Cruising the islands

With the nice weather we finally ventured out to the
islands around Sai Kung on Velella for a cruise for a
few days. We are amazed that only a 1 hour sail from
where we normally are moored at Hebe Haven, a short
ride from Hong Kong - a city of 7 million, we can be in an area
more remote than the San Juans or Gulf Islands around Canada!

We wanted to find a nice bay where we could clean the prop since
putting the boat into forward gear was getting to be a joke
when we went to fill our water tanks: with all the barnacle growth,
we could barely make 1.5 knots at full throttle!
The waterline was looking pretty bad and the
saltwater intake for the galley sink
and the Lavac toilet was unable to get adequate
water past all the barnacles that had grown in the
thru hull.

We hiked up the hill above the anchorage
for a gorgeous view of the islands in the distance.

We were planning to return in time to get together for
casual Japanese dinner with a friend, although it was
tempting to stay longer. When we heard that there was
a Typhoon alert signal #1 we weren't tempted to stay
any longer. A low in the Philippines that we noticed
on the weather chart before leaving quickly turned
into a tropical storm, although it looks weak and will
pass west of Hong Kong. Looking forward to some more
cruising in the area as there's lots more exploring to do.