12-11-2018, 06:12 AM
12007
Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)
Saturdays on HK harborMy usual sail without too many mishaps was small craft racing on HK habour waters. A Chinese friend of mine was obsessed with sailing but could never get regular ‘crew’ so when I volunteered at some boozy house party he held me to it. He had a small 10 foot ‘enterprise’ sailing dinghy. I
would drive down the hill to his estate and park my little MM in his big Mercedes space and off we would tottle across the harbor to the RHK sailing club where he moored his dinghy on dry concrete land sitting on the frame and wheels.
We would check all on board equipment and wheel her to the slopping slip – launch her – return the frame and then try to sail her out of a windless corridor before reaching open sea
The day could of course be calm – one we always dreaded but fortunately the harbor usually had a stiff breeze. We would circle around ; looking for a good take off position before the pistol rang out and off we would go. I cannot ever remember winning a race maybe getting a third but for me it was just the fun of the whole thing in reasonably safe waters with a few exceptions and I was sailing in the China sea!
The exceptions were sailing just after a typhoon had passed through – some wouldn’t risk it but not my crazy doctor captain- his eyes glistened and pulse raced and he was ready to take on the Gods!
Keen winds gave a fast race with less crafts but pushing yourself to the limit could involved a snapped main mast which happened to us. Ya dead then in the water and have to wait for the rescue team to come and tow ya back to the club in humility and embarrassment!
The other risk in high winds was a boat capsize – ah what does one does in the middle of the china seas with a capsized boat. There is a ‘righting a capsize’ manoeuvre – this involves the rather strange behavior of standing on the boat bottom and pulling on the emerged mast until it rights itself throwing yourself back in the brink. Then it is back in the boat and start bailing out. I think it only happened once thank goodness, as they used to say if you submerged in HK harbor you would float back to the surface with bubonic plague; typhoid and a slight cold!!
The only other potentially dangerous manoeuvre was in a windless sail, sailing into the eaves of a moored super tanker. If you did, your small craft would get smashed against the tanker and than you would permanently be in the brink. This again only happened once but I had never heard my medical captain use such blue language in all my life – paddle ; paddle for feck sake paddle was the captains call! And I was closest to the tanker – did I go !
Next: aboard a Junk on the china seas!
12-11-2018, 11:52 AM
12009
Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)
Originally Posted by gumbud
->
Saturdays on HK harborMy usual sail without too many mishaps was small craft racing on HK habour waters. A Chinese friend of mine was obsessed with sailing but could never get regular ‘crew’ so when I volunteered at some boozy house party he held me to it. He had a small 10 foot ‘enterprise’ sailing dinghy. I
would drive down the hill to his estate and park my little MM in his big Mercedes space and off we would tottle across the harbor to the RHK sailing club where he moored his dinghy on dry concrete land sitting on the frame and wheels.
We would check all on board equipment and wheel her to the slopping slip – launch her – return the frame and then try to sail her out of a windless corridor before reaching open sea
The day could of course be calm – one we always dreaded but fortunately the harbor usually had a stiff breeze. We would circle around ; looking for a good take off position before the pistol rang out and off we would go. I cannot ever remember winning a race maybe getting a third but for me it was just the fun of the whole thing in reasonably safe waters with a few exceptions and I was sailing in the China sea!
The exceptions were sailing just after a typhoon had passed through – some wouldn’t risk it but not my crazy doctor captain- his eyes glistened and pulse raced and he was ready to take on the Gods!
Keen winds gave a fast race with less crafts but pushing yourself to the limit could involved a snapped main mast which happened to us. Ya dead then in the water and have to wait for the rescue team to come and tow ya back to the club in humility and embarrassment!
The other risk in high winds was a boat capsize – ah what does one does in the middle of the china seas with a capsized boat. There is a ‘righting a capsize’ manoeuvre – this involves the rather strange behavior of standing on the boat bottom and pulling on the emerged mast until it rights itself throwing yourself back in the brink. Then it is back in the boat and start bailing out. I think it only happened once thank goodness, as they used to say if you submerged in HK harbor you would float back to the surface with bubonic plague; typhoid and a slight cold!!
The only other potentially dangerous manoeuvre was in a windless sail, sailing into the eaves of a moored super tanker. If you did, your small craft would get smashed against the tanker and than you would permanently be in the brink. This again only happened once but I had never heard my medical captain use such blue language in all my life – paddle ; paddle for feck sake paddle was the captains call! And I was closest to the tanker – did I go !
Next: aboard a Junk on the china seas!
Your poor wifey must have been worried sick about you.
I am not good with small boats, I would have been scared stiff. I am OK with ships though. I have been on several RFA, when in Port, mostly the crew mess for drinks.
Love your stories though. xxxx
12-11-2018, 01:56 PM
12010
Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)
Originally Posted by gumbud
->
Next: aboard a Junk on the china seas!
Aye It was rough in HK waters. What with cheap booze and Mamasan trying to sell her 'daughters' to every passing boat
Junk sailing from HK to Macau was fraught with danger mainly from tripping over a Tiger beer bottle or a discarded Dim Sum
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