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ASA Sailing Schools in Hong Kong

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Directory of American Sailing Association sailing schools located in Hong Kong where you can take beginning to advanced sailing lessons.

DEA Sailing Association Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

+85 92772381.

More Information

Hong Kong Catamaran Club Ltd. Wanchai, Hong Kong

(+852) 2511-9398, (+852) 2511-7427 www.cata.hk.

Established in 2008, the Hong Kong Catamaran Club (CATA) was the first ASA affiliate sailing school in Hong Kong.  Sea sports are possible in Hong Kong year-round, as the wind and weather are mild, and we have clear sandy beaches for swimming and deep water sailing. CATA has trained 20+ sailing instructors and almost 800 students from local, Mainland China, Asia, Europe and USA, aged 13 to 75 from the basic course through to the advanced.

The Hebe Haven Yacht Club Hong Kong, Hong Kong

(+852) 27199682 www.hhyc.org.hk.

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A guide to sailing in Hong Kong

This is a work in progress that I'm sharing in the hope that in its unfinished state it's still useful to some.

At first glance Hong Kong seems like a giant mall stuck in a geopolitical tug of war. But you’ve discovered its natural beauties: mountains rising out of the South China Sea with dotted with dozens of bays inlets and channels. The sea calls you to take to the water and explore.

You take the public ferries to islands and hike around. You join junk boat parties and spend your weekends drinking anchored off of otherwise secluded beaches with a dozen other loud and obnoxious parties. But something’s missing. If you haven’t experienced Hong Kong through sailing, you’re missing something that makes this city a unique place to call home.

I grew up sailing on the Great Lakes with family in the 80s and 90s. I came to Hong Kong over a decade ago and recently re-discovered my love of sailing. This guide is my attempt to share with you the information I’ve uncovered and the lessons I’ve learned (and am learning!) joining the sailing community in Hong Kong.

If you have any questions, comments or feedback on this guide, please email me at [email protected] or tweet at me on Twitter !

Learning to sail in Hong Kong

The path you take to learn sailing in Hong Kong will depend on the type of boat you start learning on. You can start on any boat you want. In this section, I’ll tell you about the options you have and share my advice on how to proceed. The principles of sailing are the same no matter the type of boat, so don’t worry if you start with one type of boat and want to sail on another - the skills you learn will transfer over.

In this section, I’ll be talking about taking courses to learn sail. A large part of your learning will actually come from experience sailing with more advanced sailors. You should feel free at any point to join a friend their boat for racing or cruising. This will be a great supplement to structured courses and will help to round out your experience.

In Hong Kong, there are three types of boats you can learn sailing on dinghies, keelboats and sailing yachts (aka “Big boats”).

Dinghies are small sailboats that have no keel and no cabin. They generally only fit 1 to 3 people. Without a heavy keel to counterbalance the force of the wind, they rely on bodyweight of the crew to prevent to the boat from capsizing. In Hong Kong, sailing dinghies typically do not have motors.

Since dinghies are small and light, the forces on the sails and rigging are relatively small. They also respond very quickly to changes in sail trim, sea and wind conditions.

Keelboats (of which sports boats are one type) are larger than dinghies and have a weighted keel that helps to keep the boat upright. Some keelboats in Hong Kong, such as the J/80, use outboard motors. While they usually have cabins, the cabins are typically small and with minimal facilities and rarely used for overnight cruising in Hong Kong.

Sailing Yachts

Sailing yachts - often called “Big Boats” in Hong Kong to differentiate them from their smaller cousins start at around 30 feet (9 meters) and go as big as your wallet can afford. Their cabins have facilities that range from spartan - enough for an occasional overnight coastal trip - to luxurious and suitable for weeks or months of cruising across oceans.

How should I choose which type of boat to start learning on?

I recommend to those that are new to sailing start sailing dinghies. Because dinghies are light and forces are small, the amount of damage that you can do to yourself, the boat and others is a lot less than larger boats.

