Here my last post (for the moment) from Asia as we have changed location recently. We are now in the USA (East Coast).
As already mentioned in my last post it is really important to have a good agent in Hong Kong as space in marinas is very tight. Especially with the size of the yacht is increasing, the number of available marina berths is decreasing.
I am not a specialist on Hong Kong so I can only talk about the short-term berthing facilities for a visiting yacht that we have used in the past but still want to share our experience with anyone planning a trip to Hong Kong. You might be lucky and find a berth easily somewhere else.
In contrast to the marinas that we have seen in Xiamen, the marinas is Hong Kong are full, finished and have good service.
Sai Kung: we only stayed there a couple of nights on a mooring ball as the docks were full. I really like the area of Sai Kung but it’s a bit away from the city – it all depends what you are looking for. The water was clean and calm – when staying in the area, it seams like unreal that it’s part of the mega city of Hong Kong with 10 million inhabitants. There are quiet a lot of boats moored and most of the buoys belong to the different yacht clubs. To get a berth it is might be of advantage being a Yacht Club member or at least knowing one. But also for the Yacht Clubs there is a long waiting time. The advantage of the clubs are also the social activities, organized regattas and the other facilities. Some of them offer temporary membership for visiting yachts.
Gold coast Marina: the marina is big, quiet and can also welcome big SuperYachts. The area is more residential with nice restaurants and a good Supermarket just attached to the Gold Coast Club House. In the marina there are a couple of odd Houseboats. They look like boats but not sure if they are built to ever move. In general Gold Coast is also outside of the city center and easy accessible by bus. The marina had great service and was very safe.
Royal Yacht Club – Causeway Bay: We never stayed there with the boat as there is limited space but the when staying in Sai Kung we stayed at one of their buoys. The area in Causeway Bay is just in town center but due to big constructions around not as accessible with public transportation as you would expect. They have a yard area for their members. The marina chandlery is small but very well stocked and the team is very friendly. The Yacht Club and it’s facilities are very prestigious but as it is a private Club, it’s reserved to their members only. The Yacht Club also organizes lots of regattas and social events.
Aberdeen: we never stayed there as it’s very busy. Lots of fishing boats and smaller yachts. It’s in the south of Hong Kong Island and the ship chandlers are close by – please see my last post about purchasing in Hong Kong.
Tsing Yi: As mentioned the marina spaces in Hong Kong are limited for visiting yachts and so our agent found us a space in the water at the little yard of Tsing Yi North coast Yacht Services. The yard is also the base for the commissioning of some luxury Motor Yachts. We really like it there as the boat was safe and the service was great. Nice to see that a boat yard can be as clean as this one in Asia. We also like the fact that the marina/yard is in walking distance of the MTR and the village of Tsing Yi North which makes it also a very convenient starting point to explore the city. It was also funny to watch the local people swimming with their buoys not far from the boat.
Hong Kong United Dockyards (HUD): When we needed a cradle made to ship Moonwave to the US , we went to see the team at HUD. The yard just started taking care of yachts as their primary business is ship repair. The first impression was that everything is “huge” at their premisses but even bigger than the big size cranes, dry dock and equipment was their service attitude. We really appreciated the dedication and professionalism as well as the “proactive” planning and actions. We would definitively recommend them to anyone looking for a good haul out. The only down side is that it’s a bit less accessible compared to other spots and there is limited in the water mooring. They are used to handle big boats but are very delicate with smaller ones and took really good care of Moonwave.
As mentioned at the beginning I can only talk about the facilities in Hong Kong that I have actually tested myself but please don’t hesitate to contact me if any further questions and I can check with friends in the area.
Here just a few pictures from Tsing Yi & HUD.
