Destination Home Kong – A short guide to visiting Hong Kong’s marine parks

Destination Home Kong

A short guide to visiting Hong Kong’s marine parks

WORDS: LARRY SALBIRA

Some of Hong Kong’s most peaceful and tranquil anchorages for cruising in Hong Kong are located in marine parks run by the Government’s Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). While these are marked on official charts published by the Marine Department’s Hydrographic Office, they don’t include information about where and how you’re allowed to anchor, if at all! The result is a lot of confusion among fellow sailors and frequently visits from unhappy AFCD patrol boats asking you to move or threatening you with fines.

There are currently six marine parks in Hong Kong:

Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park – Two bays by Hoi Ha village at the entrance to Tolo Channel.

Yan Chau Tong Marine Park – This covers much of Double Haven in northeastern Hong Kong just south of Yan Tian port in Shenzhen.

Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park – These islands are north of the airport and east of Tung Chung.

Tung Ping Chau Marine Park – This surrounds Hong Kong’s northeastern-most island off the coast of the Shenzhen’s Dapeng peninsula.

The Brothers Marine Park – Island to the east of the airport and north of Lantau.

There’s also one marine reserve in Hong Kong, the Cape D’Aguilar Marine Reserve at the southeast corner of Hong Kong Island. It is important to note that the marine reserve is NOT a marine park and that entry to marine reserves is generally prohibited for all activities besides scientific research including boating and swimming. The points we discuss in this article about marine parks in this article do NOT apply to marine reserves.

Important rules in marine parks

There are a few rules relevant to cruisers in all marine parks:

Power-driven vessel shall not exceed 10kts.

Fishing requires permission of AFCD

Mooring or anchoring vessels in marine parks is prohibited without the permission of AFCD.

The rule about permission for anchoring is the one that causes us the most trouble. How do we get permission from AFCD to anchor? Do we have to ask?

Anchoring in marine parks

You don’t actually have to ask the AFCD for permission, they’ve already given us permission to anchor in designated areas of four of the six parks. They call these “mooring sites” and they’re clearly marked on maps of the parks. They are not marked on navigation charts.

The easiest way to find the maps is to download the PDF versions before you depart from the AFCD website (see QR code). If you find yourself in Double Haven without a map and with no internet service, the next easiest way is to approach the AFCD patrol boat and wave them over. They will happily provide you with printed color copies of any or all of the parks and answer any questions you may have.

Of the six parks, only Southwest Lantau Marine Park and Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park offer no places to anchor. The remaining four parks have at least two designated mooring areas, conveniently located in sheltered areas close to attractions popular with cruisers, divers and snorkelers.

Mooring sites are generally marked on the perimeter with small yellow can-shaped buoys with a picture of an anchor and letter indicating to which mooring site in belongs. In some places, yellow sticks on the shore mark the boundary of the mooring site. Make sure your anchor is within the mooring site and do your best to make sure your boat and her swing radius stay within it as well. Mooring site marker buoy in Hoi Ha Wan In some parks, the AFCD also provides multiple small red or green mooring buoys for you to tie up your your dinghy or other small craft near areas with coral and other underwater attractions.

Special rules in Hoi Ha Wan

Unique to Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park are four special areas which place additional restrictions on vessels. These areas prohibit all mechanised vessels: one of these areas includes the water in front of Hoi Ha beach. One area prohibits the operation of “inboard vessels.”

When to visit

Whenever you want! In my experience, you’ll rarely other vessels anchored at any of the marine parks unless you’ve coordinated to go cruising with them. The few cruisers that do visit our city’s beautiful marine parks tend to go on weekends or long holidays. If you’re looking for peaceful solitude away from it all, sail to one of the parks on the weekend and spend the week “working from boat” and return the following Saturday.

Top 5 things to think about before moving to the UK

If you have already made the big decision of relocating to the UK, even if only temporarily, dealing with all the finance and paperwork can be a task that individuals dread the most! While it can be a headache to handle, it is necessary to understand your current tax situation in order to have a smooth transition to your new home.

Here are a few key things you need to consider regarding UK tax:

If you’ve lived in the UK before how long have you been a non-resident?

Anyone returning to the UK after a period of working elsewhere should consider if the temporary non-resident rules apply to their circumstances. If you have been away from the UK for less than five years and have been a UK resident for 4 out of the last 7 tax years, it’s likely there will be tax implications for certain income and gains arising from your investments in that period. It is always better to seek specialist tax advice from a professional to determine whether the temporary nonresidence rules apply to your current situation.

Will you be moving back to the UK partway through the tax year?

When you move back to the UK, you may be able to benefit from Split Year Treatment where the tax year is split into two segments – a non-resident part and a resident part. This means that whilst you will be taxable on UK income in respect of the tax year you become a UK resident, overseas income will only be taxable from the day you effectively become a UK resident.

Do you currently own any non-UK properties?

If it is your intention to dispose of the property and intend to move to the UK, it may be beneficial to do so before you become a UK resident in order to avoid any potential UK capital gains tax arising from the sale.

Do you intend to sell any of your UK properties before you relocate?

The disposal of a UK property may result in a liability to UK CGT regardless of how the property is owned and regardless of where you (the owners) are resident. There are different methods of calculating the liability to non-UK resident CGT. The most appropriate method will depend on a range of factors, including how the property has been occupied. Periods of occupation as your main residence may be eligible for relief. You are required to report and pay any CGT liability within 60 days.

If you have been a non-UK resident for less than five years and are planning on returning to the UK after having been a non-UK resident for less than five years, then different rules will apply, and you could face an additional liability in your year of return.

If you are currently in employment, will you be leaving your overseas employment before you leave the country you are currently in?

If you continue to be employed even after moving to another country, then note that any income received from that employment may be subject to UK income tax.

We would recommend that you seek specialist tax advice in this respect, especially when it comes to your work arrangements and tax obligations.