Commodore’s Message

“En Mai fais ce qu’il te plaît”

Loosely translated as “In May do as you please” – well that is very much the spirit, that come what May we are going to let loose and have some fun. Starting appropriately with the Nations’ Cup, which last year was such a blast (as evidenced by the photograph above) and in difficult circumstances if you recall! So, in 2022 we expect an event of epic proportion to celebrate our communal return to the waters of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. And as you read these lines it is my genuine belief that participants in that perennial favourite will have had a truly memorable time, with pictures to be shared aplenty and tall tales galore; chiefly from the rowdiest corner populated by sailors in green attire and sporting peaked caps! Some time ago I wrote: “The presentation of the then 116-year-old Georgian silver vase with dolphin handles, which was purchased out of the HKRNVR pre-war mess funds, was handed to Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Commodore, N.V.A. Croucher by Lieutenant Commander J.C.M Grenham RNVR (Ret.) for a competition to perpetuate the memory of HKRNVR members who gave their lives during World War II. Initially the intention was that the race course would replicate the routes that the HKRNVR would patrol. Over time sadly, elements out of our control have forced us to fall back on our tried and tested courses. Still a very fun and competitive race. But we shall renew with tradition and history. The grandson of Lieutenant Commander Grenham, Nick, is a member and we hope he will be able to handover the trophy once prize giving resumes!” Well I do hope that this historical regatta will finally take place now on 7 May, which is integral in awarding the Top Dog Trophy and its associated bragging rights! And the fun just does not end just yet! The Spring Regatta is scheduled over the 14 and 15 May weekend, where close to 100 boats of all shapes and sizes are expected to take part. Time to get your vessels in racing condition after our imposed idleness and a quick brushing up of Racing Rules of Sailing might not go amiss either! As you can see everyone has been working double time to ensure the Club can reschedule as many sailing, rowing and paddling events as is physically possible to ensure that you can hit the water running so to speak. So spare a thought for all individuals, volunteers and staff, assist them whenever possible and be tolerant! And the activity does not end with our sports. You may have noticed that work has been undergoing in the Chart and Club Rooms, adjacent to the Main Bar. These two areas experience some heavy usage, which has actually increased as members seek refuge therein to do some quiet work. And as neither has been renovated in over 20 years, we decided to take the opportunity to carry out a soft refurbishment, which shall see new furniture and a redesign of the Club Room to incorporate the now obsolete Telephone Room. This additional space will provide a more comfortable and practical environment for short meetings or temporary working environment, where the usage of phones will be allowed! So no more excuses!

One floor up, the Ward Room will be modified into an elegant and cosy pre and post dinner drinks venue in an atmosphere reflecting the tradition and history of our Club. Once again we have relied on the flair and talent of our quasi in-house designer Inge! Well-known to all, our Past Commodore has been involved with most major refurbishments and will be able to provide that deft touch. And for those who do not know her, I encourage you to log on to our YouTube channel, RHKYC, subscribe and watch the recent chat we had with her. Apart from being fun, these videos serve to preserve some memories of our Club through the eyes of some of the players of the age. This is the second one and we are planning to shoot a further three. If you know of anyone with tall stories and fun facts about his or her time at the Club, please reach out to koko.mueller@rhkyc.org.hk. Still on the topic of Club history, we are also in the process of carrying out interviews of individuals associated with the Club and the sea. Done in conjunction with HKShifts, this series tries to document in print the work and impact these people have had. Still in development, we hope to be able to share some of these portraits in a not too distant future.

Finally and still dealing with history, our archives, or more precisely relevant and selected items, will be shared and exhibited in strategic locations around Kellett Island. On a quarterly basis, worthy items will be displayed with explanations as to their nature and relevance to our Club. The objective is simply to impart more about our history and how events and people have shaped the Club we are today. With this in mind, my story ends here for now. May we finally have a great month!

