Not too long ago, a superyacht would have been an uncommon sight in Singapore waters.

These days, the scenario is quite different. A superyacht, according to the Superyacht Singapore Association (SSA), is a professionally-crewed leisure vessel of at least 24 metres in length — and an increasing number of these can be spotted here, either berthed for a substantial period of time or docked on a stopover.

SSA figures show that last year, 19 of these vessels were based in Singapore, a substantial increase from just six in 2006. Traffic has increased as well, with 81 superyachts passing through in 2010, a massive jump from the 16 that did so five years ago.

“This growth comes from a combination of [there being] more local owners, and [more] businessmen who have made Singapore their home or business base,” explains Jean-Jacques Lavigne, SSA’s Executive Director.

“Some [superyacht] owners don’t even live here. But because they enjoy cruising around Southeast Asia, they base their vessels here.”

Singapore’s proximity to Thailand — where island-cruising is an established tourist attraction — is also a factor, says the 43-year-old Singapore Permanent Resident.

Currently, there are four marinas in Singapore that can accommodate boats of such size: the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club, Raffles Marina Club, ONE°15 Marina Club and Marina at Keppel Bay.

Each superyacht berth comes with a suite of services including refuelling and fresh water points as well as 24-hour security.

A hub for superyachts
The increase in superyacht numbers is also due to the concerted efforts of various organisations to raise Singapore’s profile as a hub for such vessels.

In April this year, the inaugural Singapore Yacht Show (SYS), billed the only one of its kind in the region, was jointly organised by ONE°15 Marina Club and yachting events organiser Informa Yacht Group.

The three-day event to showcase superyachts as well as related products and services such as insurance and interior furnishings attracted more than 4,000 visitors from Singapore and overseas.

Two years ago, the first-ever Asia Superyacht Conference — organised by the SSA — was attended by more than 150 delegates from the industry worldwide.

Both the SYS and the Asia Superyacht Conference are scheduled to be held concurrently in Singapore in April next year.

The SSA was formed in 2007 by a founding group of 11 companies in superyacht-related businesses such as marinas, yacht-building and charters to promote Singapore as a superyacht destination, and to create a boating culture.

“An example of a country with a boating culture would be Monaco,” says Jean-Jacques.

“There, sailing along the coast is a regular affair, with spots to drop anchor about every three nautical miles [around 5.5km], whether to refuel and resupply, or to explore a scenic harbour.”

Being on the open sea is very different from the usual team building camps

Kiran Sujanani

To achieve its vision of such a boating culture in the region with Singapore as its hub, the SSA is working with the relevant authorities in neighbouring countries to ensure that Singapore- based yachts have ease of passage.

The development of a superyacht refit and maintenance centre is also on the SSA’s agenda.

It is currently exploring with the Singapore Maritime Academy the possibility of offering courses such as marina management. With the nearest one in Phuket, Thailand, having a refit and maintenance centre here will add to Singapore’s reputation as a superyacht hub, says Jean-Jacques.

The Rising Tide
A Bloomberg Businessweek report in June this year labelled Singapore the ‘Monaco of the East’.

Singapore, the report stated, has at 11.4 per cent of the population the highest proportion of millionaire households in the world. Is there a relation between this and the country becoming a key player in the luxury boating industry? The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) thinks so.

“The SYS is a clear illustration of this. It marked a pivotal point in our growth [as a superyacht destination] as such shows are traditionally held in Monaco and Abu Dhabi,” says Tony Lai, Assistant Chief Executive for Industry Development I Group, STB.

Riding on the crest of this development is the superyacht charter business. About 10 companies are operating here, and the charters they offer range from a 15-minute cruise to Lazarus Island off the southern coast of Singapore to longer trips to Pulau Tioman in Malaysia and Ko Samui in Thailand.

The growing business has prompted one company, Aqua Voyage, to add the Seabear — a 40-metre craft owned by professional golfer Jack Nicklaus — to its existing fleet of four luxury yachts by year-end.

“Plans for cruises with Jack Nicklaus on board to golf resorts in neighbouring countries, where passengers can then play a round with him, are in the works,” says Ong Chih Ching 42, Group CEO of the KOP Group, Aqua Voyage’s owners.

Weekend Alternatives
Superyachts are now chartered for a variety of purposes — business presentations to potential clients, wedding receptions and birthday celebrations.

Even schools and organisations see a day out at sea on a superyacht as a good opportunity to foster team building.

Ms Kiran Sujanani, Head of Operations and Marketing of chartering company MSV Projects says its superyacht, the 27-metre trimaran Long Ranger, has been chartered for educational purposes.

