Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Chek Jawa has two beacons!

Three NAKED facts

naked fact #1:
Did you know that Chek Jawa has TWO beacons?!

Everyone is familiar with the Chek Jawa Front Beacon which sits in the middle of the water next to the boardwalk and has become an icon of the place.
But opposite the Front Beacon, up on the hill among the coastal forest, is the Chek Jawa Rear Beacon.

What is the point of this arrangement? Ships on the sea visually line up the Front and Rear Beacons to help them navigate the Straits of Johor. See the big red dotted line in the navigation map below.

naked fact #2: The channel that runs south of Chek Jawa towards Loyang is a major shipping lane. (Point out to a big ship if you see one as you say this).

Some of the kinds of big ships seen include
Container ships
Large navy ships (they are stealthy and a gun-metal grey)
Barges carrying sand

Where are they going? Possibly Loyang shipping area or Sembawang Shipyard; or Pasir Gudang in Johor.

naked fact #3: Other stories you can tell about the Front Beacon.

It is also placed there to warn ships that that part is shallow.

Thoughtful question at high tide: Can you tell which part is shallow? Yes, it's the part that brown or lighter in colour. The blue or darker coloured water is deeper.

Thoughtful question at not so high tide: Can you tell by looking at the beacon how high does the tide get?

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