“En Mai fais ce qu’il te plaît” 主題大概可以翻譯為「在五月，盡情做自己喜歡的事」。這個「Come what May」的精神，好讓我們放鬆一下及享 樂一番。

賽事重啟，由「民族盃」正式開始。尤記得這場賽事去年在艱難的情況下仍廣受歡迎，賽事盛況空前(由上述圖 片已可印證)。因此，在2022年我們期待著情況與去年一樣，以慶祝賽事回歸。當大家閱讀本文之時，我深信大 家都渡過了難忘的時光，更在互相分享的相片中，更可見穿著不同服飾的帆船運動員樂在其中。

早前我曾寫道：

Lieutenant Commander Grenham 捐贈已有116年歷史的「Georgian silver vase」予前香港遊艇會會長 N.V.A. Croucher，用作舉行賽事之餘亦紀念在第二次世界大戰去世的 HKRNVR 成員。」

在賽道設置上，原本我們希望模擬 HKRNVR 巡航的航道；可是，計劃總趕不上變化，不論怎樣，但仍是一場充 滿歡樂及競爭性的賽事。我們仍然想傳承歷史，Lieutenant Commander Grenham 的孫兒，HKRNVR 的指揮官 Nick Grenham 同樣是本會會員，我們希望在頒獎典禮復辦時可以由他再度頒發這個獎項。」

我希望這個極具歷史價值的帆船賽最終可於5月7日舉行，令「Top Dog 盃帆船聯賽」得以圓滿落幕。 精賽賽事停不了。「春季帆船賽」訂於5月14及15日舉行，愈100艘不同型號的帆將出戰賽事。是時候把賽船預備 好，更重溫帆船賽的規條，好讓人船均蓄勢待發。

相信大家可見，會內每人都不辭勞苦辛勤工作，目的就是可以在賽事重啟後，盡可能舉辦更多的帆船、賽艇及划 槳運動，讓大家享受在海上追風逐浪的樂趣。因此，懇請大家可以向職員、義工以及其他人予以更多忍耐及體 諒，在可行的情況下，更為他們提供協助。

我們的活動又怎會只限於體育活動呢？或許你會留意到 Main Bar 旁的Chart Room 及 Club Room 都在進行 一些裝修工程。其實，這兩個地方都一向都廣為會員所用，尤其大家都需要一個寧靜的環境工作時這裡更是不 二之選。可是，這裡已接近20年沒有翻新過了，因此我們把握這段時間為 Chart Room 及 Club Room 進行一些 輕裝修工程，大家將會見到嶄新的 Chart Room 及 Club Room，包括新的設計及傢俱，更會融合一個已過時的 Telephone Room。增加的空間好讓大家有一個更舒適及實在的環境以舉行簡短會議或臨時工作空間，屆時大家 在這裡更可使用電話呢！大家可沒有籍口不來呢！

上層的 Ward Room 將會被修建為一個既優雅又舒適的飯前或飯後暢飲之地。這兒環境優美，盡顯香港遊艇會 歷史及其傳統的一面。再次感謝本會的室內設計師 Inge，全靠她匠心獨運，配以其天賦才華，才有這別出心裁 的設計。眾所周知，Inge 涉獵本會多項翻新工程，因而對本會的室內設計工作別具靈感。如果你不認識 Inge， 你可登入並訂閱本會的 RHKYC Youtube 頻道，從最近期我與她的清談節目中了解她更多。

隨了為大家帶來觀賞娛樂，這些視頻更可讓那些陪同本會渡過多個寒暑的會員，一起「想當年」，細味一翻。 這是第二輯視頻，而我們計劃再拍攝另外三輯。如果你認識任何會員，於會內曾有經歷或趣事，請透過電郵 koko.mueller@rhkyc.org.hk 通知我們。 我尚未細訴完歷史呢！我們現正與 HKShifts 合作一系列的訪問特輯，現邀請不同的會員，如果他們與香港遊 艇會及在海上暢航時有過不一樣的經歷，可與我們聯絡，好讓我們把他們的故事以文字形式，在不久的將來與大 家一起分享。

最後，是有關本會的檔案室。我們每季將於吉列島會所不同位置，展示本會不同歷史展品，再附以解釋以說明其 由來及與香港遊艇會的關係，目的讓大家了解本會的歷史之餘更可認識前人如何與本會一起在時代巨輪下走到 今天。