Sai Kung native Rory Mackay kayaked 260km around Hong Kong, paddling on the outside of all the outermost islands in an epic local adventure. Rory cast off from the shore just 20 metres in front of his house near Sai Kung, and kayaked in three legs;
Paddling from Sai Kung to the south, a night was spent camping under the stars on the rugged Ninepin archipelago. From the Ninepins lay an open stretch ahead, across a few easterly swells to Waglan and Po Toi where an afternoon was spent stretching the legs across the Islands’ many footpaths.
Was an absolute pleasure to link up bright and early with an old friend called DJ on the northern shores of Lamma and make a circumnavigation (I went about 90% of the way round) of his home Island together! Once at the power station we parted ways and I crossed in unusually serene sea conditions to Cheung Chau. After a comfortable stay overnight, I linked up with another mate called Mark for the remainder of the second leg with batteries charged and we made rapid progress reaching the Soko Islands with plenty of time to explore the area. Highlights there being the abandoned Vietnamese refugee camp and most vivid bioluminescence I have ever witnessed. Winds picked up a bit over night providing a blustery crossing to South Lantau, home to freshwater pools and a big feed at Tai O. Paddling under the bridge to Macau we’d hoped to see pink dolphins, but without luck. This marked a turning point in our surroundings, which from then on became increasingly industrial as we approached and navigated through Shenzhen Bay. The finale of this leg could not have provided starker contrast, a majestic sunset paddle through the tranquil wetlands of Mai Po.
A return to solo paddling for the final leg set in motion a 2 day epic paddle; crossing Mirs Bay twice before rounding Sai Kung Peninsula to complete my loop around HK. The first task at hand was to transport the kayak across HK’s land border with China to Starling Inlet. Tranquil mangroves at Luk Keng soon emerge onto open waters and after crossing 30km over to Tung Ping Chau in light headwinds, I was in position to follow that up with a big paddle the following day. A northerly front swung through overnight and an early start helped to propel me homewards through increasingly tumultuous waters. 50km later, I was home and the trip was done.
To see more, you can also see the below article about this trip covered by the South China Morning Post;
https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/3124652/kayaker-paddles-250km-around-outside-hong-kong-filling?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=share_widget&utm_campaign=3124652
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