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Published: March 23rd 2010
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We cruised into Hong Kong on a clear morning—which is always a great sight. Victoria Peak on the one side of the harbor towering over highrise bank buildings showing the financial might of this trading capital of the world. Lining the Kowloon side are several of the most famous hotels, the classic Peninsula and the dramatic Intercontinental Hotel which was formally known as the Regent. We docked at the Ocean Terminal and everyone scurried off the ship to their favorite tailor or restaurant or market. Some went to Macau, some to Lantau Island. Most passengers have been to Hong Kong many times and they know exactly what they want to do. We headed up to the Jade Market which is a must stop for us. A walk through the bustling streets and Kowloon Park earned us a much needed foot massage.
We arranged to meet up with our guests Elizabeth and Judge Bob for a birthday drink at the famous bar of the Intercontinental Hotel with its two story high glass windows overlooking Victoria Harbor. We weren’t the only ones with this idea as Captain Dag showed up and Sandra Bowern, the ship’s lecturer, Jamie and Dana and much to
our surprise, Nansea, the former Regent cruise consultant whom we have known for many years. It was like a college reunion party.
Olympian gymnast Cathy Rigby was a guest speaker on this segment. She is now a motivational speaker and is still a good table tennis player. Cathy was at the Munich Games when the Israeli team was attacked. She went on to star as Peter Pan on Broadway. Cathy mingled with the passengers and invited our friend, Jack, to dinner. Jack is a former track athlete and a dedicated swimmer and he really enjoyed sharing a meal with this talented lady.
The next day we took the Star Ferry over to Central and joined up with Mike and Sherry, Jack and Jamie for lunch at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. This has become a yearly tradition for us as we really enjoy spending time at this historical club. We to got on a sampan in the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter to watch the firing of the Noon Day Gun. Since 1860 every day at noon the gun is fired as a time signal for all of the boats anchored in the harbor. This tradition was silenced
only during the Japanese occupation in WWII. Noel Coward made it famous in his song Mad Dogs and Englishmen. “In Hong Kong, they strike a gong, and fire off a noonday gun…”
That evening we got to see Bob and Lucia’s suite in the Intercontinental Hotel and after dinner we watched the impressive laser light and sound show from the waterfront promenade.
On our final day in port we assisted three of our world cruise passengers in disembarking the ship due to illness. Jeanne went home to California and Fred and Judy checked into a Hong Kong hospital. It is sad whenever anyone has to leave the cruise prematurely and is a difficult situation for all involved in getting them packed up, scheduling flights or hospitals, making the financial and insurance arrangements and dealing with car or ambulance transfers. We wish them all the best.
The ship boarded several hundred new passengers and set sail on schedule. Just after leaving the berth, a jam-packed Star Ferry tried to cross directly in front of our ship. At some point the ferry captain decided he wasn’t going to make it so he did a u-turn. Captain Dag ordered “full
astern and hard right on the bow thrusters.” Because of Captain Dag’s quick action the only impact was between the ferry’s aft antenna and the port bow of our ship—leaving a crumpled mast on the ferry and a small scrape on our beautiful white hull. This was much to the relief of everyone involved but especially for the terrified ferry passengers. The Voyager dropped anchor while the harbor officials inspected the ship and filled out numerous reports about the incident. Someone on shore took a video of the whole event and posted it on YouTube. What could have been a major disaster ended as a minor incident due to the expert seamanship of Captain Dag. After all, as the saying goes—“A collision at sea can ruin your day!” Fortunately it was just a brief encounter on our journey around the world.
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