The 2013 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Myanmar will be particularly special for Singapore sailors Bertha Han and Anthony Kiong.
One makes her debut at 15; the other, aged 38, marks his return to action since last competing for the nation 15 years ago.
Together, Han and Kiong are testament to the diversity and spread of sailing in Singapore, according to Singapore Sailing Federation (SSF) president Dr Benedict Tan.
'We expect it to be a mainstream sport one day,' the national sailing icon told Yahoo Singapore at a November event announcing the SSF's SEA Games squad.
Kiong, who started sailing at seven and is headed to his fifth SEA Games campaign, agreed that it was only a matter of time. 'Interest has been growing over the years, especially since we've won the Optimist World Championship for three years in a row now.'
This year's Optimist female world champion is none other than Han, and the diminutive, 1.5m-tall girl is just one of a supremely 'talented' bunch of young sailors, said both Kiong and Tan.
No ageism
Han, who expects to strike gold at the SEA Games, is already looking as far ahead as the 2020 Olympics.
Her daily motivation, said the Raffles Girls School student, is the sheer passion for the sport displayed by her teammates cum role models.
She was yet to be born when Kiong struck SEA Games gold in 1993 and 1997, but just hearing the story of his comeback is undoubtedly a lesson on keeping the fire burning in one's belly.
'I grew up sailing and it's what I'm really passionate about,' said Kiong, who will compete in the half-rater category with his partner, 36-year-old pilot Stanley Chan.
'After the Asian Games in 1998, I stopped for 15 years,' he recalled. 'When I stopped, I felt like there was something missing.'
At Chan's persuasion, Kiong signed up for - and won - a race in October last year. 'I felt very happy when I was sailing again,' said the marketing manager, and promptly decided to take a crack at making the 2013 SEA Games squad.
'Anthony is an inspiration,' said Tan, himself a four-time SEA Games gold-medallist who sailed alongside Kiong in the 1990s. 'We didn't make it easy for him and he qualified on his own merit.'
Sport of the future
Tan, 46, is hoping for more Singaporeans to develop a passion for sailing that runs as deep as Kiong's.
The 1994 Asian Games champion reminded Yahoo of SSF patron, ex-national sailor and International Olympic Committee vice-president Ng Ser Miang's long-expressed desire for sailing to become a national sport.
He then said the federation has 'been systematically working towards' a target of '80% of Singaporeans sailing'.
Either way, Tan is convinced that sailing is the sport of the future for the land-scarce country.
'People need an outlet. People need recreational space. Look at MacRitchie (Reservoir Park) and how crowded it is. You can't even find parking!' laughed the three-time Sportsman of the Year.
'The sea has so much space, why don't we just go and sail? We even have a presence at Marina Bay, so at lunchtime you can go and sail too (sic).'
But first, there are barriers that must be removed, said Tan, pointing to Singapore's restrictions on activities such as towing boats on the roads and launching boats from any location on the beach.
Rich man's game?
The biggest hurdle to the public's acceptance of sailing may yet be its image as an exclusive, luxurious habit for the more financially capable.
'This is a misconception we want to correct,' said Tan. 'Nobody says you must own a big boat with huge sails and air-conditioning, with one hand holding the steering wheel and the other a beer.'
'Don't think that is sailing. It's part of it but we also cater to a whole spectrum.'
The Singapore sporting great admitted that club membership is necessary for one to start sailing, but noted that the SSF provides 'alternative avenues'.
'If you love to sail and want to race, but have no money to join a club, we have a virtual, non-brick-and-mortar club that's free-of-charge and just for the formality,' said Tan.
Still another expensive aspect of sailing, as earlier called out by Han, is the cost of equipment, but Kiong disagrees.
'A lot of schools have sailing as a co-curricular activity. You can sail without owning a boat and the Federation provides boats too anyway,' he argued.
Tan also chimed in with a nugget of his own storied experiences in the local sailing scene. 'When I started, I never owned a boat. I used the club's,' said the 1993 Public Service Medal and 1995 Public Service Star receiver.
'My first boat ever was second-hand, 13 years old, and cost me about S$3,000,' he reflected. 'Piano, violin, dance and even gym lessons cost more than that.'
Singapore's sailors launch their SEA Games campaign on 13 December. Catch all the action at the 2013 SEA Games from 5 - 22 December in Myanmar, here on Yahoo Singapore. Related stories Fast-improving kayakers chase SEA Games glory with eye on OlympicsSingapore's only female rower fights for the fate of her sport
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