Superyachts are roaring into Singapore, a convenient and safe base for year-round regional cruising with plenty to offer onshore, too. By Linda Cartlidge
Superyachts are roaring into Singapore, a convenient and safe base for year-round regional cruising with plenty to offer onshore, too.
By Linda Cartlidge
“CENTRALLY LOCATED IN SOUTHEAST ASIA… IT’S A PERFECT LOCATION!” – Scott Walker, Asia Pacific Superyachts Singapore
“WE’RE SEEING MORE AND MORE visiting superyachts and once here, they love it,” enthuses Scott Walker of Asia Pacific Superyachts Singapore. “The region is so vast and diverse and Singapore is smack in the middle of really excellent cruising grounds.”
Southeast Asia means new cruising grounds for many yachts and Singapore, like a reigning sultan, sits pretty much in the centre of a passage from North to South and East to West in the region.
Located centrally in Southeast Asia, Singapore is one degree north of the equator and doesn’t get severe weather, which means it’s a convenient and safe base for year-round regional cruising while providing boundless activities for Owner and guests and Captain and crew.
The Republic of Singapore is a 719-square-kilometre island with superyacht berths in several marinas and a wharf that can be used for berthing very large yachts alongside on the south central coast.
“Virtually every aspect of servicing a yacht from inbound/outbound clearance procedures to provisioning, engineering repairs and surveys, and all requirements while in Singapore and further afield can be handled. We even regularly send supplies to yachts cruising in the region,” says Walker.
A welcome standout for yachting enthusiasts is the One°15 Marina Club, where all aboard will enjoy the charms of this beautiful and well-equipped marina that hosts the annual Singapore Yacht Show (April 7-10).
Singapore is a multicultural city known for as world-class shopping capital and easy access from the marina to nearby local shopping with day trips available along with local attractions.
SINGAPORE ATTRACTIONS
Raffles Hotel – A Singaporean institution and a byword for oriental luxury.
Chinatown – Singapore’s cultural heart, with calligraphers and fortune tellers.
Little India – Offers duty-free shopping and is full of interesting little shops selling obscure items.
Orchard Road – High-end hotels, shopping centres, nightspots, restaurants and bars.
Jurong Town – Home to the Haw Par Villa (a Chinese mythological theme park).
Sentosa Island – Museums, aquariums, beaches, sports facilities, walks, rides, food centres and marina.
Singapore is becoming very well known as an ideal place for yachts visiting Southeast Asia that must pass through the 500nm Strait of Malacca between the Andaman Sea and South China Sea.
“Local, European and American investment for this kind of leisure is growing,” Walker says. “Key inhibitors for visiting yachts would be mostly borders. By that I mean the differing immigration procedures in different countries and the laws and regulations in the countries around here.”
“Some countries such as Malaysia and Singapore are very easy to deal with, but there are others – Indonesia and Vietnam in particular – that have various issues to consider and it’s a greater effort for yachts to get the cruising permits and visas.”
Keeping this in mind, superyacht captains and owners arriving in Singapore can relax knowing all their vessel and paperwork needs can be taken care of by Walker and the APS team during their stay in Singapore before cruising to nearby Indonesia or Langkawi, Malaysia.
Administrative and vessel needs along with duty-free fresh provisions and supplies can be dealt with swiftly to prepare for a journey to the exotic port of Bintan in Indonesia and/ or the nearby mystical island of Langkawi in Malaysia.
For the short hop to Bintan, the major domestic seaport for the Riau Islands, Walker can coordinate with APS Indonesia’s Richard Lofthouse in dealing with the constantly changing Indonesian regulations to ensure all paperwork/ permits are in order while the vessel is still in Singapore.
Lofthouse works closely with the government and his support with clearances, visas and permits – especially for foreign-built yachts – can sort essential needs for the short hop to Bintan.
Nikoi Island off Bintan is a popular cruising destination. After Bali, Bintan is most likely the best-known resort island in Indonesia. Departing Bintan and a harbour filled with shipping vessels, a change of scenery soon appears. Small islands can be seen dotted across the South China Sea, most looking uninhabited with mysterious jungle coastlines and dark volcanoes in the background.
Located about 100nm from Singapore is historic Lingga Island of the Riau Islands group with entry /exit point of Nongsa Point Marina on Batam Island. This voyage across the equator is a great excuse to celebrate with a party onboard, or on one of the sandy beaches.
An interesting island, Ligga was the centre of a Malay sultanate during the 18th and 19th Centuries, though only a few ruins in the jungle remain. Daik is the main village and a great place for handicrafts with some ancestors of the sultan living there in a traditional lifestyle. Other attractions nearby include Cening Hill Fort, Damnah Malay Palace and Lingga Mountain. There are many empty sandy beaches and Pulau Buaya offers protected anchorages and stunning white coral beaches.
Another journey from Singapore takes you to the mystical island of duty-free Langkawi in Malaysia, with an option to journey on to Phuket, Thailand.
On arrival all are delighted to discover the newly expanded and enhanced Royal Langkawi Yacht Club & Marina (RLYC) massive upgrading and expansion. The 200-berth marina has expanded to a 250-berth marina that includes: six berths to accommodate superyachts; four berths for 60-70m superyachts; and two berths for 80-90m superyachts. Now acting as the agent for yachts over 30m for the RLYC, Captain Charlie Dwyer of APS Langkawi is also working closely with Boustead Langkawi Shipyard and reports Langkawi is fast becoming known as a superyacht refit hub in Asia.
For those cruising on to Phuket, APS General Manager Gordon Fernandes recommends several amazing areas.
“The Surin Island Group offers some spectacular beaches with some of Thailand’s best dive spots very close by,” Fernandes says. “The Similan Islands Group is another favourite spot for beautiful beaches and Number 8 Island with Donald Duck Bay features unusual boulders and stunning water clarity of 30m+ in some areas, it’s another favourite destination for diving.”
Global charterers, superyacht Owners and Captains are starting to shift their focus from traditional cruising grounds in search of the more exotic cruising destinations in Asia with its year-round sailing season in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
For more information, email scott@ asia-pacific-superyachts.com and visit www.asia-pacifc-superyachts.com.