A trimaran has a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls, and its design is derived from the proaconstructed and used by native Pacific Islanders.

“We’ve conducted educational trips on the Long Ranger where youths and adults are taught [under supervision] how to navigate the sea, steer the yacht, and man the sails,” says Kiran, a 36-year-old Indian citizen.

“Being on the open sea is very different from the usual team building camps. Participants really have to learn to work together to make it a safe, successful voyage.”

Republic Of Singapore Yacht Club
52 West Coast Ferry Road
www.rsyc.org.sg
Raffles Marina Club
10 Tuas West Drive
www.rafflesmarina.com.sg
Oneº15 Marina Club
11 Cove Drive, Sentosa Cove
www.one15marina.com
Marina At Keppel Bay
2 Keppel Bay Vista
www.marinakeppelbay.com

The rooftop garden at Central Horizon, Blk 79 Toa Payoh Central

Patches of greenery in Singapore’s Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates are popping up on the top decks of multi-storey car parks and on the rooftops of some residential blocks.

Landscaped with turf, shrubs and trees, the green roofs also help to reduce temperature, glare and noise levels by reducing the reflection of heat, light and sound.

Taking sky-rise greenery literally to new heights are the Sky Gardens at Pinnacle@ Duxton, Singapore’s tallest public housing building at 50 stories. These distinctive gardens, located on the 26th and 50th floors, are said to be the longest continuous sky gardens in the world, linking seven residential tower blocks together.

In the works are plans to implement nine hectares of extensive green roofs – low maintenance rooftop greenery – over the next three to five years in existing HDB estates where rooftop gardens are not feasible.

The HDB is also looking into incorporating vertical landscaping for building facades to enhance the appearance of housing estates, citing a pilot project at Sembawang Close.

The indoor roof garden at Six Battery Road feature a 184-sqm vertical gardens

Almost 50 per cent of Singapore is covered by greenery and the republic – named Asia’s greenest metropolis in the Asian Green City Index in February this year – is set to up the ante by encouraging the development of more green skyscrapers.

Cash incentives of up to 35 per cent have been awarded by the Building & Construction Authority (BCA) since 2009, to offset the cost of installing eco-friendly improvements in existing buildings. And the National Parks Board (NParks) is now subsidising up to half the cost of dressing up buildings with plants, be they on rooftops or walls.

According to Mr Ng Cheow Kheng, Deputy Director of Horticulture and Community Gardening at NParks, skyrise greenery is increasingly being recognised as a valuable tool for sustainable development in cities.

“Besides enhancing the aesthetics of buildings, the green spaces lower surface and ambient temperatures and enhance biodiversity in urban areas,” he says.

Another incentive to go green is the BCA Green Mark scheme. Launched in 2005, it rates buildings for their environmental impact and performance. Buildings are rated, in descending levels of merit, Platinum, GoldPlus, Gold and Certified.

Six Battery Road won the Green mark Platinum Award in 2010

A prime example of the green movement in Singapore’s Central Business District (CBD) is Six Battery Road, owned by CapitaCommercial Trust Management Limited. The building won the Green Mark Platinum Award in 2010, the first pre-existing office building in the district to do so. Visitors can admire its 184-square-metre indoor garden – the first of its kind in the CBD. Designed by award-winning French botanist Patrick Blanc, it is home to 120 plant species.

But Singapore’s green buildings are not restricted to the business district; more ambitious projects can be found elsewhere in the country. For instance, Fusionopolis in the western part of the island is said to be home to the world’s longest vertical stretch of vegetation. Launched in 2008, the 15-storey building features landscaped garden terraces that can be found on each floor.

Resorts World Sentosa, the country’s first integrated resort, also has a combined green roof area of 29,000 square metres. The green roof, which is covered with foliage, features up to 23 plant species.

Developers of residential buildings aren’t lagging behind in their green efforts either. The facade of the 36-storey Newton Suites is covered with creeper trellises and rooftop plants.

GREEN RETURNS

Mr Tan Tian Chong, Director for Technology Development at the BCA says, “Developers and building owners are recognising the benefits of environmentally-friendly buildings. Besides seeing significant reductions in energy and water consumption, occupants in the buildings can also enjoy better indoor air quality.”

Investing in green buildings has paid off well in other ways for City Developments Limited (CDL). Ms Esther An, its head of corporate social responsibility (CSR) says, “The returns of investment in green buildings are reflected in the reduced use of natural resources [during the construction process and the life cycle of the building], financial savings [from reduced water and energy usage] and even the possible increased capital value of the developments.”

