Provisioning and Problems
Jackamy
Paul & Derry Harper
Thu 25 Nov 2010 09:10
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Thursday 25th November
Our last few days in Singapore were sadly
spent sat in the marina working through the job list, out hunting for spares or
provisioning. Unfortunately now that we've begun our journey home Jackamy seems
to have realised and decided to make things difficult for us. We've had a
problem with the in-mast furling as the aluminum tubing inside the mast has bent
causing the sail to furl crooked, thus breaking our batons and creating other
problems. Paul has now looked at it and believes it is fixed, we just need to
hunt out some new batons really. The freezer has decided to stop working and
that's what has caused the most grief really. We spent a day hunting down a
thermostat as we believed that was the route of the problem, only to eventually
find one and realise that wasn't the problem at all, it's the pump. You'd expect
to be able to get everything and anything in Singapore but apparently not so
we're heading out without a freezer and will purchase the part in Phuket where
we've sourced it. The chart plotter situation has been sorted out thankfully and
we now have the old plotter back up and running. The pcb board we had sent out
to Mackay turned out to be used and broken, two buttons were stuck down! So we
now have a new board inside and the old plotter is working. We have no idea what
is wrong with the new plotter but raymarine have agreed to swap it for a new one
so we just need to arrange now. Things are looking up!
Our final night in Singapore we did
manage to venture out of the marina, albeit rather late, into Chinatown. Three
streets in particular were very interesting with chinese lanterns criss
crossing above our heads and people everywhere; Pagoda, Temple and Smith Street.
We even stumbled across the Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore's oldest
Hindu temple. The colourful gopuram (entrance tower) of the temple, built
in its present form in 1843, with dozens of additions since, is one of the most
photographed objects in the city.
 The Sri Mariamman
Temple
 The detailed
gopuram
 Inside the temple
 The busy bright streets of
Chinatown, lined with restaurants and trinket stalls
 And the pretty buildings above
all the glitz
The restaurant we chose, Da Dong
on Smith Street, was great and the food fantastic. We ordered a whole duck,
which they make pancakes and a duck and vegetable dish out of. The duck arrived
and interestingly they skinned it, dipped the skin in plum sauce, added a
cucumber strip and wrapped just the two ingredients in a pancake, the
meat was used for the other dish. Our waiter, Victor Chong, a very animated man,
kept talking to us although most of the time we weren't sure what he was saying.
When Jack explained what he studied at university Victor thought he was a film
director, causing great amusement. He said that when Jack brings Oscar home he
should make sure he thanks his parents and sister, Jack said he'll also thank
Victor Chong. A lovely evening!
 Victor and Jack
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