Singapore Sling Shot - Andrew Grant [33]
Ten minutes later we were approaching the narrow neck between Sentosa and the mainland. It was a few minutes to midnight.
“Labrador Park.” Sami pointed to the mainland spur that was running into the sea opposite Fort Siloso. “There are the remains of another fort there.” Sami leaned into the cockpit and said something to the man at the wheel. “Fort Pasir Panjang,” he added when he turned back to me.
“Thanks for the history lesson,” I muttered. My gut was still churning although there was now nothing in it. I was tense and Sami knew it.
“Just trying to distract you.”
“I know. I just want to get moving.”
“Any minute now.” Sami ducked back into the cabin for more words with the skipper while I sucked in big gulps of air and settled the hood of my skin suit in place. I pulled on a pair of swim goggles and I was as ready as I was ever going to be. Let’s get the game under way, I thought.
Apart from the reflected light of the city and ships on the water, Sentosa, from the angle we were approaching, gave nothing back. I could see a few dim lights down towards the neck and the construction lights where the new casino and other parts of the new complex were being built beside the bridge. From this angle, the island was just a dark mass.
The boat slowed. Sami came back out on deck.
“He’ll nose us in a bit further. The tide is running out, so we’ll go past the target and you can let it carry you back.” As he spoke, he put on a pair of night-vision glasses. Sami hunched behind the cabin bulkhead to cut out as much light as he could from the cabin and the city behind us. I stood waiting as he scanned the island shoreline for a few seconds. Then he pointed.
“There!”
I squatted beside my friend and followed the line of his arm. I couldn’t see anything but for the black silhouette of Sentosa framed against the glow of the hundreds of ships anchored beyond it. The boat was creeping closer to the island and finally I could see a faint line of phosphorescence where the water foamed on the rocks of the shore, but that was it.
“We’re forty metres off the rocks,” Sami said. He was still pointing, but now the direction he was indicating was several degrees back towards the boat’s stern. I momentarily glimpsed a structure against the rocks and jungle. That was it. I had my point to aim for.
“Okay. I’m away.”
“Good luck, Daniel. Watch your neck!”
“Always.”
I took four big paces and levered myself off the low railing, throwing myself as far from the boat as possible to get clear of the propellers. I held my swim goggles in place with both hands as I landed feet first and sank.
The water was surprisingly cool. My momentum carried me under a metre or two and then I was drifting back towards the surface. I could feel the pull of the outgoing tide grabbing at me. It wasn’t fierce, but things can be deceiving. When my head broke the surface of the water, I managed to quickly orientate myself and started swimming for the island, keeping the city lights behind me.
I began swimming breaststroke, but when I realised that I was drifting relentlessly towards the harbour entrance, I switched to the basic Australian crawl. I’m a strong swimmer, but because I’m out of condition I made hard work of what was a very short swim. I was still crabbing across the current when eventually my hands touched rock. I dropped my goggles, leaving them hanging around my neck as I started picking my way through the slick rocks and tangles of weed towards the shore.
My night vision was growing better. The lights from the oil refinery in the distance showed me a hard edge in silhouette away to my right. I made my way towards it and the darkness slowly gave up one secret at least. There was a ramp and landing stage with a small pillbox behind it. Beyond that again was a concrete pathway that pushed back into the dark under the cliff face.
I climbed up onto the landing. The concrete was covered with weed and the outgoing tide had left it as slick as ice, so I stayed