Lamma Island

WINGS' crew on the quay at Lamma Island
wingssail-Fredrick Roswold

May 16, 2005-On any Sunday

On any Sunday in Hong Kong you will find crowds flocking to the outer islands.

Actually, on any Sunday in Hong Kong you will find crowds flocking everywhere. That is because there are around 7 million people living in Hong Kong, most of them work six days a week, and on Sundays they need to get out. There is an exodus from the city to the countryside. Often the WINGS crew is part of it.

We like to go sailing and in the Hong Kong area there is always an island to visit. If there is a bit of wind blowing we’ll set sail and see which island the wind points us toward. For me, the best part is when the sails first fill and we sheet everything home and the boat heels to the power of the wind. But after I get my sailing fix, then we start to think about where to go. Recently we’ve been to Lamma, Peng Chau, and the Sokos.

Lamma was delightful, but really crowded. On any nice sunny Sunday it is like a country fair on Lamma Island: brimming with visitors, all the tourist shops are jammed, and the beaches and sidewalks are packed. Still, we took several friends and had a great time. We had a nice lunch at a good restaurant, did some shopping, and took a walk, and I shot some photos.

Lamma Island Houses

Anchored Beyond the Sampans

We wrote about Peng Chau not long ago. That is the closest island to our home base at Discovery Bay, but it remains a favorite. Peng Chau Plaza And most recently we sailed to the Soko’s.

The Soko's

We had a great sail to the Soko’s, setting out in a nice ten knot breeze, south past the coast of Lantau, and past some of the outer islands, almost out of Hong Kong waters. The wind freshened as we skirted along the edge of the South China Sea, and on the approach to the Soko’s we eased the sheets and romped along in a nice breeze and a boisterous ocean swell. We found our way into the channel between North and South Soko, poked our bow up into the wind, and dropped our hook in a pretty bay with a nice beach.

It is wonderful to have Wings rolling gently at anchor surrounded by beautiful sights such as these.

For an editorial comment on the future of the Soko's, see Sailor's Rants

Fred & Judy, SV WINGS, Hong Kong