Discovery Bay Livaboards

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wingssail images-fredrick roswold
Discovery Bay Marina & Hong Kong (background)

We stayed in Discovery Bay Marina on Lantau Island, one of Hong Kong's many outlying Islands, with Andy & Nita, ex crew members of ours and good friends.

Livaboard Junks at DBMC

Discovery Bay is home to the unique Hong Kong liveaboard "junks". There are about 120 of these vessels here, and they are a bit strange. Originally they were converted from wooden powered junks which are used for local day cruises. Local builders however soon realized that they could custom-build bigger vessels with much more living space. The result are virtually floating homes which, while equipped with engines and steering stations, are not suitable for leaving the docks, and rarely do.
Discovery Bay is filled with these livaboards, most with expatriate families, including kids and dogs, and usually a Filipina maid or two. Only about 10-12 sailboats are now moored in this marina, and the price of a club membership, which carries the right to enter a drawing for any berths which come available, is soaring.

The boats themselves sell used from $US400,000 to $US750,000, for a 65' to 80' boat, although there is a 50' version which goes, new, for about $US370,000

Original Wood Junk

Evolved to Big Blue Junk

Seaworthy? You judge

Rows of Big Blue Junks

Now, even bigger white junks

Parked chock a block

Arild & Ji

Our friends Arilde and Ji and their daughter Ann have remodeled their original wooden junk into a very lovely and interesting home with 5 living levels, all in beautiful wood, with modern appliances and fixtures.