Moon above the Typhoon Shelter

Sunset in the Typhoon Shelter

Deck Crew on Watch Aboard Watermark

Evening in the Typhoon Shelter, Aberdeen Hong Kong

Typhoon Shelter Sun Set

From the Deck of "Watermark"

Sunset of a Beautiful Typhoon Shelter Weekend

Typhoon Season's End

Mid Autumn Moon

Best Wishes to all for a happy Mid Autumn Festival evening, from the deck of Watermark!

Typhoon Shelter in Silhouette

Sunset View in the Typhoon Shelter

Fishermen of the Typhoon Shelter

After weeks of heavy rain, Sunday morning is clear.  Fisherman preparing their nets to go out, hoping for a big catch.

A Ship's Bell for Watermark

Our friend from Singapore, Captain Thomas Young, presents us with a beautiful brass ship's bell for Watermark.  Yes, it's the "Titanic 1912 Model".   Thank you, Captain!

Return to Hong Kong

Returning to Hong Kong always reminds me of how much Hong Kong is a city of the sea.

Typhoon Utor

Severe Typhoon Utor, from the deck of Watermark, Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter, Hong Kong Island

Typhoon Morning

After the first Typhoon of the Season

Returning from Patrol

Hong Kong Marine Police "Go Fast Boat" crew returning from patrol to their base in the Typhoon Shelter

Also see Home from Patrol:  Marine Police have a home in the Typhoon Shelter

Dragon Boat Festival

Aberdeen Shum Wan Dragon - Traditional solid teak dragon boat, crafted in Aberdeen, and pride of the Southern Typhoon Shelter.

Our local team is made up of guys who work on the boats and fishermen from around the Harbour.

Our local team, the Aberdeen Shum Wan Dragons in the foreground.

Aslo see Dragon Boats at Rest in the Typhoon Shelter

Typhoon Shelter Sunshower

Deck Watch in the Typhoon Shelter

At Weekend's End in the Typhoon Shelter

Afternoon Fisherman - Hand Line Fishing in the Typhoon Shelter

A Panoramic View of the Harbour

    (click on photo for an expanded view)

Jumbo Leaves the Typhoon Shelter

Jumbo, the giant floating restaurant and my most famous neighbor in the Typhoon Shelter, being towed slowly and carefully past the seawall.

Returned to her familiar moorings in Aberdeen harbour.

A Different view of the Typhoon Shelter

Cleaning The Harbour for Chinese New Year

Fire Boat 4

Hong Kong Fire Boat 4 patrolling the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter.

Fire Boat 4 is berthed at Aberdeen Fireboat Station to provide fire and rescue cover to Aberdeen Harbour and southern waters. I've seen Fire Boat 4 in action once, fighting a fire at one of the shipyards that surround the Typhoon Shelter.

As my boat, Watermark, is a wooden boat, I am very happy to have Fire Boat 4 as a neighbor close by in Aberdeen.

The Ice Sampan in the Typhoon Shelter

One of the sampans I often see, and sometimes catch a ride to shore with, specializes in delivering block ice to the boats of the Typhoon Shelter.  Ice is important for the fishing boats to keep the catch fresh, to the excursion boats to keep the beverages cold, and to Typhoon Shelter dwellers without shore electric power to maintain the refrigeration of their "ice boxes".  The ice cargo is carried on the bow of the sampan covered in layers of burlap as the sampan makes its rounds in the mornings to deliver blocks to customers.

Dragon Boats At Rest In The Typhoon Shelter

Dragon Boat team training and racing are a feature of life in the Typhoon Shelter.  Dragon Boat crews train mostly in the evenings and at night, and are usually noticed first by their drumming and chants before you see them.  During the weeks and months of training, its impressive to see a new crew  awkwardly going through its first lessons to growing into a skillful and synchronized team paddling with powerful strokes to surge their boat forward.

I have yet to take a good photograph of a Dragon Boat team in action, but it's an intriguing team sport with its own culture that I hope to learn more about.

Wikipedia - For competition events, dragon boats are generally rigged with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails. At other times such as training the decorative regalia is usually removed, although the drum often remains aboard for practice by drummers.

Changing of the Year in the Typhoon Shelter

The first Sunrise of 2013 over the Typhoon Shelter.  Happy New Year's Day from all of the crew of "Watermark"!

The last Sunset of 2012, spent watching junks, trawlers, and Marine Police boats returning from their last patrol of the year