On a beautifully clear morning, the top deck of a junk cruising out of Aberdeen harbour is a setting that brings clarity of thought and purpose. With a beer in hand and the weekend spreadeagled before you, the existence of Monday can be denied against the backdrop of spectacular island formations, warbling jet skis and the odd cargo ship.
In the grip of such seafaring spirituality you may find yourself able to wrestle with a midlife crisis or come to terms, intellectually, with the banging pantomime that is Chinese opera. If you are at the crossroads of a moral dilemma it may be worth organising a junk trip if only to secure some quality couch time with the South China morning coast.
There are three standard junk packages on offer, depending on your need, greed and budget. The most economical is a standard sampan hired on the day from waterfront touts and used as a taxi. Theoretically, this gives you freedom and spontaneity, but you must organise all the provisions yourself and that can spiral out of control. Unless you’re planning to charter HMS Pinafore, you can forget the champagne flutes and fondue set. Reliable and unambiguous arrangements for a safe journey home also need to be confirmed as any cock-ups in this department may involve an expensive and embarrassing helicopter ride.
For those who prefer not to assemble their own IKEA furniture, there is the fully catered, all-inclusive junk. This represents the Club 18-30 end of the market and involves organising nothing more than a trip to the ATM prior to boarding. Everything is taken care of from secluded beach destinations to the main course, but bring your own mp3 player or you may find yourself listening to the 16-year-old dishwasher’s “Glee” compilation all day. Going against the old adage of never mixing food, alcohol and swimming I always have a great time on these trips. The compromise boat trip, and my preference, is to book a slightly more stylish cruiser and sail to a seafood restaurant conveniently positioned near a beach. Nibbles and aperitifs need to be acquired for the short outward leg, but using the boat’s fridge facilities and leaving everything
onboard means logistics can be kept to a minimum. Lunch is consumed in a civilised manner and at a leisurely pace on terra firma, allowing plenty of time for swimming, a siesta and any amount of overly indulgent recreational quaffing.
There is, of course, another way to gain free unlimited access to the Sai Kung archipelago and that is to cultivate a friendship with someone who owns a boat. Once this would have involved soliciting outside Aberdeen Boat Club, looking for lonely gweilo skippers to entrap. But Hong Kong boat owners are no longer all expat blokes with public-school accents and a kilogram of Swiss bling strapped to their wrists. Simply ask around any Stanley pub and you’ll be surprised who has access to seaworthy craft. I have a mate with a quarter share in a 35-foot catamaran, and he’s never out of a pair of Dunlop Green Flash and wears a fake “Timex” from the Ladies Market.
Elite Charters Hong Kong is putting the final touches to it’s luxury 86-foot yacht.