In the typical Hong Kong beginner dinghy sailing course, you’ll either be sailing in a boat on your own or with a classmate on day one of your first course. This will give you the opportunity to experiment with the boat and the wind and the sea and see how it performs. You’ll be wearing a helmet and a lifejacket and learning in calm, sheltered waters away from most marine traffic. This combined with the fact training dinghies are typically plastic and float even when full of water makes learning sailing in a sailing dinghy a relatively safe, consequence-free environment compared to learning on larger boats. As long as you stay away from other boats, the worst that can really happen is that you the boat will tip over and you’ll get wet.

Because of this freedom to experiment and the fact that you will be in total control from day one, with no instructor on-board, you’ll be able to quickly build up your sailing sense and learn the different points of sail. Since sailing training dinghies are so light, you’ll quickly feel each change of the wind and sea and watch as the boat immediately responds to your adjustments to the sails and steering.

In comparison, learning to sail is a much different experience. Larger boats are much heavier and the forces on sails are intense. With flammable fuels, complicated equipment on-board and it is easy to cause a lot of expensive damage either to the boat, the crew on the boat or other vessels. Because of the size of the boat and the forces involved, you’ll need more people to operate the boat. This is makes learning to sail on a larger boat more a team activity.

You will spend a few days or more first learning how to serve as crew on a larger boat. The, skipper, the person in charge of the boat, will assign you a task: steering the boat, trimming the sails, etc. Since you’ll be responsible for only a small part of the things happening on the boat at a time, you might find it harder to get a big picture sense of what’s happening. You’ll eventually have to learn all of the jobs well enough before you can get to the point where you are competent enough to be in command of a larger sailing vessel and manage the boat and its crew.

You’ll lack some of the freedom to experiment and fail on a big boat. In a dinghy, you’ll be able to do things like overpower the boat with too much sail in strong winds and experience how the boat behaves (hint: you’ll probably end up in the water!). In contrast, on a big boat, doing things incorrectly can break expensive equipment or put the boat or its crew in danger, so the instructor will stop you before you make mistakes like that.

Because of this, I recommend starting your sailing journey in Hong Kong by completing a beginning dinghy sailing course even if you, like me, plan to move on to big boat sailing later. Having a good handle on the basics of sailing dinghies will put you in an excellent position to move into sailing other types of craft.

Choosing a dinghy course

In Hong Kong, the national governing body for sailing, the Hong Kong Sailing Federation (HKFS), runs a dinghy sailing certificate scheme that awards certificates as you complete each level of the course. These certificates are recognized by the government-run LCSD water sports centers and Hong Kong’s private clubs as proof that you have the skills necessary to rent and operate various dinghies.

You’ll need to acquire the HKFS Level 1 and Level 2 certificates to rent basic dinghies. Hong Kong’s sailing clubs typically teach Level 1 and Level 2 as one five-day course while the LCSD water sports centers teaches offers separate Level 1 and Level 2 courses that are 2 days and 4 days in length respectively.

One of the goals of private sailing clubs in Hong Kong is to further interest in the sport. With that in mind, if you might want to join one of Hong Kong’s clubs, you should consider taking the courses offered by that club. That you learning sailing via the club’s training programs may be be looked upon favorably when one day you apply for membership. It will help you to start familiarizing yourself with the facilities, staff and members of the club and get you a head start on finding people you might be able to sail with in the future.

If cost is a concern, the cheapest option is to take courses through the LCSD because these are subsidized by the government. What you save in cost, however, you’ll make up in application complexity. LCSD course spots are handed out by lottery which can make it difficult to plan for if you have a busy schedule and frequently changing schedule.

