January 5, 2009 - Singapore

Mata'irea with the Singapore skyline in the background

While I spent the day giving Mata'irea a good scrub, inside and out, and preparing some food for our passage north, Sten set out on an epic tour of the industrial zone in Singapore's western quadrant. He had to go out that way to pick up some glue to repair our dinghy, so he figured he would pick up some other boat bits while he was out that way. Two trains and six bus rides later he had realized three things:

1. The chandlery at Raffles Marina is ludicrously overpriced ($20 for 4 swim ladder bumpers? Who are they kidding?) with very little on offer.
   
2. The wholesale companies in Singapore are not set up at all for retail business.
3. Palm fronds will jump up and bite you when you step on them.
   

6 hours later, he returned to the marina, with blood running down his leg, and with only two of the six things he set out to buy. It looks like we'll have to make a return trip to the chandleries in Little India. Darn. And if we happen to have to go around lunchtime, well, double darn.

We had planned on leaving tomorrow or Wednesday, but we've decided to stick around until Friday. While scrubbing the pollution stains off of the bimini, some more of the stitching let go, so we'll need to repair that before getting underway. And we decided that if we were going to be here through Wednesday, it seemed silly to leave the day the Volvo Ocean Race Village opens. So we'll stay through Thursday to do pontoon tours and check out the Village.

A Team Puma crew member adjusting the rigging

The Race is making its only North American stop in Boston in May. Even if you aren't into racing, the boats really are something to see. Click here to check out the schedule of events for the Boston stop.