Neeves
Well-known member
Keeping a yacht in HK is not expensive. Joining and being a member of a yacht club is expensive, commonly paid by an expatriate's (international) employer. Outside the budget of a small privately owned business. Being an overseas, or country, member of RORC cheaper than chips - which included very attractively priced accomodation in St James (special useful as though being a surveyor/geologist I was taking an external degree in law at the Royal College).
We had the problem. I applied to the Marine Department to lay my own buoy, small bay in SE Lantau. Concrete block, bit of chain, a bit of rope and a buoy. Cheap as chips. J24. Had her anti fouled by a yard treating local fishing boats. Helps if you think 'outside the box' - though a swing mooring is hardly 'outside the box'. Negotiating in Cantonese an essential.
Its not as elitist as implied. But there was a degree of ostracism, thick skin helps.
We raced and cruised the J24 and later the X-99. You had to realise it was quite possible to 'sail', without THE CLUB.
One of our crew members was 'Chinese', Frank Pong, who sailed Jelik for decades and Karl Kwok underline there were and are active Chinese and successful yachtsmen.
Later a marina was built alongside our mooring and we had a new X-99. We negotiated a deal to dry sail - cheaper than a slip.
Jonathan
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