• LCSD dinghy sail training
• Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club dinghy sail training
• Hebe Haven Yacht club dinghy sail training
• Aberdeen Boat Club dinghy sail training

Practice after your Level 1 & Level 2 certificate

Congratulations! You are now a sailor! The next step is to get more time on the water to practice your skills. The cheapest way to do this is go to one of the government’s LCSD water sports centers and hire a dinghy for half a day. Prices are roughly HK$54 for a morning or afternoon and include a lifejacket. You’ll need to bring your Level 1 & Level 2 certificates along with your Hong Kong ID each time you rent a dinghy. You’ll also want to bring the HKFS Dinghy Logbook that was given to you in your introductory course so that they can record each sailing session in your long. You’ll need the log book to show that you have the practice experience needed to move on to Level 3 and it will also come in handy if you join a club to demonstrate your participation in the sport.

Level 3, keelboats or big boats?

After, completing your beginner dinghy sailing course and getting some practice, you’ll need to decide where to go next. As someone who really enjoys racing and cruising on larger boats, I’d encourage everyone to at least try sailing on big boats or keelboats early in their sailing careers.

Big boat training

More on big boat training coming soon...

Getting yourself licensed

As an individual who might buy a boat, there are two types of licenses issued by the Hong Kong Government that you'll need to think about. The most important is the Pleasure Vessel Operators Certificate of Competency (PVOCC) issued by the Marine Department. You - or someone else on the boat - will need to have this if you want to operate a Hong Kong-flagged pleasure boat that has an engine. Second, is a radio license issued by the Office of the Communication Authority. You'll need this to use marine radio equipment.

More details to come..

Future additions

I’ll be adding more to this guide as time permits and as my sailing journey continues.

• Racing in Hong Kong
• Cruising the waters of Hong Kong
• Joining a club
• Buying a boat
• Safety while sailing

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Home » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Sailing Guide – Courses, Clubs, Boat Rental

Hong Kong Sailing Guide – Courses, Clubs, Boat Rental

Sailing lessons, clubs, sailing trips, camps and more.

Hong Kong is a fantastic place for kids and families to go sailing. There are some great places for families to learn how to sail, attend a sailing camp, and rent a sailboat. Strap on your life vests, zip up your wetsuits, and set sail with your entire family onboard. Jibe to it!

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HONG KONG SAILING FEDERATION: Sailing Lessons For Kids And Adults - Open To All

The Hong Kong Sailing Federation (HKSF) is the national authority for the sport of sailing in Hong Kong. HKSF offers various sailing programs, and it's open to all, regardless of physical ability, whether young or old, beginner or advanced, looking for weekend sailing, competitive racing, or ocean cruising. The Junior Program is divided into 4 levels, and beginners will begin their course on a dinghy, a simple and inexpensive way to get started in the sport and is accessible to everyone.

Hong Kong Sailing Federation , Room 1009 Olympic House, 1 Stadium Path, So Kon Po, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong +852 2504 8159, https://sailing.org.hk/

ROYAL HONG KONG YACHT CLUB: Sailing Lessons For Kids + Adults, Events And More - Members-Only

One of the oldest clubs in Hong Kong, the RHKYC on Kellett Island needs little introduction. A massive club house with various dining venues and a bar cater to the many social events that take place at the club all year round. RHKYC is active in all local and regional races and regattas. Get junior involved in sailing courses for children as young as six, and if you’re feeling inspired to get your feet wet, there are also beginners’ courses for adults too.

RHKYC , Kellett Island, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, +852 2832 2817, [email protected] ,  www.rhkyc.org.hk .

Photo by Ting Chan

ABERDEEN BOAT CLUB: Sailing Programs, Camps And More - Available To Members/Non-Members

Aberdeen Boat Club offers a wide range of facilities for yacht, speedboat, and cruiser owners spread over two clubhouses, with jetty and pontoon moorings available for members’ exclusive use. They also offer great sailing training programs, which are run by ABC Sailing Instructors. ABC has an extensive Schools Sailing Program, and they also offer options for private tuition, together with other watersports, including Kayaking, SUP, and Windsurfing. Courses are open to both club members and non-members, with adult courses generally scheduled at the weekends and youth courses at weekends and during school holidays.

