Southbound Yacht Scheme Launches as First Five Guangdong Yachts Arrive in Hong Kong
The southbound yacht travel scheme took effect in Hong Kong on October 16, with the first five Guangdong-registered yachts entering Hong Kong waters and docking around noon at a yacht club in Discovery Bay on Lantau Island. The vessels, ranging from about 13 to 38 metres, came from Shenzhen (three), Nansha in Guangzhou (one) and Zhuhai (one). Acting Financial Secretary Michael Wong, officiating at the welcoming ceremony, said Hong Kong is building itself into Asia's yacht hub, and that four new marina projects at the airport, Lamma Island, Aberdeen and Hung Hom will add more than 1,100 berths, a roughly 30 percent increase.
Under the scheme, visiting yachts can file entry details through the Marine Department's electronic business system and anchor at five designated areas — Stanley Bay, Tai Tam Bay, Repulse Bay, Three Fathoms Cove in Sai Kung and Tai O — without pre-booking a private berth. Vessels must carry AIS equipment and VHF radio, masters must pass a local-knowledge examination on Hong Kong waters, and a dynamic monitoring system tracks mooring positions in real time. Hong Kong has about 1,180 kilometres of coastline, 263 islands, some 4,000 yacht berths and over 12,000 registered yachts. The launch follows June's northbound scheme, completing two-way individual yacht travel within the Greater Bay Area.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：香港赤柱湾，「粤艇南下」五个指定锚泊区之一。图片来源：Daniel Case，CC BY-SA 3.0（Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: Stanley Bay, Hong Kong, one of the five designated anchorages under the southbound yacht scheme. Image: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
