SINGAPORE.

One day I looked at the map around Singapore and got really excited about the prospect of taking a boat to nearby places. I started exploring this interest by reading online about boating and sailing, watching vlogs and going to London’s Maritime Museum. As I was to be in Singapore soon, I booked a free taster session with Sailing At the Bay, and thought that I’d get back to London before looking into powerboating lessons or a sailing club there.

However, early last week I was telling so many people about this recent interest and feeling strongly about it, so I just looked up whether I can do a course in Singapore. I was able to find a slot for that weekend.

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I went for a 2-day course that is required to obtain a Powered Pleasure Craft Driving License (PPCDL) in Singapore. This is a license that allows one to drive a powered boat of length less than 24 meters within Singapore Port Limits. This includes anything from jetskis, to fishing boats through to small yachts.

The course was conducted at Raffles Marina, a marina club in Tuas located near the western-most station of the EW line and the Tuas checkpoint to Malaysia. This course is also conducted at other venues.

The course was from 8:30am-5:30pm on Saturday and Sunday. The first half of each day was spent learning theory, and the second half on practical. Our course instructors were ex-Navy men with a lot of experience in the maritime sector. There were five students including myself.

The course covered the following topics.

Theory:

• What a PPCDL is required for, and how to get one
• Basic boating terminology
• Mandatory boating equipment for pleasure craft in Singapore and how to use them
• “Rules of the road” (Traffic rules at sea, what lights/shapes/sounds to use on your boat depending on scenario and type of boat)
• Very basic coastal navigation (charts, bearings, tides, buoys and beacons)
• Overview of Singapore’s islands and waters, including details such as which are nice to visit/designated for which water activities/restricted/prohibited.
• Regulations in Singapore for all boats, and specifically for pleasure craft
• How to respond to emergencies

Practical:

• Pre-sea check
• Boat handling
• Berthing and Unberthing
• Man overboard rescue
• Tying knots to secure boat when berthed

In order to get my license I will still need to:

1. Get an eyesight test
2. Take a theory test
3. Take a practical test
4. Fill some forms to apply for a license

I’m not confident that I’ll be able to do all this within my current trip to Singapore, mainly because of availability of test slots, but there should be no problems getting it by my next trip back.

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Some thoughts –

I thoroughly enjoyed the course. The theory part exposed me to so much of the Maritime world. I also gained some familiarity with charts and a better understanding of what’s in Singapore’s waters. Singapore becomes bigger if you also start enjoying its waters.

Buying a boat is an expensive affair but renting boats for a day at a time is a very realistic idea. You can go fishing, wakeboarding, diving, picnicking. There are enough islands and other areas you can explore by boat to keep you occupied for a while.

More than that, our waters and maritime industry made us what we are. Most people migrated here by boat in the early days, and the maritime industry is what made Singapore rich. To be seafaring and knowledgeable about maritime affairs could be something that we choose to make an essential part of the Singaporean identity.

It’s a more complicated process to get the licensure to be able to take a boat out of Singapore, but its possible, and I dream about some day sorting all that out to explore the Riau islands to the South of Singapore, Johor to the north, and perhaps further asea as well.

Driving a boat is a thrilling experience. Sea water splashing into the boat, wake from larger vessels disrupting the calm waters you were enjoying, being in waters you’d never thought were so easily accessible and there for you to enjoy. Cars have to keep to roads and in between lines, but boats can make way as they like.

I’m keen to hear any stories or ideas you might have about boating.

Would you like to come explore Singapore’s waters?