Aberdeen Boat Club , 20 Shum Wan Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong, +852 2552 8182, abclubhk.com

HEBE HAVEN YACHT CLUB: Sailing Courses + Camps - Available To Members/Non-Members

There are perks to being part of this yacht club, such as all-access to the clubhouse and restaurant on the edge of the water. Sailing courses are open to members and non-members. If you want to get your children into sailing, sign them up for their Optimist Stage 1 Program.

The little sailors will be taking part in 5 days of training on/off the water gaining confidence and basic knowledge of what it takes to be an 'Optimist Sailor.' By the end of the course, they will be confident sailors and can handle and control the boat on their own.

The Hebe Haven Yacht Club , Hiram's Highway, Pak Sha Wan, Sai Kung, Hong Kong, +852 2719 9682, [email protected] , www.hhyc.org.hk

HONG KONG HOBIE GUIDE: Races, Sailing Trips + Monthly Events - Members-Only

Dig your toes into the soft white sand along the beach at To Tei Wan, which Hong Kong Hobie Club calls its home turf. They organize a mix of races, training sessions, and various social events – with something usually happening every month. The main events occur from September to November – when the northeast monsoon offers the best sailing conditions. But they organize racing events all year round. Club members frequently participate in inter-club boat races in Hong Kong; some even sign up for events held in the Philippines, Thailand, and China!

As well as sailing and racing, members can also bring family & friends to enjoy the club facilities on the beach, from having a BBQ to swimming and fishing. The sailboats that are available are the Hobie 16s, Formula 18 Hobie Tigers and Wildcats.

Hong Kong Hobie Club , To Tei Wan, Hong Kong, +852 6846 6311, [email protected] ,  www.hobieclub.org.hk

LANTAU BOAT CLUB: Casual Outings, Races, Family Activities - Members Only

Located right on the beach in Discovery Bay, Lantau Boat Club hosts family activities throughout the year for members and welcomes anyone enthusiastic about sailing to join them. They also provide easy water access for casual outings, racing, and more! Unfortunately, they don’t offer formal training, but if you’re a beginner, they can pair you up with an experienced helm for an introduction sail. And they can also recommend several qualification courses you can take before joining the club.

Lantau Island Rowing Club , 15/F, Flat F, Onda Court, La Costa, Discovery Bay, Hong Kong, www.lantauboatclub.com

HONG KONG YACHTING: Charter A Sail Boat

Let someone else do all the work! Charter a yacht from Hong Kong Yachting. With a fleet of luxury yachts, sailboats, and junks, and a crew devoted to taking care of your every whim, all you need to do is lounge back and work on your tan. They do encourage you to lend a hand for the full sailing experience, but you can do as much or as little as you care to. Gung-ho sailors with their own crew can also rent sailboats for a day of fun.

Hong Kong Yachting , Room 801, 8/F Tai Yau Building, 181 Johnston Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong, +852 2526 0151, [email protected] ,  www.hongkongyachting.com

BUY SAILING GEAR: Sky International

This is a one-stop shop for all of your sailing needs, offering items for your little tykes right up to adult sizes. It’s a little shop, but they carry gear from the brand names such as Crewsaver, Allen Brothers, RWO, English Braids, Nexus Marine and can also make customized sails. Stay safe by picking up a handy high-tech tracking device with navigational functions that double as an emergency identifier, along with life jackets for the whole family.

Sky International , Room 703, 7/F, Henan Building, 90 Jaffe Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong, +852 2827 5876,  [email protected] ,  www.sky-international.com/

BUYING A SAILING BOAT: Boats and Yachts Limited

This boat brokerage helps owning a boat happen a lot easier by assisting with the purchase and sale of boats, as well as offering registration, insurance and maintenance help. There are plenty of listings on the website, so all you have to do is point and click on the vessels that tickle your fancy.

