Always Saturday – Sailing Across the Pacific

WORDS: GASTON CHAN | IMAGES: PETER LEUNG | ERIC CHOI | GASTON CHAN

In April 2017, RHKYC member Rex Tan sailed his Brewster 42, a centre cockpit ketch, Always Saturday (AS), from Singapore to Hong Kong, around Taiwan, the Inland Sea, Japan, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mexico, Tahiti, Niue, Fuji, Cairns and Thursday Island, Australia to Kupang, Komodo, Lombok, and Bintan, Indonesia, and ultimately back to Singapore in Novermber 2019.

Captain (and navigator) Rex was on board for all of the passages, though the crew changed. Ben Lam, who spoke Japanese, was very helpful in Japan.

The passage from Japan to San Francisco was done with only three on board. (Less mouths to feed). The yacht sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge (see photo) and moored at the friendly Berkeley Yacht Club for some repairs. The crew rented a car and explored California. They then flew back to Hong Kong to see their families. A few months later they returned to the Berkeley YC for a farewell BBQ, and sailed south to Los Angeles and Mexico. Always Saturday sailed into the Gulf of California. Captain Rex, being a Singaporean, enjoyed the hot spicy Mexican seafood.

In March 2019 AS departed Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for Tahiti, with a stopover at Marquese and Tuamotus atolls. In June 2019, AS arrived Tahiti. Pictures from Peter Sui Chung Leung.

A number of RHKYC sailors, including Peter Leung and Manson Ma, flew to Tahiti to meet AS. They cruised the South Pacific paradise.

On 27 June 2019 AS arrived in Nuie, the smallest, but friendliest country in the world. The crew even took a picture with their Prime Minister. In September that year, AS visited Fiji and sailed to Cairns, Australia.

Gaston Chan and Vicky Lee joined the adventure at Cairns Marina. We stocked up on food and fuel as we were told that they were much more expensive in Thursday Island. We bought some Kangaroo burgers which we BBQ’d one evening anchored in the Great Barrier Reef. Ben left and was replaced by Kent Kan. AS departed Australia and headed west to Kupang, Indonesia. For the first few days about noon the Australian coast guard would fly over and ask where we were going… though they surely would know from our AIS. Captain Rex would politely answer that we are going from Thursday Island to Kupang, Indonesia. Vicky brought some fishing gear. Rex said they never managed to catch anything so far. Undeterred, Vicky insisted on trying and caught two big ones, (see photos) which we all enjoyed. AS has a freshwater maker. After dinner we would wash ourselves, soak our clothes overnight, and hang them up to dry in the morning. Sailing with the current, we arrived in Kupang in only nine days, just in time for mango season. The mangos are so big and juicy… and cheap. We visited the Komodo National Park, and saw many Komodo dragons. We were told not to get too close as they like to eat people once in a while.

On 7 November 2019 AS arrived Lombok, Indonesia. From there I took a flight back to Hong Kong. Daniel Pang took my place.

In late November 2019, AS sailed on west to Bintan, Indonesia, crossed the Singapore Strait to Singapore, and completed its circuit around the Pacific.

In December 2019, COVID-19 struck. AS made it back to Hong Kong and the crew had to go into quarantine.

On 1 March 2022, AS left Hong Kong for the Indian Ocean. This time the itinerary includes Cape Town, the Caribbean and East Coast, USA.