Boat Yards and Luxury Condos

Boat repair yards at the foot of luxury residential condo towers overlooking the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter. The industrial boat yards and associated shore based marine businesses, although very important for the continuation as a working harbour, are frequently photoshopped out of promotional billboards and advertisements for these property developments that have sprung up around the Typhoon Shelter. Ap Lei Chau Island, Hong Kong.

View from the Boat Yard

We've had our boat, Watermark, hoisted out of the water at one of the small shipyards, repairing some minor damage from one of the typhoons and cleaning, recaulking, and resealing the hull. We've continued to stay aboard for the last few days, which has been another adventure in itself, but has offered new views of the activity in the Typhoon Shelter.

This one is from our top stern deck, looking directly across the channel to Ap Lei Chau Island. The new (now just 1 year old) MTR train bridge is to the right next to the Ap Lei Chau Highway Bridge. It's been fun to have this vantage point to watch the variety of the traffic of small boats and trawlers flowing past us as they make their way under the bridges.

If luck holds, we will have Watermark in the water and back to her home mooring tomorrow.

Boatyard - Raising Watermark

Entering the boatyard, Watermark is completely in his hands, as she is slowly drawn up the ram and raised clear of the water.

Emergency Landing at the Boat Yard for Watermark

At 2am the Bilge Alarm sounded and seawater began flooding into Watermark's engine room.  I stayed awake throughout the night running the pumps.  In the morning, we made a dash to the boatyard.  Once Watermark was raised out of the water and her hull could be checked below the waterline,  the leak was quickly repaired.  We were happily back at our mooring within a few hours, with no damage done.

Typhoon Shelter Marine Machine Shops

There are small workshops that support the shipyards of the Typhoon Shelter.  Some of the ones that I pass daily are busy at marine engine repair, sewing of customized sail canvas and boat covers, and the welding and fabrication of the stainless steel "bright work", the railings, ladders, and other fittings that need to be hand crafted to fit the particular needs of the vessel under repair.

Coming Home from the Boat Yard

The Aberdeen Channel and the Ap Lei Chau Bridge are the backdrop on a beautiful Saturday afternoon as "Watermark" makes her way to her moorings in the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter.  

Boat Yard

The Aberdeen Southern Typhoon Shelter is surrounded by dozens of boat yards, building, maintaining and servicing boats of all sizes and descriptions.  Many of these work shops are classified by Hong Kong authorities as "temporary light industrial sites", but have been a fixture on the shores of the Typhoon Shelter for twenty years or more.

With the development of luxury high rise condominium towers with prime waterfront views in demand, the future of these boat yards, machine shops, and marine workshops is in question.  They are seen by the authorities as environmentally incompatable with the residential development taking place, but provide vital services for the sampans, junks, trawlers, and yachts that make their home moorings in the Typhoon Shelter.  They also are the employers of what may be one of the last generations of true master craftsmen building and renovating wooden vessels in Hong Kong.

For now, "Watermark" has her teak woodwork cleaned and varnished, her deck sanded and oiled, and fresh paint, ready for another year afloat in her home in the Typhoon Shelter.