Boats and Yachts Limited , +852 6605 5653, [email protected] , www.boatsandyachts.com.hk

SAILING HOLIDAY: Sailing Holiday on The Silolona

For a maritime adventure that the whole family can enjoy, book a once-in-a-lifetime journey aboard the Silolona—a luxury, wooden Indonesian phinisi that charts across Southeast Asia on private sailing holidays.  Wee-pirates and family will love sailing to the Mergui archipelago off the coast of Burma, diving into the depths of the Andaman sea, visiting the tribespeople of Papua New Guinea, or viewing the Komodo dragons up close in Indonesia.

Silolona , +62 (0) 361 286 682, [email protected] , www.silolona.com

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RYA Day Skipper Practical

The RYA Day Skipper course provides you with the confidence and skills to skipper a yacht on short coastal passages during the day.  This certificate of competence is seen as the “de facto” charter licence recognized around the world.  Before applying for this course please carefully read the pre-course requirements below.

On successful completion of this course you may also be able to apply for the ICC ( International Certificate of Competence ).  This certificate can also be used by charter companies as evidence of competence to skipper a yacht.  The UK version of the ICC can only be issues to British nationals, anyone resident in the UK and nationals of countries that have not adopted Resolution 40.  Countries that the RYA can not issue ICC to (unless you are resident in the UK) are Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Ukraine.  For these countries please see the text of Resolution 40 to see how to obtain an ICC ( click here ).

What to Bring

Course content.

The itinerary is dependant on weather and if its a 5 day straight or 3+2 (2+3) day course, but below is a typical 5 day course:

Day 1 . Arrive RHKYC Causeway bay at the time given in your joining instructions. Crew briefing and sail to the south of Hong Kong island. Evening at anchor and dinner onboard.

Day 2 . Sail round Lamma Island practicing reefing, sailing maneuvers and maneuvering under power.  Spend the night alongside at Middle Island and dinner at the RHKYC clubhouse.

Day 3 . Practice mooring alongside and to mooring buoys. Longer sail up to Sai Kung steering under compass.  Night navigation exercise to an anchorage in the north of Sai Kung.  Spend the night on a mooring and dinner onboard.

Day 4 . Sail training around Sai Kung islands and a night entry into Hebe Haven.  Evening spent in marina and dinner at RHKYC clubhouse.

Day 5 . Practice confined docking in marina under power.  Sail back to RHKYC Causeway Bay.  Course ends approximately 1700hrs.

Students require to bring the following (see FAQs for more detials):

• Lightweight sleeping bag or equivalent and pillow.
• Clothes suitable for 5 days sailing.
• Kit backed into a soft bag ( no hard suitcase).
• Weather proof clothing suitable for the time of year.
• Footwear such as deck shoes or trainers with good grip.

Preparation for sea, deck work, navigation, pilotage, meteorology, rules of the road, maintenance and repair work, engines, victualling, emergency situations, yacht handling under power, yacht handling under sail, passage making, night cruising

Consolidate what you have learnt by undertaking more sailing either on your own yacht, chartering or by taking part in one of our Experience Building cruises.

Following this you should take the RYA Coastal Skipper/Yachtmaster Theory Course in preparation for the RYA Coastal Skipper Practical Course .

If courses have been scheduled they will be listed below, click the course required to check availability and access the booking page.

RYA Day Skipper Practical (20-24 Feb 2024 [Tue-Sat] 2024)

If a course has a  Reserve List Active  banner you may request to be placed on the list by clicking this button Request Reserve .

To receive notifications of new course please register using the form on the Home page Home Page .

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Asia’s Sailing Soul: Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

• April 21, 2022

With its Kellett Island clubhouse set in the heart of Victoria Harbour, the storied Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is an icon in the sailing world. Yet although RHKYC embraces its fascinating history dating back to the mid-19th century, Asia’s biggest and most active yacht club remains committed to positive changes. Words: Guy Nowell Photos: RHKYC & Guy Nowell  

RHKYC’s main site at Kellett Island

The history of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is long and illustrious, beginning with the first regatta of the Victoria Regatta Club in 1849.

