/ROD (Relief of Duty) day! Thanks to you seniors, without your encouragement I wouldn't even be in a position to encourage =)
Bye for now.
Quotations from this site
Comments hidden. Read at your own discretion.
This exciting paddle racing sport challenges participants’ endurance, speed, stamina and paddling skills in the open sea.
(Yup, sure does. Seemed exciting at first, but everyone came back speechless and just needing sleep.)
In approximately 22 km, they will pit their paddling skills and race strategies against one another from the bustling Pasir Ris Beach to the southern side of Pulau Ubin.
(Oh that's crap. Everyone just wants to get it over with.)
They will also pass by Tajam as they paddle swiftly round the corner and straight through the Straits of Johor, with the Malaysia state of Johor on one side and the erected fences along northern Ubin on the other side.
(Ok, this has some truth to it. But the fences are more of silent traps lurking in the dark. If you attempt to empty water from your capsized/sinking boat there, you will scratch the boat and yourself on the sharp rock edges. Credit for the much damage taken goes to the waves, too.)
As they race closer to the finish line, the contestants paddling across Chek Jawa – the spot well-known for its rich marine life – and taking in the sights along the southern shoreline of Pulau Ubin with the scattered kelongs.
(Actually we went in the other direction around Pulau Ubin, so we passed Chek Jawa first. They wanted us to attempt Chek Jawa earlier in the day because the afternoon waves would 'kill' us. Note that the morning waves did the same too. Anyway, the main point is that we missed all its 'beautiful' sights because half the time we were in the water swimming to shore. Personally my boat sunk 3 times here. Sinking is different from capsizing because you capsize in the event that you lose balance and fall into the water, while you sink in the event that your entire boat goes under water and your lifejack evacuates you. Ok this happened 3 times, and if you're asking how I managed to complete the race after my boat sank, it is because our boats have a piece of styrofoam to keep the boat afloat even if it is completely under water. Lucky for me I'm not using a Nelo, as it will totally sink (no buoyancy), resulting in SGD$4,000 going down the drain. Or the channel rather.)
Ok, on a whole, I think it was fun. But now I have countless scratches on my legs and an aching body which I trained with today.
They should increase the number of medal placings from 3 to 5. Maybe if they did that this year I would get a prize. You might be thinking: 'Hey, 5th? That's pretty slow!' But please care to note that there is no catergory for secondary school students, so all of us were taking part under the 'Open' catergory. Oh well, I guess it's over. There was a shirt, a certificate and lunch provided. The shirt design is relatively nice, but it's yellow(?). The certificate is printed on some nice textured paper and signed by some random guy unknown to most of us. And the lunch was quite bad, consisting mostly of rice.
Nonetheless, I'm going to take part again next year! With a spray-cover, though.
In the K1 'Open' catergory, the winners are as follows:
1. Clifton (Sec 4 senior, member of National Junior Team, also Vice-Captain until tomorrow)
2. Mr Goh (my coach, National Team coach, used a Nelo)
3. *unknown until results are released, we missed the prize presentation*
On a separate note, tomorrow is AGM(Annual General Meeting)/ROD (Relief of Duty) day! Thanks to you seniors, without your encouragement I wouldn't even be in a position to encourage =)
Bye for now.