CDL sets aside two to five per cent of a project’s construction cost for green features and technologies. These include architectural designs that maximise day lighting, energy and water-efficient fittings such as motion detector lighting in toilets and stairwells, and facade and roof greenery to reduce solar heat gain. This year, CDL became the first recipient of the BCA Green Mark Platinum Champion Award, which recognises organisations for their commitment to green inititaives and achievements in environmental sustainability.

FROM GARDEN CITY TO GREEN CITY

Landscaped garden terraces are located on each floor of Fusionopolis

With more developers and building owners jumping on the green wagon, efforts to make the city greener seem to be well on track. The number of Green Mark Building projects has increased year-on-year; the cumulative number of Green Mark Building projects in Singapore has leapt from 17 in 2005 to 755 in 2010.

Mr Tan adds, “Green buildings are said to be well-received by tenants, especially multinational corporations, who are keen to demonstrate their CSR towards the environment.”

More and more existing buildings are undergoing green retrofitting. Other Green Mark Platinum Award winners this year include One Raffles Place Tower 2, the Environment Building, Fuji Xerox Towers and The Heeren.

According to the BCA, 11 per cent of the total gross floor area in Singapore buildings has been ‘green-ed’ so far. The aim is to have at least 80 per cent of all buildings in Singapore Green Mark certified by 2030.

Ms An says, “The local building sector is the third largest contributor of CO2 emissions. Beyond energy savings, making buildings greener will have a positive environmental impact and help reinforce Singapore’s continued efforts to position itself as an eco-hub in the region.”

LET’S GO GREEN
Learn more about Singapore’s efforts for the environment

BCA Green Mark Scheme www.greenmark.sg

Skyrise Greenery Incentive Scheme www.skyrisegreenery.com

Singapore Green Building Council www.sgbc.sg

Upon their arrival in Singapore, these expatriate women identified gaps in markets that they have expertise in— and decided to plug them. BY ANITA YEE

Many women who move to Singapore with their families usually do so on the backs of their spouses’ job requirements. And while many find their plates full with getting the hang of things in a new country, there are those who are driven to add on that little bit more.

Inspired by everything from a love for Chinese antiques and the need for sturdy children’s furniture to simply “I just couldn’t find what I wanted”, these women are among a number of expatriate wives who have started their own lifestyle businesses.

Having Fun
Helle Espersen is what you could call a niche operator—a Caucasian woman selling Chinese antiques and reproductions of such furniture in Singapore. She moved here with her family almost a decade ago, and set up Fair Price Antique with a partner from Shanghai who had contacts in China.

Her early days in the tourism industry in her native Denmark, and her family’s experience of living in the Netherlands and Australia have inculcated a sense of adventure in the 44-year-old, ideal for her unlikely undertaking. Helle acknowledges that she has been lucky with the business, despite having to run it on her own for the last five years since her business partner moved overseas.

Still, it hasn’t been an easy ride throughout. For one thing, her Western background isn’t always a bonus as some local customers blatantly question her knowledge of the goods. Her solution is to work with just one local supplier. This way, she says, she is assured of the authenticity of her pieces, has ‘insider’ access to information, and also gets to learn more about the industry.

Some may say it’s a challenge for an ‘ang moh’ (Caucasian) lady selling Chinese antiques, but I see it as an opportunity. Most of my customers are expats and they feel comfortable dealing with another expat,” she says.

And if there is one thing that Helle has learnt, it’s that having a fancy showroom matters less than catering to customers’ needs. After five years in a shop at Henderson Road, rising rents forced her to move to a flatted factory building along Outram Road, where she has been since 2009. Her customers have followed her, and Helle has a theory as to why.

“Some may say it’s a challenge for an ‘angmoh’ lady selling Chinese antiques but I see it as an opportunity.”

Helle Espersen, owner of Fair Price Antique

“Customers sense when your focus is to be of service and they reward you with their loyalty,” she explains. Since starting the business, she has also come to realise that you can’t do it alone, but that great things can be achieved with good staff and a strong support system. This is especially apt as her family will return to Denmark in a couple of years, and Helle is deciding between keeping the business, selling it or starting a similar one in Denmark.

Rising material costs and the increasing scarcity of quality antiques and reproductions are also major factors weighing on her mind.

However, the satisfaction derived from running your own business is unbelievable, she says, stressing that anyone who does so must advertise.

“You have to keep your business in people’s minds otherwise where will you get your customers?” But she adds, “Most importantly, you must have fun doing it!”

