By Les Tan/Red Sports
Zandra Chew Yann (left, in blue) taking my 10-year-old son out with another member of the public. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
One of the challenges as a father of three young boisterous boys is to find them something fun to do outdoors. So I was glad when I found out about SailFun, a two-hour programme that gives anyone aged seven and above a taste of sailing.
I signed up my 10-year-old boy and went down one Saturday afternoon during the recent school holidays to the Marina Reservoir located at the Marina Barrage. For the next two hours, I placed my boy in the expert hands of Zandra Chew Yann, 16, of Tanjong Katong Girls’ School (TKGS). Zandra finished second at the 2012 Singapore National Byte Championships. Zandra gave my boy a taste of sailing in the calm waters of Marina Reservoir.
To help me get photos for this story, Choy Zhen Fang kindly let me get on board a motorboat so that we could get closer to Zandra’s boat. Zhen Fang, 27, is the Programme and Facilities Executive from Singapore Sailing Federation in charge of SailFun, and has been involved with the sport of sailing for 13 years. As she filled me in about SailFun and her love of the outdoors with the the late afternoon sun shining down on us, I enjoyed the remarkable contrast of the open water while just hundreds of metres away from busy downtown Singapore.
I poked around the Singapore Sailing Federation website and found that there are progressive courses to teach sailing to children aged eight to 15 years of age.
After that afternoon at Marina Reservoir, Zhen Fang kindly took the time to answer my questions about the SailFun programme which was started in July 2010 and has seen 2,500 people go through it.
Red Sports: We understand the SailFun programme introduces sailing to youth. What can a person look forward to in the two hours?
Zhen Fang: After a short safety briefing and introduction to do’s and don’ts on the boat, participants can look forward to an afternoon of fun and an unforgettable sailing experience in the Marina Reservoir among the iconic landmarks while sailing on the Pacer with a skipper on board.
Topics covered on the boat include:
— Introduction to the main parts of the boat (Pacer)
— How does sailing work?
— Basic sailing terminology
— Sailing the boat – through steering and controlling the sails (through pulling in or letting go of the sails via ropes)
— The beauty of using mother nature to move a boat!
Red Sports: How old do you need to be?
Zhen Fang: Anyone above the age of 7 can sign up. You do not need to know how to swim, just need to be confident in water. Life vests are provided.
Red Sports: If someone is interested in learning to sail after SailFun, what’s next?
Zhen Fang: Children from age 7-12 yrs can sign up for a basic sailing course in the Optimist boat. Adults can choose to take up a basic sailing course in either a dinghy (capsizeable) or a competent crew course in a keelboat (non-capsizeable). They can enquire further with our affiliated sailing clubs around the island.
Red Sports: From your experience, can you share a story or two of how sailing has benefited those who’ve picked up the sport?
Zhen Fang: Sailing is a sport that develops character and important life skills which cannot be found in text books. I first met this pair of twins while conducting an Basic Optimist sailing course a few years back. Immediately, these two boys stood out because they were not able to “sit still” during the theory lessons. My suspicions were that they had an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A quick check with their father proved me right — they were diagnosed with ADHD.
They have come a long way since then, especially with supportive parents. They are now more focused and pay more attention to their teachers in class. They have also learnt to be a team player, helping their friends with rigging up the boat and be more responsible for their belongings. Their parents credit their improved behaviour to their consistent twice-weekly sailing sessions for the past two years.
Red Sports: When did you pick up sailing yourself?
Zhen Fang: I picked up the sport of Sailing at the ripe old age of 14. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see many kids starting as young as 7.
Red Sports: Can you share some personal sailing highlights of your own?
Zhen Fang: Being able to help my secondary school, TKGS, clinch a B Division School team gold at the National Schools Sailing Championships in year 2001 as well as an individual silver medal in the same year (my graduating year). The team Gold was especially sweet because we did not even come close in the previous year in 2000.
Red Sports: Are there any highlights we can look forward to in the next few months?
Zhen Fang: PUB will be organising the World Water Day on March 16th and we will most probably be organising sailing tryouts at Marina Barrage for the public.
You can contact Zhen Fang at: zhenfang@singaporesailing.org.sg or call her at 64444555.
For more details about the programme, go to the SailFun website.
Leave A Comment