TAKING THE WATERS

Moving from city to city every few years is exciting but it can get daunting at times. As Dauphine Anaïs finds out, taking a day at sea makes it a whole lot easier.

Last July, armed with my kittens Titus and D., I stepped into Singapore ready to take it by the reigns. Ever since, I’ve been exploring the streets and alleys of the quaint neighbourhoods, taking in what the Lion City has to offer. Making much headway in the fields of design, art, media and lifestyle, this tiny island has come a long way since its days of roadside chicken rice stalls and durian stands. New sprouts include the Marina Bay Sands, beaming with its host of Michelin Star restaurants which, until their arrival, numbered close to zero, a burgeoning art scene with a biennale worth catching a flight for and an art fair that’s paving the way for others around the region. Throw in the world’s only Formula 1 night race as well as a number of super brands ranging from high-street to high-end and a nightlife that’s about to make Vegas and London blush, this little dot on the world map is turning out to be a fabulous playground for the hard-working, the spoilt and the beautiful.

Over the weekend, I was itching to get on the waters and Singapore showed me once again how diverse she really is. Why live on an island if you don’t take full advantage of the seas around you? Luckily, Aqua Voyage and I found each other through a friend and the rest, as they say, is history. I gathered three friends and ventured out to nearby waters with the Aqua Voyage team. After a discussion with Eric, the charter representative, we decided on the Princess V62 from amongst the fleet and made sure it was equipped with a sizeable sound system, plenty of sunscreen, copious amounts of flrffy white... towels and even more champagne.

You may ask, who are the alleged BFFs? Meet Andrea (not Andr-ee-a, but André-a - she’s very particular about it) newly single and always stunning, Jane, Pangea, Marquis and Pacha nightclubs personified and Chantal, glamazoid art fiend who is coming up for some air from her summer gallery circuit. We hadn’t seen each other in months and what can be more perfect than sailing out to sea for the day together? We packed our bikinis, spray mists and espadrilles and off we went. The sun was warm but not too hot, the wind was salty enough to give our hair the tousled look only French girls are naturally blessed with and our spirits were loving the champagne.

A quick 20 minutes later, Sergio the Captain called his team to anchor. Another yacht was parked further away, separating us comfortably from Lazarus Island. The neighbouring party waved and we nodded back, sending one of our boys over in a kayak with a chilled bottle of bubbles.

We took a few minutes to take in the air, the horizon and the calmness. The trees swayed in the distance and we could see birds circling around protectively over what could only be a new family. Music on (house, obviously), towels meticulously laid out and sunscreen lathered, we were off to a good start. It was almost noon and we were getting the best of the day. We’d had our morning lattes and were determined to catch some colour before day’s end. The sun was getting stronger and after a while, we took a break and dipped into the temperature-perfect water.

Towelling off, we looked around the rest of the yacht, appreciating the creamy interiors, the large airy bedrooms and wood floors. We loved that the kitchenette was fully equipped and I asked the staff if we could bring a chef on board next time. An enthusiastic yes was followed by a recount of all the past guest chefs who had entertained from this kitchen. Sergio, eternally cheerful and chatty, was great company and the rest of the team looked happy to be on board with us – we were loving it.

A platter of cheese with an array of accompaniments magically made their way to the table and we were surprised that the staff remembered we were hungry while our stomachs didn’t. Good service? Yup. Really fantastic service? You bet. The spread of hams, breads, olives (lots of olives!) and salads did not disappoint and we dined as though Bourdain himself were at the table.

The afternoon spanned out peacefully with alternate trips between our sunbed on the bow and the shaded sofas to recover from our interludes in the sun, then back into the water. This outing quickly climbed to the top of my favourite Singapore weekends.

As the sun started making its gradual exit, so did we. The four of us sat silently all the way back to the marina and the warm orange-pink streaked skies zipped past us as we mentally scheduled our next excursion.