Fair Price Antique #01-10
Tan Boon Liat Building,
315 Outram Road

LOVING WHAT YOU DO

ni-night, a children’s furniture, clothing and accessories business, is the brainchild of Majella Skansebakken from Sydney,Australia. Her family home in the eastern part of Singapore doubles up as the showroom where Majella’s designs are translated into pieces of sturdy, kid-friendly furniture that “dress up” her three children’s bedrooms.

While the majority of her items are produced in Vietnam, some of them are made in Cambodia at an orphanage and vocational training company that she supports.

“My husband and I adopted our eldest son from the orphanage about seven years ago and we have been donating to it ever since,” says Majella, 37. The couple are also involved in an annual house-building project there.

The catalyst for her business? “After living and working in Singapore for seven years, I saw a market opportunity for good quality children’s furniture, says Majella. “A lot of businesses use medium-density fibreboard and soft woods that don’t last… so I designed a hardwood range to suit children of all ages.”

The rubberwood she uses can better withstand changes in temperature if the furniture is moved overseas. Her children’s furniture also adheres to the stringent standards set in Australia.

Running a business while juggling the needs of three young children, aged seven, five and almost two, does present challenges, but Majella admits she’s been fortunate. Her “great husband” translates her ideas into drawings and travels to the furniture factory in Vietnam to check on samples.

“There are so many opportunities in Singapore for expat women. I have met some who’ve had wonderful ideas that have worked out really well for them.”
Majella Skansebakken, owner of ni-night

For her, rising warehousing costs and rentals are the main challenges to any business in Singapore. But these should not be a deterrent to anyone thinking of setting up shop here, she says.

Her advice? “Get your branding right from the start. Also, you must love what you do!”

ni-night,
9 Margate Road

RAISING THE BAR

Australians Rebecca Forwood and Daniele Jarvis set up their two year-old firm Bambù Interiors because when it came to interior design, they couldn’t always find the materials they wanted in Singapore.

“We realised that there was a space in the Singapore market for a boutique interior consultancy. A place where you could find beautiful fabrics and objet d’art that are not available anywhere else,” explains Daniele. The idea of setting up the consultancy took root as people began asking them for ideas and contacts, and, Daniele adds, “we couldn’t just give it away for free!”

Their timing could not have been more apt. With the opening of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort came the opportunity to be part of the interior design team for Ku Dé Ta, the newly-opened restaurant, bar and lounge on its rooftop. It was the perfect commission for the duo. “We prefer one-of-a-kind projects,” says Rebecca.

Daniele, who moved to Singapore with her husband in 2002, says settling into life here has been relatively easy.The mother of a six-year-old has been a freelance interior stylist on and off for 15 years. Rebecca, a mother of two girls aged nine and six, and a boy aged four, is part Hong Kong Chinese. The 40-year-old took up interior design when she moved to Australia.

Through their consultancy, the women feel they have raised the bar on quality. In Singapore, they initially found low prices but also a need to improve workmanship. They have since remedied that by forming close relationships with manufacturers who know their standards. “If something comes back that isn’t to our expected standard, we won’t accept it and they’d need to do it again. Luckily this doesn’t happen very often!” says Daniele, 41.

Bambù Interiors
Phoenix Office Campus, #01-06,
314 Tanglin Road

The architects of Pinnacle@Duxton, a design feat for the Housing Development Board of Singapore, are exponents of Design Thinking

In his story about Design Thinking, Fast Company writer Mark Dziersk said that although design is “most often used to describe an object or end result, design in its most effective form is a process, an action, a verb not a noun.”

(more…)

Want to make it in the local music industry? Then perhaps you should get yourself a mentor. That could be the most useful advice to give any aspiring musician in Singapore.

The Oxford Dictionary defines the noun “mentor” as “an experienced person in a company or educational institution who trains and counsels new employees or students”.

In terms of the Singapore music scene, there is formal and informal mentoring. The formal comes in the form of a mentoring programme run by the National Arts Council under the banner of Noise Singapore, a youth arts festival. Called The Apprenticeship Programme, the annual initiative is for younger musicians – and other artistes such as illustrators and photographers — who want a helping hand in honing their craft.

(more…)

FEATS OF STRENGTH AND WILL

Singapore may not be a sporting giant, but these records of athleticism and will-power say otherwise.

CONQUERING GIBRALTA

In July 2005, Thum Ping Tjin broke the world record for the fastest swim around the Rock of Gibraltar, a limestone formation that borders Spain. He took only 2hrs and 52mins to complete the feat. Ping Tjin went on to swim the English Channel the following month, completing the feat in 12hrs and 24mins, becoming the first Singaporean to swim solo across the Channel.

