A welcome change from traditional Chinese junk boats and glamorous but soulless gin palaces, for a truly liberating experience this summer, take to the open seas on V1 – Hong Kong’s one and only Volvo 60 racing yacht.
V1 has a gold-star pedigree: It won the Volvo Round the World Ocean Race in 1998, held the trans-Atlantic and 24-hour speed record and is twice winner of the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race. So, not slow then, and it’s no secret that Volvo yachts are the sailing world’s equivalent of the F1 car and now set the benchmark for long-distance offshore sailing.
With not one pair of sea legs between us, it was with a certain sense of trepidation that we boarded V1. Sailing from Stanley on the south side of Hong Kong Island on a scorching and sunny day, it was clear that anything less than a sturdy pair of trainers wouldn’t cut it. Off with the sandals then and, barefoot on the open deck, we motored out of the harbour, slowed down to raise the sail before…
V1 is a family-run operation and the Harris’ have been sailing as a family for years. David and his team sailed her up from Australia (it took a month) and she was lovingly brought back into service in Hong Kong. No matter if you’re a tried and tested pro or something of a hack on the waves, you can get hands-on or just lie back and enjoy the ride. Choosing the latter, as we weren’t entirely sure if we’d grown sturdier legs yet, we let the experts show us how it’s done.
Any worries I may have had disappeared once the wind picked up and we started, well, sailing. Sitting on the edge, legs overboard, breeze in our hair and sun on our faces – it was perfect. No noisy engines, just the wind and the occasional refreshing splash of the waves as we cut through the churn upended by passing ships. I am a nervous sailor at the best of times but the V1 felt totally safe, stable and even…glamorous. Lying on the white decking, glass of wine in hand, we realised that the great thing about sailing is the complete and utter freedom of it – letting it all go to the wind as they say. As the breeze picked up, and the sun left its silvery imprint on the big swell, we got up to what felt like a speedy 11 knots, skimming headlong towards the Po Toi islands on the south-east of Hong Kong.
Under David’s watchful eye, I took to the helm and managed to steer V1 in a fairly straight line, avoiding calamities involving nearby islands and cargo ships, after which we tacked and headed back to the island to catch the sunset and reflect on a day well and truly spent.
The V1 can take 18 guests sailing or 24 for a wine tasting and cruise through Hong Kong harbour. As well as individual tickets at the weekends, she’s also available for half and full-day charters, teambuilding and custom-made itineraries.
Summer never left me feeling better.
For more information, please visit www.hongkongyachting.com.
