Stupidity Under the Sun

7 July 2003

Originally, we had planned to make it an overnight paddle, and so there was a mess of gear on the floor the night before.

Beautiful start to the day as the sun put on a beautifully demure performance as it emerged through the cloud cover. It's been a while since I've been out for a full day's paddle and it was sure nice to see this familiar sight again!

Loaded the dog and the stuff sacks into the kayak and off we went. As you can see, the sea was as flat as a millpond.

However, there was a great number of boils and swirls - prawns, bait fish and barra. Very promising, but this wasn't really a fishing trip so I dutifully just dragged my lure past a few. I've never hooked a barra like that, and this time was no exception.

Mid morning and we catch our first fish. It's nice to hook a fish where you expect to, and the hookup came just as I was thinking that the lure was in a perfect position to get whacked. I was secretly hoping it would be a barra, but the tide was off for the spot and after a dour but entertaining fight, a nice catfish appeared alongside the kayak

So most people don't chase catfish on lures; well, neither do I, but they do turn up now and then, and at this size, they do give quite an account of themselves. Besides, it's just plain fun!

Around punggol, we encounter an unbelievable sight - where once there had been a natural beach teeming with life, there was now a rocky shoreline! At first, I thought I was mistaken, but it was obvious that the stones had not been in the water too long. Furthermore, they were all very similar and many of them had been neatly arranged in ordered rows. I was flabbergasted! This was a beach along which I had foraged for bait and waded across for years. Seems it's not good enough just to dump sand on top of our reefs and mangrove flats. No, some brilliant genius had decided that this natural beach was not quite presentable enough and so had to be camouflaged with quarried rocks. I don't know if there had been an EIA performed, but certainly, there had been no public discussion. Typical, but one has to wonder why the tax dollars are being squandered on such silliness! Should have taken a picture, but I was just too much in shock.

A short paddle later and we were ordered alongside a police boat. Seems like the senior officer onboard is very concerned about my safety. His concern is much appreciated, I assure him, but I'm perfectly safe and have been doing this for many years. Guess I wasn't contrite enough, so he orders me not to go any further from the shore otherwise he'll force me to turn back "right now". Oh, he wouldn't mind if I was in the company of others, but being alone just isn't acceptable to him. (Never mind that I was carrying more safety gear than most so-called organised expeditions and that there were plenty of similar kayaks that had seen far more rough water than his new PC boat with the oversized outboards hanging off its stern). Seeing that I was not impressed, he fishes for another reason - "somemore your boat got no number". Of course, the law has since changed and this is no longer required or even possible. When I showed that I was aware of this, the unbelievable and impatient retort was "I know, I know". So he had simply been trying to intimidate me by misrepresenting the law? Anyhow, the encounter ended with my repeated assurances that I was and would be fine. And off he went - a pompous uniformed civil servant trying to play god with the uninformed public.

I suppose the Police Coast Guard plays a critical role in denying our territorial waters to the transit of contraband. However, for more than a decade on the water, all I've received from these officers is nought but harassment and condescension. Furthermore, some of the activities I've witnessed of these same officers (who are sworn to uphold the law) include:-

racing through a narrow waterway in the dead of the night at full throttle with only the siren on;
ignoring a blatant disregard for a vessel's right of way simply because the other was bigger. This is implicitly enforcing the barbarism that might is right;and
refusing to enforce the law in regard to illegal netting

You will excuse my lack of faith in these fine officers, but I regret that my experience with them has been less than illustrious. Perhaps the day will come when they will be called upon to save my life at sea. I suppose it may very well be that when that happens I'll be singing a different tune.

So anyhow, after all the aggravation wrought by others, it was my turn for some folly. Stopped by Coney island to stretch my legs and take the dog for a swim. Got careless and broke my own rule about wading barefoot. With the dog in my arms and just 2 m. from shore, I stepped on something soft. I immediately shifted my foot but it was too late - I distinctly felt the motion of a spike being driven into my ankle. Score one for the stingrays; those spikes are not just for show!

I paddled out with the dog, found a nice place to stop for lunch and just bummed while the foot throbbed and bled a little. With things going the way they were and dark clouds forming over the horizon, I figured it was probably best to call it a day. So it was back into the kayak, load up the dry bags and a long paddle back to Singapore.