RECORD JUNKIE

Singapore adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow (below) became the first Southeast Asian and the 4th person in the world to complete the Explorers Grand Slam – conquering both the North and South Poles and ascending the seven highest summits across the seven continents – Mount Everest (8,848m) in Nepal, Mount Aconcagua (6,962m) in Argentina, Mount Denali (6,195m) in Alaska, Mount Kilimanjaro (5,963m) in Tanzania, Mount Elbrus (5,633m) in Russia, the Vinson Massif (4,897m) in Antarctica, the Carstenz Pyramid (4,884m) in Indonesia and Mount Kosciuszko (2,228m) in Australia. Khoo has also climbed Shishapangma in Tibet without supplemental oxygen, cycled from Singapore to Beijing, swam the Straits of Malacca and completed a 220 hour-long scuba dive.

Most recently, in January 2008, Khoo completed the World’s Longest Journey on Inline Skates, skating a total of 6,088 km from Hanoi, Vietnam to Singapore in 94 days – probably making him Singapore’s most prolific adrenalin junkie.

HOT WHEELING AROUND THE WORLD

Disabled wheelchair marathoner, neurosurgeon and medical scientist Dr William Tan (above) is Singapore’s most accomplished extreme athlete on wheels – in December 2007, he became the fastest person in the world to complete seven marathons across seven continents. His 26 days and 17 hour feat took him across Antarctica, Chile, Egypt, Thailand, Japan, Kenya, Italy, England, New Zealand, and the United States.

DEXTEROUS DIGITS

FASTEST FINGERS FIRST

Singaporeans may have the habit of speaking quickly – but texting too? Teenager Jeramy Sng (right) set a new record in February 2008 when he clocked just 41.40secs typing the 25-word phrase: ‘The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human’. It beat the previous 43.20secs world record set in 2005 also by a Singaporean, Kimberly Yeo.

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COLOURBLOCK KID

Confounded by that addictive 70s puzzle, the Rubik’s Cube? Darrel Lim (left), at just 5yrs 11mths became the youngest Singaporean to solve the brain-twister, completing the 3x3x3 Rubik’s cube in just 53.67 secs!

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ORANGE YOU STRANGE

There isn’t even a real category for this feat because it probably isn’t the kind of thing you read about everyday. Rizila Mohd Ayob (right) became the fastest person to push an orange with his nose during a race held by the Double A Paper Record Breakers Ultimate Challenge in October 2004, clocking a distance of 690m in 30 mins. A record-holding nose? Perhaps this is what some people mean when they say ‘my nose was running like crazy’.

FOOD CRAZY

Singaporeans love their food – and what better way to show this than chalk up a bunch of food-related records? Why, you may ask? Well, because they could!

GIANT EDIBLE PYRAMID

The quintessential breakfast of kaya toast (a coconut custard spread on toast) took on gargantuan proportions in August 2007 when the Tampines North CC’s Youth Executive Committee slathered 300 loaves of bread with kaya and stacked the sandwiches into a 53cm high pyramid with a base of 218cm by 218cm. We suppose this is one way of saying breakfast nutrition is a building block in a healthy lifestyle!

WATERMELON RECORD

There’s nothing more refreshing than juicy watermelon to quell the thirst on a hot Singapore afternoon. Perhaps it was a particularly hot day during the GE Aviation Service Convention in 2006 when Yeong Chee Hoi (first from left) ate half a watermelon in under 10 minutes to become the fastest man to do so.

LONGEST HELMET CHAIN

Over 16,600 helmets were chained up into a continuous line measuring 5.664km for Keppel Marine and Offshore’s Family Day at Sentosa in 2007.

FASTEST SQUEEZING OF ORANGE JUICE

1,447 students from Compassvale Secondary School manually squeezed 150 litres of orange juice into a 150-litre cup in less than 12 minutes in 2004.

MOST COUNTRIES TRAVELLED BY A SINGLE PERSON

Singaporean Tan Wee Cheng was ranked 110th worldwide and first from Singapore on mosttraveledpeople.com. He has been to more than 230 countries, territories and autonomous regions in the last 19 years.

WORLD’S BIGGEST STIR-FRY

Former TV chef Nancy Lam stir-fried a 700-kg dish of cabbage, carrots, baby corn, pak choi and bean sprouts in a giant wok at Leicester Square in London in 2004.

SMALLEST MOSQUE IN SINGAPORE

Tasek Utara Mosque, located at 46 Bristol Road can accommodate no more than 120 people in a congregation prayer.

MOST BANKRUPTS IN A YEAR

The number of people made bankrupt in Singapore reached a local record of 2,904 in 2001 during the economy’s worst recession since independence.

Find out about more wacky feats at www.singaporebookofrecords.com