Jadalinkir (HKG 13 – 75 Years Old

WORDS: JDLK PARTNERSHIP | IMAGES: GUY NOWELL

One of Hong Kong’s oldest yachts, Jadalinkir (HKG 13), celebrates her 75th birthday this year. Based at Shelter Cove, this 38-foot, 16-ton wooden ketch is a common and much-loved sight as she wafts gracefully with all four sails set around Port Shelter and Rocky Harbour.

uilt in 1946 by J.A. Eastwood in Sydney, she was purchased by the then taipan of Jardines, David “Taffy” Landale and brought up to Hong Kong in 1948 on the deck of the Jardine-operated Hindustar.

Originally named Four Winds, Landale renamed her Jadalinkir as an acronym of his children’s names: Janet, David, Linda and Kirstie.

David Landale used her extensively until his retirement from Hong Kong in 1952, when he passed her to Jardines for the use of staff. By way of note, his great-grandson Charlie Landale currently works in the Jardine Group and is a member of the Club.

In 1990 she was transferred to Jardine Fleming and in 1998 was put into the care of a group of enthusiasts keen to preserve this unique piece of Hong Kong’s sailing heritage.

During her 73 years’ constant sailing in Hong Kong waters, she has participated in many races, as well as being enjoyed by several generations for relaxed cruising. Now her racing days are over, but as a ‘grand old lady’ she delights in following the fleets in events such as the Around the Island Race and Classic Yacht Rally.

Much of her is still original, although she was dismasted in 1977, and her timber hull has been sheathed in fibre-glass. Originally, she had a bath tub, its hot water supply tapped from the engine cooling system, but this was removed during a later renovation.

Fortunately, her first log book has also been preserved, covering the period from her first outing in Hong Kong waters on 31 October 1948 (when a crew member fell into the harbour) up to 4 December 1949, and these provide some insight into racing and cruising habits at that time (much of which seems little changed!).

Her first outing in Hong Kong was on 31 October 1948, only two weeks after her arrival in Hong Kong and a refit at Kowloon Docks, making a trial cruise out to Junk Bay. There were four on board, two of whose sons are currently in Hong Kong (one of whom, Michael Keyes’ son Terence, is a Club member and one of Jadalinkir’s operating partners). It was a pleasant cruise with “nothing untoward occurring until approaching Causeway Bay when a member of the crew fell into the harbour”. On Boxing Day 1948 she joined the fleet of nine cruisers and one Dragon on the first post-war Macao Race starting at 0700hrs off Murray Pier, rounding the Guia light mark at 1440hrs in third position (having sighted a whale at 1130hrs near the Sokos) and being second over the line at Kellett Island at 2152hrs after 14 hours and 52 minutes.

On 20 November 1949 she took part in the Around the Island Race (rounding the Island to port), starting at 0800 and finishing at 1429, and the records contain accounts of various other races in 1950-51, including Cheung Chau, Ninepins and Illingworth Race around Lantau.

The Chinese New Year race to Macao on 17 February 1950 had 20 starters, including seven dragons, and Jadalinkir finished 6th with an elapsed time of six hours and twenty minutes. This time the fleet overnighted in

Macao, entertained by the Club Nautico de Macao, cruising back the following day.

The records also have a rather uplifting exchange of correspondence in July 1954. Michael Keyes writes to then-retired David Landale on 8 July to say that after cruising up to Port Shelter “I am very sorry to tell you that Captain Bateman died yesterday on board Jadalinkir… Coming back through Lei U Mun, Captain Bateman suddenly collapsed, as in a violent seizure, and did not move afterwards…. To end on a somewhat happier note, just before his collapse Captain Bateman was having a glass of beer and had said what a wonderful day’s sailing it had been”. Landale’s 15 July reply notes “I would like to feel that he died where he wished to as he had done so much for Jadalinkir after she had arrived in Hong Kong”.

So, when you see her out on the water, raise a glass to her 75 years, a symbol of Hong Kong’s yachting heritage.