Thereafter, in the best Hong Kong tradition of acquisitions and mergers, it involved the Yacht Club, the Victoria Regatta Club, a German gymnasium, the Hong Kong Corinthian Sailing Club, the Victoria Recreation Club (which still exists) and the Hong Kong Yacht Club.

The club runs the busiest racing calendar in Asia

In 1894, after a polite request, Buckingham Palace advised that “the Queen approves of the Hong Kong Yacht Club having the title of Royal” and the warrant was granted that authorised members to “fly the Blue Ensign of Her Majesty’s Fleet, with the distinguishing marks of the Club thereon”. The RHKYC had arrived.

The Club has been housed in numerous premises over the years: Yau Ma Tei, Wanchai, North Point and Causeway Bay. Kellett Island, the present home of the Club, was an island in 1937 when the Hong Kong Government gave permission for RHKYC to use the land, although it has long been absorbed by advancing reclamation.

The main bar captures the club’s history

The present clubhouse was built in 1939 and commissioned in 1940, only to be shut down by the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in December 1941. Today, the Kellett Island clubhouse remains very much ‘headquarters’ for the RHKYC and houses plenty of tributes to the Club’s fascinating history.

Denis Martinet, current Commodore of the RHKYC, says: “Our history is very much alive and well, and an important part of the Club’s ethos. Our history is hanging on our walls, literally. We are still racing for trophies that mark occasions – or remind us of people – that have marked the pages of our story.

RHKYC Commodore Denis Martinet

“But we are not mired in the past. We are a dynamic and evolving organisation that moves with the times and always seeks to remain relevant in both social and strictly sporting terms.”

The Kellett Island facility includes two restaurants (fine dining and casual), three bars, squash courts, a bowling alley and pool table, snooker room, swimming pool, gymnasium, children’s playroom, Youth Club room, changing rooms, and all the administrative offices that keep the place going.

The pool is among popular facilities

In addition, it has probably Hong Kong’s best repair and maintenance boatyard for private vessels and a large hard standing area that’s home to several one-design racing fleets.

SOUTH SIDE TO SAI KUNG

But that’s not all. Middle Island, on the south side of Hong Kong island, became part of the RHKYC portfolio in 1937. It was originally set up as a home for Comet class boats before the Rowing Section joined in, finding Deepwater Bay to be a more congenial location for rowing than the harbour.

The Middle Island clubhouse off HK Island’s south side

A year later, after a typhoon had demolished both the boats and the single mat-shed, a new brick clubhouse was constructed and still exists as the topmost level of the clubhouse facilities.

Middle Island remains the Club’s centre for rowing, which includes coastal rowing, outrigger paddling and SUP activities. Its F&B facilities include the city’s best barbecue deck and an enormous hard standing catering to the Club’s dinghies and sail training fleet, with room to spare to accommodate visiting World Championship fleets and other large-scale international events.

RHKYC has a strong junior sailing programme

The Middle Island Sail Training Centre runs a full menu of courses (pandemics permitting) for aspiring sailors aged six years old all the way to grown-up. In 2020 a grand total of 2,698 students completed courses ranging from Optimist beginners to adult racing. Middle Island is also the home of the Club’s dedicated junior racing squad, the RHKYC Sharks.

The Club’s third property, Shelter Cove, near Sai Kung, started life in the 1960s as the Shelter Cove Yacht Club and was ‘merged into’ the RHKYC in 1975. Shelter Cove is a small haven of peace and much beloved by the Club’s cruising members.

The scenic Shelter Cove site in Sai Kung

Its 120-plus swing moorings give access straight onto the beautiful cruising grounds of Port Shelter and all points east. The clubhouse itself offers F&B service, an ideal spot for a sundowner and changing rooms. The large hard standing accommodates two of the Club’s racing classes – the Dragons and the Sportsboats – and a car park.

