ATIR photo

In the latest Ahoy! magazine, a couple of nice pics include Xena.  The first in a couple of posts ago, is the main pic in the article.  And below, another, Xena passing early starters on the south side of the island, the new A2 deployed....

Marine Department endangers marine safety in Hong Kong

My correspondence with the Marine Department, via the letters page of the South China Morning Post is copied below.
My response to MarDep is below, just sent to the South China Morning Post.  Will see if they run it.

I thank the Marine Department (MarDep) for responding to my concerns about safety in Hong Kong's waters. (Department worried about out-of-date navigational charts, 25 November).

Sadly, the response only increases those concerns.

The story so far: Thousands of boaters in Hong Kong have relied on navigational chart-plotting services such as Navionics.

Suddenly, and without explanation, MarDep refused these chart-plotting services the rights to use hydrographic data to which MarDep has intellectual rights. Navionics offered to pay MarDep license fees but was rebuffed. 

My claim: This makes boating in Hong Kong waters less safe. 

MarDep response: We own the intellectual rights and if you want to use them you should buy them as MarDep's Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC). 

I tried to follow MarDep’s advice. This involved the following: 1) go to MarDep website 2) learn that you can't buy ENCs online, but must go to their office in person. 3) go to their office and pay in cash ($902). 4) get a CD of the data. 5) take CD home and discover that the zip files won't open on the Apple desktop. 6) ask MarDep for help and get no response.

The irony is that as people have found out about MarDep's ban, they have decided not to update their chart-plotting Apps because to do so would remove the data they already have. Therefore their information is going to be more and more out of date.  As MarDep noted in their 25 November letter, this is unsafe.

MarDep are selling just one or two of their ENCs per month.  So they are making at most, about $1,800 per month.

If MarDep simply licensed the data to the chart-plotting companies they would make much more money than they do now, and mariners would access it much more quickly and easily.  

MarDep would increase the safety of boating in Hong Kong and make more money.  Win-win.

How about it MarDep?  Please let the chart plotting companies license and update your data.  You must do this if you really care about safety in Hong Kong waters. 

MarDep response to me, 25/11/15

My letter 14/11/15

"Lookin' good"...

Xena (right) with new A2, chasing the early-starters,
Hong Kong Island South. Breezes 15-25 knots, E.

Thanks to Gaz, I guess from the RHKYC Facebook page...
LATER: this is the main photo in December edition of RHKYC magazine, Ahoy! There's another pic in the mag, a couple of posts above.

Around the Island 2015: nice breezes, great company

Noel, Mark, T(ristan), Andrew, Sophie, Peer, Jonno, Forse, Rosie, Stefan,
Keno,Gaz, Hamish, John. Full crew list.

Queues for the sampans.  John's photo

Mark checks the mast

Lighthorse, First 50, beats up the harbour.  John's cool photo

Hamish. John's photo (as are most of rest)

Mark hikes

Sophie Smiles

Keno Trims (Main)

Peer Trims (Jib)

Rosie trims (Kite)

Stefan, Rosie, Hamish, hang.

The lovely classic ketch Rona, that I went on back in 2012

Forse steers.  And colours (and tummy..)

The beat to Cape D'Aguilar.  Forse, Andrew, Peer, T, Sophie

Running around SE of the Island, after Cape D'Aguilar

Passing some of the earlier starters, south of Hong Kong Island

Hamish, John

T on helm

Andrew, Forse, T, coming home

Pontoon Party

Breezes 15-20 knots and no holes.  Quick, pleasant race.
Most photos above from John Jensen and Mark, with thanks.  A couple mine.
Results.  No excuses, but (!).... we didn't have working backstay, which rather limited our trimming ability.... Oh well...

China Cup 2015

A few photos grabbed from the photo site of CCIR. (Racing in the one-class First 40.7 fleet of 25 boats):

Iris, Tony, Keno, Jing.  Arriving in Daya Bay, after passage race, Day One

We're the yellow spinnaker in this gaggle

Day Two: Monti and Keno on the rail.

