December 2, 2005-Sailors Must Wander

Just say they are sailors, and sailors must wander.

Just say that they’re out there, in search of the wind.

Just say they are sailors,

Just say that they’re gone.

 

my apologies to Mary Gautier.

 

Our life at Discovery Bay, like that of countless other ports, is behind us. 

 

We untied the dock lines there on December 2, 2005, and began the next phase of our cruising life.

 

Tonight we are still in China, in Pak Sha Wan, hanging not off an anchor, but on a yacht club mooring. We tried to anchor but Pak Sha Wan is crowded, filled with sailboats of all descriptions, there just isn’t much room. We did find one spot to drop the hook, but the next morning we woke to sound of the keel bumping on some unseen high spot on the ocean’s floor below us. So we signed a temporary membership with the Hebe Haven Yacht Club and moved to one of their moorings in deeper water.

 

We’re glad we are here tonight. On deck the anchor light is dancing in the rigging and we’re listening to the howl of a cold North East monsoon which is blowing down from Beijing. And it is cold. We’re colder here tonight than any time since we visited Korea over a year ago and it’s hard to believe that this bone chilling cold is happening in Hong Kong. We wonder when it will again be warm enough that we’ll feel like braving it and making the next jump, to a spot farther up the coast.

 

We are not on our way to the Philippines, not yet. Even though the weather in PI is bound to be mellower this time of year than here, we need to complete a bit of a shake down before we head off to places where marine stores and boat parts are hard to find. After all, it’s been over a year since we did any cruising. When you are sitting around in port, or doing only harbor races and day sails, like we have been doing, you just don’t know what things have quietly given up the ghost. We’ve found a few already: the outboard motor has been a bit troublesome, and a couple of lights on deck don’t work and we’ve only been out for a couple of days, so there are probably more gremlins waiting to be found. We’ll sail around in Hong Kong waters for a week or so and make a list. Then, after attending to those items, we’ll be ready. Oh, there is a Christmas party on the 15th. Maybe we’ll head south after that.

 

The medical issues we were so focused on last month have just sort of evaporated. After lots of check ups and tests all the sawbones agreed that we’re healthy. We are, however, still talking to the dentist. Don’t want to head off to the Philippines with a toothache.

 

So that’s the life of cruisers when they get to a certain age: boat problems and doctor’s appointments carry equal weight when it comes to keeping you in port, but we’ll make it; we’re sailors and sailors must wander.

 

Technical Note:

Since we are no longer connected to the broadband Internet connection we've had for the last year, and are now operating on a cellular telephone connection, please avoid sending us large attachments and emails with photos inside them. Soon, even this level of connectivity will be gone, as we leave Hong Kong entirely and have to rely on the radio for email. We’ll let you know before then and give you that email address. For now you can still write to us at our regular email address, or use the one shown on the "Email Fred & Judy" link at the top of this page. We'd love to hear from you, as usual just leave out the attachments, photos, and fancy email backgrounds.

 

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Hong Kong

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Passing Through Victoria Harbor, this is a typical sight.