BIGGEST AND BUSIEST

RHKYC has often been touted as the ‘largest yacht club in the world’ by membership. At last count, there were 14,147 members encompassing 43 nationalities, of which some 8,000 are presently absent from Hong Kong. That leaves over 6,000 active members in the SAR. Martinet points out that the composition of the membership has changed substantially since World War II.

Members dress up for the Nations’ Cup; membership totals 14,000

“At that time, there were no Chinese members at all,” he says. “In the 1980s, it was still 60 per cent expatriates. Today it’s more than 60 per cent local members, while we continue to work to bring down the average age of the membership. Our younger members are our future.”

In recent years, the Club has gone to some lengths to make membership as accessible as possible. In addition to the traditional Ordinary and Full memberships, the RHKYC offers both Corporate and Individual Debenture memberships, and Junior (18-32) and Short Term memberships. But be warned: there’s still a waiting list.

Races to the Philippines have been run since 1962

As well as sailing, rowing remains a core activity of the RHKYC. The Rowing Section is an active participant in local regattas up to national level and a frequent winner in all classes at the annual National Championships. When travel restrictions allow, the Club’s oarsmen and ladies are regular competitors at regional events throughout Asia.

For the sailors, the sailing and racing programme is practically non-stop. The season runs from September to May, but racing continues even in the ‘off season’.

The Club schedules 16 major regattas and races in a typical year’s programme including the ‘blue riband’ Rolex China Sea Race down to the Philippines (first sailed in 1962) and the Hong Kong to Vietnam Race (from 1996), which were held in alternate years before Covid prevented recent editions.

Filling in the spaces in the calendar are weekly races for the Etchells fleet and the Dragons, Pandoras and Ruffians, the Flying 15s, Impalas, Sportsboats and J/80s. Records for the 2020-21 season show that the principal Club events engaged 863 boat entries and 4,580 sailor entries.

Volunteers play a huge role in organising events

“It’s a packed programme,” the Commodore acknowledges, with no exaggeration at all. “You can’t do it without volunteers – thank you, all! – and it’s part of the Club’s culture that we never seem to be short of volunteers.”

SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Mindful of its visibility as a centre of sporting excellence, the Club works exceptionally hard to be “green, sustainable, and environmentally friendly”. Since 2016, there have been no single-use plastic bottles on any of the RHKYC premises. None. And no plastic single-use takeaway containers, yoghurt pots or cutlery.

The Around The Island Race is Hong Kong’s most popular sailing event

Martinet is very supportive of all green initiatives. “You have to start somewhere. Members didn’t take long to get used to bringing their own water bottles when heading for the race course, and refilling them from the dispensers provided. Such initiatives are indicative of intent,” he says.

“All the Club’s major regattas and class races are conducted under Gold Status as certified by Clean Regattas – Sailors for the Sea. It’s just part of the Club’s Sustainability Policy, which serves as a roadmap for cultivating and operating a healthier, more sustainable yachting and rowing community.”

Rooftop ceremony after the 2019 Around The Island Race

The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is one of the very few sporting clubs around the world which can properly be described as ‘iconic’. Today, it stands as a proud and visible marker on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, enjoying commanding views of one of the world’s greatest harbours.

Unlike some other clubs in Asia, which are really marinas with an occasional regatta, the RHKYC is the real deal. It is, de facto, the doyenne of yacht clubs in Asia.

www.rhkyc.org.hk

Note: The original article appeared in Issue 64 of Yacht Style

Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club going solar As part of its sustainability drive, Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club is set to install over 200sqm of solar panels at its main Kellett Island site in Causeway Bay.

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30th edition China Coast Regatta at Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

Related Articles

Superyacht sinks latest: Investigators reveal where bodies were found as probe looks at 'crew's responsibility'

Italian officials revealed at a news conference there could be "a question of manslaughter" as they opened a shipwreck investigation and said the probe is also looking at the "crew's responsibility".

