All Aboard: Charter The Good Times!

September’s the perfect month to hop on a junk, and if you’re looking for pick-up and drop-off in Discovery Bay, Mervyn Black has you covered

PHOTOS COURTESY OF Andrew Spires, Charter Junks HK & Fl oatudio

There are many ways to see Hong Kong, but few experiences leave you fully appreciating what an extraordinary city we live in like a day on a junk. The moment the boat leaves the pier, the hustle and bustle of one of the world’s most densely populated cities is a distant memory, replaced by lapping waves, popping corks, splashing water, catchy tunes and, most importantly, good company.

Junks have been setting off from piers all over Hong Kong for decades and there are any number of places you can spend an afternoon, but for Discovery Bay residents, jumping on a junk is as easy as catching the morning ferry – and far more exciting.

THE LOCAL TOUCH

Junk trips are synonymous with Hong Kong and for DB resident and Charter Junks HK founder Sharon McEneff, it’s easy to see why. A 10-year veteran of the junk industry, including five years running Charter Junks HK, Sharon loves getting out on the water just as much as she loves using her boats to bring joy to her customers.

“I think it’s just the views. Hong Kong is around 70% greenery and there are so many pretty views,” says Sharon when asked why Hong Kong and junks are such a perfect match. “And the skyline is iconic, especially at night when the lights come on. We’ve had someone come across from Singapore and propose to his girlfriend on the junk in front of the skyline, which was just lovely.”

While summer is officially behind us, there’s plenty of warm weather ahead and Sharon is quick to reassure anyone who thinks they’ve missed the chance to get out on the water in 2025. “There’s less risk of rain as the year goes on and people know it’s not as humid. Even now, you’d be surprised how cool it is on the water. You’ve generally got that little breeze as well,” she says, adding that there’s no better place to view the city’s New Year’s Eve fireworks than from a junk.

Charter Junks HK stores its two boats – Kitty and Poppy – in Aberdeen but will pick up partygoers “basically wherever there is a pier”, including Aberdeen, Central, Tsim Sha Tsui and, of course, DB.

Whether you fancy a day on the water somewhere off South Lantau or beyond, Sharon and her crew have you covered. “Normally we will cruise 45 minutes from DB and there are a number of really nice coves to explore,” she says. “Cruising for 45 minutes and then stopping is ideal because then you can move around and talk to people and it’s much easier to party.

“When we take the junk out at night with friends we go to Lamma for a seafood dinner. Even just cruising up to the container ship port and sitting among all the boats and lights is really good fun. That’s one of my favourite spots. We also go to Clearwater Bay. It’s really pretty there.”

Charter Junks HK even provides a Container Port Tour among its wide variety of offerings, which start at HK$800 per head for all-inclusive food-and-drink nighttime packages (HK$900 daytime). Boat-only options are also available, plus kids’ junks with special menus, life vests and trampolines on request.

Kitty and Poppy feature high-quality sound systems with Bluetooth and loudspeakers, and there is plenty of room for a band or DJ. There’s also a good variety of food – everything from Indian to Mexican, barbecue, Thai and Chinese – plus the option to add a speedboat for wakeboarding and banana boating.

“We’ve got a lot of nice floaties. We’ve got a C-shaped bench seat so you can have your feet dangling in the water with drinks in hand,” says Sharon. “We’ve got these little floating baskets that we push the drinks out in. And if you want to swim to shore, we’ve got noodles and paddle boards.

“We don’t do slides – they are really dangerous – but we get a lot of kids jumping in and we’ve got nonslip mats,” Sharon adds, pointing out that customers can request extra staff to help look after the children if needed.

By mooring Kitty and Poppy together Charter Junks HK can accommodate parties of up to 70 people but they are also looking into ways to cater to small groups. “We want to try and arrange a set day of the month where we do combined parties for people who can’t quite get a full party together but can get eight or so together and want to mix with another party,” Sharon explains.

While Sharon admits she runs Charter Junks HK very much for the fun of it – “there’s a lot of maintenance, so what money comes in, goes out” – she’s been pleased to see an uptick in DB-based clients, with at least 25% of her business currently homegrown.

And while good times are the name of the game for Sharon, there is a part of the business that is close to her hear t: “Poppy was named after the Royal British Legion. We do a lot for them and anybody who is an RBL veteran we give 5% back on the booking.”

THE CHEUNG CHAU CONNECTION

Charter Junks HK is far from the only junk provider that offers pick-up and drop-off in DB, with Kingdom Club Yacht Chartering giving exclusive discounts to DB residents and Hong Kong Junks providing special trips around Cheung Chau and Lantau. Cheung Chau-based Floatudio, the brainchild of Sarah Yip and third-generation Cheung Chau fisherman Rex Law, is another top pick with trips focused on local waters around Cheung Chau, Lantau and Lamma.

Floatudio caters for up to 37 passengers, with a full-day, boat-only junk trip starting from HK$7,800 on weekdays and HK$8,800 on weekends. Different kinds of boat rental services are on offer, such as round-the-island tours, fishing, squid fishing and private boat parties.

These days, Floatudio also heads out to Tai A Chau, the largest of the Soko Islands in the far southwest of Hong Kong’s waters. On this trip, you have a good chance of spotting pink dolphins, and you can enjoy a real desert island experience on disembarking. Once home to a thriving farming community, Tai A Chau became a refugee camp for Vietnamese boatpeople in the 1990s and is now uninhabited.

It’s nuggets of information like this that you gain from a trip with Floatudio – Sarah and Rex both have extensive knowledge of the outlying islands, local waters and marine life which they are more than willing to share.

The couple has been actively involved in marine conservation since 2019, when they upgraded to a 60-foot wooden motor junk, and formed Eco Cheung Chau, an NGO dedicated to protecting local waters and raising awareness particularly among outlying islanders and local fishermen.

They provide guided, tailor-made eco-tours, as well as specialist sea workshops where you get to handcraft fishing nets and upcycle your creations into art pieces, while learning a little bit about Hakka traditions.

That being said, a trip on the Floatudio can be anything you want it to be. It’s fully equipped with everything you need for a fun day on the water – a sound system, barbecue grill, karaoke and floaties – and you can opt for the usual add-ons like kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding. Jolly junk fun!