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Bumboats
These boats are made from chengai wood and some locals
believe that they are so named because the boat operators consentually
'bump' into each other when berthing alongside. Fenders made from
used rubber tyres are installed around the wooden hull to buffer against
potential damages from the impacts. Judging by the fine condition
of these bumboats, the operators are expert 'bumpers', and their boats
are rock-solid |
 |
| in
construction. However, a check with
my trusty Chambers's Dictionary (1961), the word 'bum-boat' refers
a scavenger's boat in Thames, and finds another usage (of doubtful
origin) in describing boats which carry vegetables, etc, for sale
to ships presumably at anchor. |
These pictures were
taken from the landmark footbridge in Dec 2004, looking across to Changi
Jetty (sporting a reddish-brown corrugated roof) which is located in Changi
Village. The huge willowy Angsana tree adds a touch of grace and romance
to the place that is steep in the conciousness of locals as the gateway
of old to the island-paradise of Ubin. |