Saturday 24 August 2024 10:17, UK

• Superyacht sinking

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• Seven bodies recovered after five-day search of superyacht wreckage off Sicily
• Prosecutors investigating shipwreck and manslaughter after yacht went down in storm - reports
• Saturday's papers pay tribute to youngest victim Hannah Lynch
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• Eyewitness: Sombre scenes greet rescue teams as final body is brought ashore
• Live reporting by Niamh Lynch

The passengers who died were probably asleep, prosecutors said, and this is the reason they failed to escape. 

We heard earlier that it was "clear people were trying to hide in cabins on the left hand side" as the ship landed on its right-hand side after it sank (see 9.24am post).

The first five bodies were found in the first cabin on left hand side and the final body was found in the third cabin.

The prosecutors' press conference is ongoing. 

Maritime director of western Sicily Rear Admiral Raffaele Macauda said that there is "no information so far that the yacht was wrongly placed" when it sank.

There was a "slight deviation of anchorage because of a piece of archaeology nearby", prosecutors added.

Questions on the weather at the time of the sinking have also been raised by journalists in the press conference.

"Apart from extreme events which are being verified by the prosecutor, there was a great deal of visibility," the official said.

"And as you can see from the internet there was forecasts from midnight to 4am, winds of a strength of five from the north-west and the west and a storm alert.

"But there wasn't an alert of a tornado."

He added: "Given that the conditions were such, there wasn't anything to suggest there could be an extreme situation arising.

"There are vessels that can monitor, after all, these events and one would have thought that the captain had taken precautions."

Autopsies on the victims "have not been done yet", prosecutors said.

They also said that they do not know the "specific" timeline of the investigation and said it depends on the owners of the yacht and maritime authorities. 

"After all, the wreck is 50 metres down," they said.

"Everything depends on the availability of the owners and the timeframe of the retrieval of the wreck and of course all that has to be submitted to the port authorities and in parallel of course there will be the inquiry results, and it's only really then that we will be able to authorise the operation.

"I can't say, like some experts who have already spoken on the subject [say] that it will be eight weeks.

"But the preliminary phase which we requested was to retrieve the wreck and after that we can proceed with the rest. 

"There are specialised companies after all who can proceed with getting up the fuel tanks, for example, first, so that's a priority for us because it has environmental knock-on effects and then we'll work out a proper timeframe - a plan with a timeframe."

Prosecutors are now taking questions from reporters who are gathered. 

One asked about the Bayesian crew's responsibilities considering all but one survived. 

Prosecutors said they were "concentrating on this particular aspect". 

They want to "discover how much they knew and to what extent all the people [passengers] were warned".

"Of course the question is understandable.

"We have tried to find out maximum information possible from the crew members or the survivors - all I would say is that the incident happened really, really suddenly.

"The inquiry will begin with the facts of the shipwreck - that is all I can say at the moment."

"If we don't recover the wreck , it would be difficult to fully investigate the sinking," the Italian officials said.

It was "clear people were trying to hide in cabins on the left hand side", prosecutors said, as the ship landed on its right-hand side after it sank.

The bodies were found in the highest part of the ship, said Bentivoglio Fiandra from local fire rescue service.

The prosecutor said there "could be a question of manslaughter" in the sinking as it also opened a shipwreck investigation that is not aimed at any individual person.

Ambrogio Cartosio said the sinking could be caused by "behaviours that were not in order". 

He also said that investigators were not excluding other lines of enquiry.

But he added that " this is just, in fact, the beginning of an inquiry".

Prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio is outlining the details and timeline of the five-day rescue operation.

He also thanked the coastguard and the rescue crew who were "so professional and so courageous".

Prosecutors in the town of Termini Imerese, near where the Bayesian superyacht sank, are about to hold a press conference to provide more details on their investigation so far. 

Watch live in the video above.

Marine investigator James Wilkes has told Sky News that the probe into the Bayesian sinking may take months. 

He also believes that there will be "a level of cooperation" between Italian and British authorities.

Watch below...

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Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Kellett Island, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong View location map Tel: (852) 2832 2817 Fax: (852) 2572 5399