Bay of Adventure: Making Waves!

There is no shortage of ways to stay active in Discovery Bay and in a place that loves both sport and being by the water, it simply makes sense to combine the two. Mervyn Black outlines how best to take the watersports plunge

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DB YC, LBC & by P. Nishizawa

Discovery Bay’s most visible and wide-ranging watersports hub has to be Lantau Boat Club (LBC, www.lantauboatclub.com), right on Tai Pak Beach. There are thriving paddling, rowing and sailing sections, plus opportunities for surf-skiing, stand-up paddleboarding and the like. Founded in the 1980s and run entirely on a voluntary, non-profit basis, the club offers a welcoming community for all, secure storage for equipment and a refurbished boutique clubhouse.

“Being a member at Lantau Boat Club provides great access to both on-water and off-water activities,” opens rowing section chairman Gareth Hart. “Whether you're new to watersports or have previous experience, the energy is contagious and with a fleet of top-notch boats and beautiful routes to discover around Hong Kong, there’s no better time to get involved!

“Each of our three sections has regular training schedules during the week and on weekends,” Gareth adds. “We also encourage friendly competitions amongst sections, particularly on Saturday mornings. Each section has its own events and thriving social side: we host regular barbecues on our lovely oceanside terrace.”

For coastal rowing, popular routes include trips around Peng Chau, over to Mui Wo and around the local bays. The section boasts a first-class fleet of recently purchased boats including singles, doubles and a quad. There’s also a coastal rowing youth programme, held on Saturday mornings, focused on ensuring kids enjoy the sport in a stress-free and fun environment.

LBC’s paddling section currently boasts 56 members and offers competitive and recreational paddling in outrigger canoes and dragon boats with sessions every day but Mondays. The section is always looking to help potential new members trial the six-man outrigger canoes and dragon boats, with no experience or equipment needed.

On the horizon for LBC’s coastal rowing and paddling sections are this month’s Around the Island Race, a 45km race circumventing Hong Kong Island, and the 20km Round Lamma Race, with members currently training in earnest.

Finally, the sailing section of the LBC consists of over 100 active sailors and 60 beach catamarans. There are regular casual sails over to Mui Wo and other nearby beach destinations for lunch and family fun, as well as spring and autumn racing series. This month’s Asian Open Regatta is the club’s annual flagship event, with boats from other Hong Kong clubs joining forces with LBC to create a fleet size approaching 40 boats.

SAIL AWAY WITH ME

Whether you prefer heading out for a cruise or a more competitive day at sea, Discovery Bay Yacht Club (DBYC, www.dbyc.net) has been the heart of big boat sailing in DB since 1999. The club prides itself on bringing local sailors together and providing beginners with the chance to enjoy the beauty of a day on the water.

“When it comes to recruiting, we hold an annual open day in March,” opens DBYC commodore of three years Stephen Hart. “Usually, we take four or five members’ boats out and 20 to 25 people who are interested in joining the club. We tend to get 10 to 15 new members from the day.

“New crew don’t have to have any experience – they can just come on board and learn the ropes. They don’t even have to join to start with, they can just contact us and come along to one of our events. Or if one of the boats is going out one afternoon, skippers can link up with crew on the members’ WhatsApp group.”

Stephen says that while membership shrunk to around 60 during the pandemic, it has rebuilt to over 100 and the club is thriving both socially and competitively. “We cruise to Lamma or to The Outpost on South Lantau, have a nice meal and then sail home. And we join racing series held by other sailing clubs in Hong Kong – some of those races are offshore, to the Philippines for example, so the opportunities for crew are varied.

“Our boats often do well in the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s Around the Island Race, proving that for a little club we punch above our weight,” Stephen adds, pointing out that DBYC is separate from the Lantau Yacht Club and does not have a club premises.

DBYC holds a series of events each year ranging from the Johnny Phillips Lamma Rally in May to this month’s Sokos Under The Stars, one of the marquee weekends on the club’s calendar. “We sail down to the Soko Islands, anchor in one of the bays, and spend the night. Typically we have about 15 boats join, some from other clubs around Hong Kong. On Sunday morning, one of our members, Richard Winter, leads a tour of the island, introducing people to its history as a camp for Vietnamese refugees, as well as its current status as a marine park,” says Stephen.

DBYC is also community-focused, providing full support to boat owners. “We can help someone wanting to bring a new boat to DB to find a swing mooring and a place to put a tender,” Stephen says. “And we look out for each other’s boats when there’s a typhoon – if a boat owner is out of town, we all do what we can to help.”

HIGH AS A KITE

One of the more exhilarating watersports you can sink your teeth into in DB is kiteboarding, with the wide-open spaces offering some of the best conditions in Hong Kong.

Martin MacRobert and fellow DB resident Warwick Kendall are the founders of DB Kiteboarders, which has over 60 members who eagerly keep an eye on wind and weather forecasts to ensure they don’t miss a chance to hit the water.

Martin, who has been kiteboarding off DB since 2009, points to the quality of the adventure on offer. “One of the things I aspire to do every single time I’m on the water is depart the north beach, head straight up to the rocks next to Disney, take a breather and zip back. You’re rewarded with what’s called a down-winder, which is 2.5km of a lot of fun. With a 4-foot fetch in the bay, there are some really big jumps to be had

“We benefit from having a really spectacular location and when it’s on, it’s unsurpassed,” Martin adds. “It’s really good compared to any venue in Hong Kong.”

All this does come with a kicker, however: kiteboarding off DB isn’t an option for beginners. “The risks are very real and if you don’t know what you’re doing, if you don’t have some essential skills mastered, you will get hurt,” says Martin. “You need to know what you’re doing in DB – you must have the ability to sail upwind and you must be able to self-rescue.”

From too much wind from the storms that often roll through Hong Kong to not enough wind, there’s a lot to take into account. Warwick explains: “The wind can be fickle and all of a sudden just stop. Then you drop your kite and, if you don’t know how to self-rescue, or know how to use a little bit of wind to get yourself back in, you’re in trouble. Landing is also risky if the wind dies. You’ve got the two north beaches and, if you really get caught out, you’ve got Tai Pak Beach but there are a lot of rocks everywhere.”

Martin adds: “There are also some hidden aerodynamic hazards largely caused by the hotel and built-up areas at DB North. Within a 100m zone in front of the esplanade, there’s a dead-wind area and, if you put your kite in there, that’s it. You have to roll up your gear and swim back.”

Before joining DB Kiteboarders, you’re well advised to master your skill set somewhere safer: South Lantau, for instance. “Or I tell people to go for a holiday,” Warwick says. “I learnt in Phuket and you can do it in Bali. Vietnam is really growing and Sri Lanka’s an excellent spot.”