RHKYC Video of CCR 2015

H/t to TC, with thanks.  Click here for link (sorry, can't embed on the blog, for some reason...)

HK to Vietnam race results

Want to keep a copy of the results, in case we ever do the race again. (Last did it in 2008, on Thea)
Stevo, on Ambush, (2nd IRC 1), said:

"Some of the best sailing I have done in a while.  Saturday in particular was 18-22 knots of wind, blue sky, blue water and navigators instructions were "go fast as possible"....

Dave Witt, sailing master on Ragamuffin, the 100' maxi that took Line Honours in race-record time, said the race is "sailing's best-kept secret".  "If I had to pick one ocean race to do every year, this would be it", he adds. Hmmm, gets one thinking of 2017 (it's only biennial: sorry Dave.....):

Rockin' in the riggin'

Rags, in Hong Kong waters, raced in our China Coast Regatta, and HK-VN race

The crew of the super maxi, which has garnered an international reputation, are down-to-earth, fun-loving celebrities of the sailing world
Link to fun story here.
If you can't get it cause it's paywalled, here's the text:

China Coast 2015: a tale of three breezes

Day One: TIA = "This Is Asia".... easy, fluky breezes.
Day Two: moderate to building breezes.
Day Three: 20-30 knot breezes, lumpy seas, as the "Strong NE Monsoon" warning kicked in. A bit wild and wooly.  Some damage to boat(s) but none to Xena crew, thank Allah.
Overall results in Premier Divison: 1 Xena; 2 Moonblue 2; 3 Lighthorse.
Thanks to those who sent photos in.  Best, Forse.

Shiny bottom, 9 Oct, in contrast to....

...  the keel on day of race wash, 7 Oct

Crew Boss, Grunta, and Iris

Bowman Westie, hard at work....

Boat Manager, Noel

Day One, 9 Oct. Winners on the day.

Whooska! End Day Three: Dubes, Forse, Grunta, Iris, Trini,
Glyn, Andrew, Jules, Ken, Westie, Zoe, Peer

Ken, Andrew, Noel, Grant, Iris

Evening, Day Three, 11 Oct: Noel, Ken, Grunta, Iris

Nibblies, Kellett Island, 11 October: Westie, Trini, Noel, Ken, Grunt, Iris, Forse

Kellett.  Westie, Trini, Andrew

The requisite food fote...

Glyn, Dubes, Peer

1st in Premier Division, 11 October, Kellett Island, RHKYC.
Westie, Keno, Peer, Glyn, Iris, Grunta, Forse, Jules, Zoe, Dubes, Trini

Glyn and glass

Keno and glass

Ragamuffin 100', on practice day, 8 Oct, Hong Kong Island South.
Taken by mate, Mike, on his Island Gypsy.  Sent to Rags
crew, who put it on their Facebook.  Rags took, as expected,
Line Honours.  Also race record, of 42 hours.

A weekend on the water

The May Day long weekend: Jing and I with Inge and Strompfie, up Mirs Bay way....

Inge, Strompfie, Forse, on way up.  Nice breeze, speeds to 10 knots...

Strompfie at the wheel, having just passed this unidentified red steel ketch.

Jing enjoying the fine weather.  At least, not too much rain...

Xena snuggled into Double Haven, Mirs Bay.  From near the restaurant

Colour study: Wong Shek Pier.
Green Island and Tap Mun behind the Danbuoy (the yellow thing...).

Sharp Peak, peaks out, from Wong Shek Pier.
Both Strompfie and Jing have climbed it.

Relax on autopilot on the way back to HK.

Duk Ling, back on the water just recently.  Hong Kong's
last sail-driven junk

Jing's Sydney-based colleague sends her this, from the other morning
in Sydney Harbour, from the UBS building.