20060602 32nd Annual Kayaking Expedition

Day 1 - 20060602 (Friday) - Preparations
There was a sense of excitement and anticipation on Friday - June 2nd - as cadets, CLTs, and HQ staff descended upon SSTC to get the final details of the AKE expedition ready.
Canoes and other equipment were transported from KSTC with the help of the 5-tonners.
Towards the evening, cadets moved the newly repaired canoes from their racks to the waterfront, inspecting them to ensure that there are no major visible damage.
All the while the students are in high spirits in anticipation and worked quickly to get the preparation work done.
Due to academic reasons, many of the CLTs were unable to come in early on the first day but this did not hinder the preparations managed by the ones that were on hand.
As the evening progressed, checks were being done to ensure that the cadets were properly kitted for the expedition.

"CADETS!!! Do you have your water bottle??? Not the puny 500ml ones but at least 1 litre???"
"Do you have your bailer???"
"Do you have your whistle???"
"Are your water bottles and bailers secured?"
And so on ...

Cadets were kept busy by the CLTs through rounds of things to do ...
"CADETS!!! Fall-in in school level!!!"
"CADETS!!! You are to divide your belongings into 3 parts. Your wet attire and equipment, your overnight stuff and your dry stuff!!! Place them correctly in bags by school level and label them."
And so on ...

As the CLTs were busy trying to get things straightened out, the organizing committee was informed by HQ that there was a change in plan due to security reasons ...

The cadets moved through dinner and the final organization stages quickly and looked forward to a restful evening at Sembawang Camp. The Expedition OIC (Cpt Steve Ow) and other officers gave a short briefing before supper to remind the cadets of safety and other aspects.

"Cadets, if you see dark clouds on the horizon ... what do you do?"
"Paddle faster!" came the reply.
"If it starts to drizzle ... what do you do?"
"Paddle even faster!!" in unison from the cadets.
"If you fee the hair on your neck and arms stand ... what do you do?"
And so on ...

Once packed and fed, the cadets, CLTs and teacher officers were moved to Sembawang Camp for the evening - with instructions to maintain discipline and a low noise level so as not to disturb the regular camp residents.

With the cadets sent on their way, the nitty-gritty details for safety and expedition logistics were being finalized by the CLTs, Specialists, officers and supporting elements from 35SCE and 1st Transport.

It was a long day and night!


Day 2 - 20060603 (Saturday) - Off we go!!!
The cadets were roused from their sleep early at 0430hrs to make ready for the long day ahead.

Back at SSTC, they gathered their wet stuff and secured their overnight equipment before wolfing down breakfast.

The schedule was to launch by 0700hrs and get to Changi Point by 1130hrs. With this in mind the cadets made haste with getting the canoes, paddles and life vests onto the beach. On the other end, the CLTs, officers and supporting elements got the safety boats ready.

As the sun slowly peeked out from the clouds, a subdued golden hue was cast on the cadets as they performed their floatation test. Launching in platoon level, they formed rafts against the designated safety boat before the appointed 0700hrs deadline.

At 0700hrs - the ensign (lead) boat - blared the fog horn and off they went, all 116 cadets towards Changi!!! The 3 month wait is finally over, the cadets were on their way to earning the prestigious AKE badge.

Taking up the pre-appointed positions, the safety boats gave way to the stars of the day by being in the fringes making sure that the participants were safe.

As the sun started to dissipate the clouds, the weather started turning quite hot. The cadets were constantly reminded to rehydrate themselves and some safety boats were called upon to refill their water bottles.

Though not conscious of the fact, the canoeists passed one landmark after another towards their lunch point - Sembawang Shipyard, Sembawang Park, Lower Seletar Reservoir, Seletar Airbase.

Coming towards Pulau Ubin, it was decided that they would perform 2 channel crossings to avoid the heavy traffic on the mainland coastline. Forming batches of about 15 canoes, the safety boats escorted the canoeists towards Outward Bound School on the western edge of Pulau Ubin. On the eastern edge, the second channel crossing was to bring the cadets towards Changi Point/Beach. However, due to heavy merchant vessel traffic, the last group of canoeists were given a short tow to the lunch point.

Lunch was a simple affair but the launch was slightly delayed as the safety boats had to be "rescued". With the rising tide, some safety boats were flooded by incoming waves when they were beached along Changi.

Having met the deadline for the lunch point, the cadets were now challenged to arrive at CSTC (Changi Sea Training Centre) before nightfall. With clear skies and friendly currents, the cadets headed off towards CSTC. It was, for many, the first time their canoeing skills were pitted against the elements of the open seas. This afternoon stretch saw the cadets in an area that is not sheltered, thus it was possible to see 3 to 6 feet waves, strong currents and winds.
It was, however, the cadets lucky day as the weather was great and they were with current. Though there was some early misdirection, the cadets managed to overcome the challenge of the area and everyone managed to arrived at CSTC before nightfall.

Once at CSTC, the cadets were organized to get their stuff and prepare for dinner and a restful evening.
Even before dinner, after collecting their personal belonging, the cadets showed that they were indeed challenged physically and mentally when many of them zonked out in the sleeping area before dinner. Of course, there were some really active ones who still had enough energy to help massage their friends' sore muscles.

At the end of day briefing, the cadets were informed that due to security considerations, the overall expedition had to be cut short. Due to the Shangri-La Forum, with Defence Secretaries/Ministers in Singapore, the Changi Naval Base vicinity would be off-limits. Thus, it was decided that to prevent any inconvenience, NCC (Sea) would forgo the 2nd night at CSTC. Thus, the cadets will canoe towards Amber Beacon the next day and head to KSTC for the night.

After nightfall and supper, it was very very quiet in the rest area.

Day 3 - 20060604 (Sunday) - Another day of paddling!
The level of activity started again early in the morning with cadets being roused from sleep for another day of paddling.
After freshening up and breakfast, the cadets were organized for warming up. With the knots from the previous day, the cadets worked hard to loosen up to challenge the day.
Once all was readied, and overnight bags repacked for the next overnight location, the canoes were launched.

Exiting from CSTC, the cadets canoed west towards Amber Beacon along East Coast Park. With the sun rising for another hot day, the cadets made good time and arrived at the lunch point with time to spare. Again, wind and tide were in the canoeists favour.
However, due to the presence of swimmers on the beach, canoes had to take a specific path towards the beach.
Clearing the canoes off the beach, the cadets had lunch at East Coast and were then transported to Kallang Sea Training Centre (KSTC) for their second night.

Day 4 - 20060605 (Monday) - Badged ... what a great feeling!
With the expedition over and stores properly taken care of, the cadets waited in anticipation of the badge presentation ceremony at SSTC.
The cadets were transported from KSTC to SSTC in the morning, waiting for the 1130hrs ceremony to start.

With Commandant as the Guest-of-honour, each cadet who completed the expedition was issued the coveted AKE badge.

With all 116 cadets 'Badged', the organizers also took the time to thank the supporting elements. T-shirts of the expedition was presented to CO of 35SCE for their support. Commandant was also invited to participate in next years AKE.

After the presentation, cadets and guests were invited to partake in the buffet lunch. With all administrative necessities done, cadets were dismissed and the AKE officially came to a close.


Link to photo set:
2006 32nd NCC (Sea) Annual Kayaking Expedition

32nd NCC (Sea) AKE Badge Presentation

32nd AKE Group Photos taken at Changi Sea Training Centre on 20060603