Blown away
Seasonal strong winds blasting across the island have been refreshing for some, a nuisance for others
John Lui, Straits Times 25 Jan 09;
Windsurfers are weary of wipe-outs. City slickers are having a hair-raising time. Women are flipping out over flipped skirts. And it is not a blast for outdoor eateries either.
That is the gusty weather whipping across the island as a result of the north-east monsoon, which breezes in between December and early March.
Wind-battered Singaporeans may not believe it but weather experts say the gusts - of up to 55kmh - have not been unusually strong.
But they are proving a blow for some businesses. The winds have created havoc at alfresco restaurants, such as causing $10,000 worth of damage to the awnings of two anchored boats that form part of The Lotus Grill restaurant at Clarke Quay.
Two weeks ago, restaurant supervisor Kwan Chai Ting, 58, was greeted by the sight of the awnings lying in a crumpled heap on the decks of the two traditional tongkang river boats when she turned up for work ahead of the eatery's 6pm opening.
The awnings of the ships, which are permanently moored on the Singapore River and seat about 50 diners each, are 14m long and 4m wide.
Yet the winds must have been strong enough to rip both sheets off their secured points, Madam Kwan says. Total repairs cost around $10,000.
The winds have also been a blasted nuisance in other ways at the restaurant. Madam Kwan adds that it has been blowing away 'the menus, menu stands, table stands, whole table settings even'.
'A customer was halfway through his drink when strong winds blew and the glass tipped over and broke. We had to refund him for the drink and sweep up the broken glass,' she adds.
Nearby Coffee Club Clarke Quay, which has about half of its nearly 50 seats outdoors, is another eatery reeling from the effects of the winds.
Its assistant manager Sumathi Munusamy, 32, says: 'It's a very big problem. Our promotion cards on the tables keep flying off.'
It has also been more difficult to keep the cafe spick and span. It is beside a busy road and the problem of dust from the street is now worse.
Ms Munusamy says: 'We have to keep wiping the place every two hours. We really need to do our housekeeping more regularly to keep the place clean.'
In the east of the island, diners at La Cantina Restaurant at Changi Village are so fed up with the air turbulence that only about half as many guests now want to sit outside, says owner Seno Yuko, who declined to give her age.
They prefer the calm of indoor dining, although it can get a little crowded inside, she adds.
In the central district, Ms Aryn Sorensen, 34, a banker who works in Raffles Place, found more than her decorum ruffled recently.
'It is not very safe for those in big or short skirts. I did a Marilyn Monroe last week,' she says, referring to the iconic picture of the star with her dress blowing up.
She adds with a laugh: 'I was by the river when a gust of wind blew my skirt up. Everybody near me saw everything.'
You would think that sea-sports enthusiasts would be lapping up the flying spray, but not so, according to Mr Fajar Mustaqeem, 20, a part-time wakeboard instructor at Ski 360 cable ski park at East Coast Parkway, where waterskiers and wakeboarders are towed by an overhead cable instead of a boat.
He says: 'If it's windy, the wind pushes you back, and with choppy waters, it's hard to wakeboard.
'The wind distracts you. It's in your face and this is not good for wakeboarding.'
Wakeskating, a variation of board-riding similar to wakeboarding, also needs calmer waters.
Professional wakeskater Nick Taylor, 28, says the weather has put a dampener on some of his flashier moves.
'When it's windy I just go around in circles. The wind throws me off my board and makes the water so choppy. I usually wait till the wind stops before I train,' he says.
Further down the beach at the Mana Mana East Coast sea-sports centre, windsurfing and sailing coach Daniel Place, 22, says the gusts make things difficult for novices.
He says: 'We check the background knowledge of those who come here to rent and sail - there should be no lying about their sailing abilities.
'The wind conditions are of a more advanced level, so on days with really strong wind, we stop beginners from going out.'
Still, the windy conditions will eventually blow over.
In any case, 'there has been no unusual pattern in wind speeds over the last few days or weeks that is higher than normal patterns over the years', says the meteorological services division of the National Environment Agency in a statement.
For the week ahead, 'occasionally windy conditions can be expected', it adds.
On windy days, the average wind speed is likely to be between 10 and 15 knots with gusts of between 20 and 30 knots. One knot is 1.85kmh.
Some welcome the seasonal winds. Mr K.F. Seetoh, 46, chief executive of the Makansutra Gluttons Bay open-air food centre at the Esplanade, calls the breezes 'fantastic'.
'People love the cool breeze while they're dining,' he says.
Diners need not worry about winds wrecking their eating pleasure either. The umbrellas at the centre's tables are fastened securely, says Mr Seetoh.
And because the dining spot does not use cheap disposable styrofoam plates and bowls, guests are spared from seeing their food take flight.
'All our plates are made of melamine so they're heavy and won't get blown away,' he assures.
