Houseboating Adventures - Issue 17 - (Page 31) Left: Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter where the Penfold’s moor their houseboat. Above: The second-hand, 20-year old Chinese junk built with Burmese teak was the starting point for the Penfold’s home on the water in Hong Kong. Chinese junks (like below) were first developed during the Han Dynasty, around 200 BC, and were efficient and sturdy ships with advanced sail plans (they could sail into the wind with their junk rig). Originally a native of England, I arrived in Hong Kong in 1999 as a freelance training consultant and have been here ever since. One of my childhood dreams was living on a boat – in the UK it would have to be a narrow boat on one of the rivers or canals – and I discovered to my pleasure and delight that living on the water was possible in this amazing island off the coast of Southern China. Hong Kong is probably one of the most affordable places in the world to rent or own and live on a houseboat, surprisingly, when rents for houses and apartments here are among the most expensive in the world. The typhoon shelter, or one of the five more expensive marinas here, are great places to moor a boat. Turning old junk into something of value is certainly a challenge. I met my wife May here in Hong Kong, and with April, our adopted daughter, we have lived on a houseboat in Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter (Hong Kong) for )6B@" A05("%C&5AB9&@ the past five years. In January this year we sold our original boat and bought a second-hand, 20-year old Chinese junk built with Burmese teak. Previously a weekend pleasure boat for company jaunts, complete with karaoke room and beer table, we have converted it to a very comfortable home, by restoring the old teak, building bathrooms and kitchen, and furnishing it from Ikea and elsewhere. Not only did we manage to create a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home with large kitchen-diner and living room, we also found a spacious rooftop and front deck to barbeque and entertain friends in the sunny weather. In addition, we can up anchor and sail out to some of the most deserted bays and beaches around Hong Kong. Excellent beaches are scattered among the coves, inlets, and many outlying islands, and water activities includes fishing, diving, sailing, motor-boating, and windsurfing. Hong Kong has a long maritime history. Before the British colonized the ‘barren rock’ in 1842, it was a haven for pirates on fast sailing junks who robbed passing merchant boats and hid in the many coves and inlets around Hong Kong and its 234 outlying islands. Chinese junks were first developed during the Han Dynasty, around 200 BC, and were efficient and sturdy ships with advanced
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