In the 1960s the Hong Kong & Yaumati Ferry Company ran Saturday afternoon excursions Round-The –Island that were very good value at HK$2.50 for a two and a half hour trip. The vessel set out from the Central piers and followed the north coast of the island. When reaching the Lei Yu Mun Gap if there was an ocean swell outside the harbour things could get very interesting. Those having their teas and cakes suddenly became much less hungry. However, usually once through the Tathong Channel and turning to the west passing Cape D’ Aguilar the seas settled down and the voyage became a pleasant cruise again. The highlight was squeezing through Aberdeen harbour at very slow speed as it was usually packed with junks and sampans. The top deck of the ferry was an ideal platform for photography. It took around 20 minutes to pass through. Then with a spurt of speed it was back to Central. All in all a very cheap and interesting afternoon out. I cannot recall how many years these HYF trips lasted, but certainly until at least 1975 based on family photographs.
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1984 - Wong Tai Sin
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Re: Round the Island excursions
Hi Ian,
I believe HYF stopped offering these excusions ever since their business was in decline a few years after the Cross Harbour Tunnel was inaugurated. I could not recall any such regular excursions in the 1980s.
Thanks & Best Regards,
T
HK ferries excursions
T
I’m not sure when the ‘Round the Island’ excursion voyages ceased. Eventually my growing family did not want to spend occasional Saturday afternoons on a ferry, when a long Dim Sum lunch with friends or relatives and/or Ocean Park was calling them.
Old copies of the Transport Department’s annual publication, ‘Public Transport in Hong Kong-A Guide to Services’, that listed all transport routes and timetables should give a clue as to when the ‘Round the Island’ excursions ceased.
As you will be aware, in the 1990s the only ferry trips that took a similar extended time were the weekends only, Central to Tai O route via Tuen Mun and Sha Lo Wan, that took two and a half hours. Before the new airport construction started, the ferry also called at Tung Chung as the first stop. I used these services many times.
The Saturday service was a simple Central-Tai O voyage calling at selected intermediate villages, but the Sunday services were more complicated. After arriving at Tai O, the ferry then shuttled between Tai O and Tuen Mun before returning to Tsuen Wan or Central mid-evening. There was also a separate Tsuen Wan to Tai O service via Sha Lo Wan on Sundays and public holidays.
The paperback format of ‘Public Transport in Hong Kong-A Guide to Services’ ceased to be available in 1996, I believe. This is the last edition that I could purchase before it went on-line. I still have mine.
After the Transport Department publication ceased, KMB offered at HK$20 an A4 size full colour ‘Route Map’ paperback that was a graphical nightmare to try and interpret for planning journeys.
Presumably everything is now available on a mobile phone via an ‘app’
IDJ