Raffles Marina & Catamaran

Last week, I had a chance to visit Raffles Marina. It is situated just next to the Second Link from Tuas in Singapore to Gelang Patah in Johor, Malaysia. Everytime when you pass this bridge in and out of Malaysia via Tuas, you will see this Raffles Marina from up the bridge.

Next time when you are there, drop by into Raffles Marina. It is open to public. There are ample free parking. You need not be a member to entertain yourself there, except for certain activities.






Being and adventuorous and curious guy, I first explore the boats, yatch etc that are parked there. I lived my life as aneighbour to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), in Woodlands. I lived just opposite of the RMN headquaters and barracks. During my youth I always entered their premise for Friday prayers and at night for movies. I do made friends with some of the navy guys.

My sister married one of the RMN Lieutenant. So sometimes I stayed within the barracks for a night. That exposure had great influence in my love for sea, ships and other sea activities. Surely, I appreciate the sea view from Raffles Marina.

In 1968, I used to work part-time in the British Royal Navy port at Attap Valley Road off Admiralty Road, where the Senoko Power Station is now located. I helped the British Navy to load up their fighter ships with ammunition, which were pre-packed in wooden cartons, in their withdrawal exerecise. Thus, I get to see the ammunition and even hold them in my hands, and at the same time to enter the cabins and store room in the belly of the fighter ships.

Thus, this view of the jetty to the yatch in Raffles Marina, bring back all those extraordinary memories of my youth in the Terpedo Depot at Khalsa Crescent off Admiralty Road.

I also had the chance to enter the jetty of RMN and into the cabins and deck of the Malaysian fighter ships KD Hang Tuah. KD means 'Kapal Di-Raja' which refers to 'The Royal Ship'.

Sometime in 2000, my friend Donald Andris was talking to me about a boat that he had somewhere in Java, Indonesia. He mentioned the word 'catamaran' several times. I didn't really vision clearly what catamaran is, un til I saw this advertisement at Raffles Marina. This one caused USD320,000.

Reminiscing all of these memories reminded me of the verses in the Quran which say that God has made the sea easy for you to travel. The Muslims of the past understood this message
in the Holy Quran and they traveled the world to China, India, Java, Malaysia, Rome, and the Meditteranean ports.

Admiral Cheng Ho followed their steps and Columbus followed them too. The sea expeditions compliment the land expeditions made by adventurous people who returned to their homeland and convey the message and lessons they learned from their journey with others.

Many of these great explorers wrote journals and books to convey the Message of God,

"We made the sea easy for you to travel"

In Chapter 55, Ar-Rahman (The Most Gracious), God is talking to us senses. It begins with......

"The Most Gracious has imparted this Quran to mankind.

He has created man. He imparted into them thought and speech.

He make the sun and moon to move in their appointed courses.

He has spread out the earth for all living beings with fruits,

palm trees and dates, grains, and sweet-smelling plants.

Which, then, of your Sustainers's powers do you reject?

He created man out of sounding clay

wherease the invisible beings out of confusing flame.

Which then of the Sustainer's power do you reject?

He is the Sustainer of the East and the West.

Which then of the Sustainer's power do you reject?

He has given freedom to the 2 great seas,

so that they might meet and yet between them

there is a barrier,

that is between freash water rivers and lakes and salty seas.

WHICH THEN OF THE sUSTAINER'S POWER DO YOU REJECT?

Out of these 2 seas are pearls, big and small.

Which then of the Sustainer's power do you reject?

And His lofty ships sail like mountains through the seas

Which then of the Sustainer's power do you reject?"

[His lofty ships means that God has given man the God-given nature

of intelligence and creativenessto invent ships etc...]