General Manager’s Message

General Manager Mark Bovaird

總經理布馬克

“I can’t believe that we are already reaching the end of what has been a very unusual year indeed. Whilst it has been very challenging and at times frustrating, we have come through the worst of it very well, and with talk now turning towards vaccines being just around the corner and travel bubbles beginning to open up, the next few months are beginning to look more positive.”

So began my message in December last year. Little did I imagine that 12 months later we would still be operating under such stringent social distancing measures. However, whilst we haven’t quite got back to opening up easy travel, a great many of us in Hong Kong have had our vaccine, generally things are getting back to normal and overall it’s actually been a very busy year at the Club. And one thing is for sure, with the festive season just around the corner, we are in a far better position than we were this time last year. Our sports and events have never been busier and members are making the most of the facilities at all three clubhouses. We didn’t get the travel bubbles that we hoped for, but we did get bubbles of another sort – ‘Modes of Operation’ – and whilst at a minimum we are a Type C, more of our events are Type D nowadays and we expect that as we move into 2022 we could be seeing more and more of our events being hosted under Type D in order to accommodate as many members and their guests as possible.

Whilst last month was all about going Around the Island, be it by sailing, rowing or paddling, (congratulations to all the winners) this month it’s all about Christmas and New Year. The Festive Season website was launched as promised at 1000hrs on 29 October with the first bookings coming in almost immediately. The first booking was for the Children’s Christmas Party at 10:01:11 and the fastest event to sell out was the New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner in the Compass Room which only took 12 minutes! There is so much going on to celebrate the Festive Season, so to make sure you book your places in time, please do have a look at our dedicated website www.festive.rhkyc.org.hk.

Apart from the festive activities, we have the Louis Latour Wine Dinner on Thursday 9 December. Founded 224 years ago, Maison Louis Latour has survived the ages and has become a natural custodian of Burgundy’s ancient traditions. It’s wines are vinified and aged with care in the traditional style of the House, epitomised as elegance and finesse. We also bring you the Australian Wirra Wirra Wine Dinner on Thursday 16 December with its history rich in mischief, adventure, and dedication to creating great wines. This wine dinner features Wirra Wirra’s Head Winemaker via video link! Have a look at page 43 (and 41) for more information on these two great evenings at the Club.

With the weather thankfully getting a bit cooler it’s time to once again bring out the fondue sets and clay pots! Always firm favourites with members, we’ll have several fondues available throughout December at the three Clubhouses and various Clay Pot Delights and Double-Boiled Soups also available in the Bistro through to January.

The Ship Shop has some fabulous new lines to help with your Christmas shopping once again this year. If you are looking for the perfect stocking filler for the little (and big) ones, the RHKYC Charity Foundation Turtle Mascot is the one to buy. It’s available at only $98 each, with all proceeds to the Charity Foundation, and not only is it a great toy but it comes with its own reusable shopping bag (made from 100% recycled plastic bottles) tucked away inside its tummy. Have a look at page 37.

One extremely welcome change from twelve months ago is that the Clubhouse can remain open into the evenings (can you remember when we had to be closed by 1800hrs last December) and it means that this year I look forward to seeing many of you at Kellett Island on New Year’s Eve for the firing of the Club’s cannon at the Bistro terrace to celebrate, what we hope will be a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

New Boatyard Manager

We are pleased to announce that after an exhaustive search, we have appointed Dean Burrell as our new Boatyard Manager. Dean, an experienced and keen sailor is from Norfolk Island, Australia and has extensive experience in marine related industries. This won’t be Dean’s first job in Asia, having previously worked in Suzhou as Marina Manager and Project Manager for two years. His subsequent appointment was as the General Manager of Hutcheson Boat Builders in New Zealand where he was for six years. His current job is with Transam Argosy back in Norfolk Island where he has been for the past nine years as Operations Manager. Dean will bring with him extensive knowledge and expertise in building and repairing yachts and the skills and experience to further improve the service and communication provided to members from our Boatyard operation. We look forward to welcoming Dean on board in early January 2022.