Velella Cruising Log

We raced on a 38 foot sailboat to Macau, a former Portugese colony about 60 miles from downtown Hong Kong. Macau, like Hong Kong, was a colony that has recently been handed over to the Chinese government. Neither Macau nor Hong Kong have been fully integrated into China yet, so when we pass between Hong Kong and Macau or between Macau and China, or Hong Kong and China, we must clear customs and immigration as though we are exiting and entering a foreign country. For us, a race to Macau offered us an excellent opportunity to renew our 90 day Hong Kong visas in an incredibly inexpensive and pleasant fashion and offered us a pleasant weekend getaway. While we are moored very close to downtown by public transport, sailing around the penninsula and islands to the starting line added an additional 15 miles to the trip. Though several crew members took some preventative medicine, they took it too close to our 6am departure to take effect before we faced rough seas between Hebe Haven and the starting line that were churned up due to some strong southerly winds resulting from a typhoon south of us. Half the crew was feeling the effects of seasickness before we even reached the starting line; Somehow, despite seasickness, we got 2nd place in a big fleet, mostly due to an excellent start.

As we entered the protected waters in the Pearl river delta near Macau, we saw pink dolphins! Seeing something the color of a pig in the milky greenish brown river water really caught me by surprise, even though we'd been looking for them, since they are so different from sealife I am used to seeing. We have heard that since the disruptive building of the new airport in Hong Kong, that pink dolphins have become a more rare site in their favored swimming grounds. Besides pink dolphins, the Pearl river delta is also famous for its pearl harvesting. In the old days many lives were lost in the attempt to bring pearl oysters up from the bottom while holding their breath. Towards the middle of the afternoon, we crossed the finish line and made our way into the port in the gap between the islands of Macau, and Taipa. We were all excited for our arrival in this charming place and looking forward to some fine Portguese food and Vinho Verde during the 2 nights we'd stay before racing home again. We partied when we arrived alongside the rickety old docks that hadn't seen this many fancy sailboats since last year's race. We enjoyed the comraderie of our fellow sailors along with beers and a great potluck as one of our crew handled customs and immigration on our behalf. Then we were off to explore this charming island group.

The Portugese first set foot on Chinese soil in 1513 in Macau and by 1556 they reached an agreement with the Guangzho officials which allowed the Portugese to rent this peninsula of land in return for ridding the area of marauding pirates who had plagued this stretch of coast for years. Macau grew rapidly as a trading center mostly because the Chinese were anxious to trade but were forebidden to go abroad under penalty of death. The Portugese traded silks, cotton and textiles, porcelein, spices, aromatic woods, Japanese silver, swords, lacquerware and fans in the region between west India and Japan and acted as agents for Chinese merchants. For almost 3 centuries, Macau's strategic location at the mouth of the Pearl River, meant it served as a hub in a complex network of maritime trade. Missionaries from different European religious orders entered China through Macau, making Macau a center for Christianity in the east. The colony of Macau became an outpost for all Europe in China, a post it held until the British took posession of Hong Kong in 1841 and other Chinese ports were forced to open to foreign trade. A series of disastrous skirmishes were settled through negotiation and it was not until 1887 that China recognized Portugese sovereignty over Macau. The colony turned into something of a decaying backwater once the Chinese decided they had no use for Macau and opened other ports to foreign trade. Yet the decline of Macau was stemmed by the introduction of licensed gambling, which is still its most important source of revenue. Once the Joint Declaration over Hong Kong was signed between the Chinese and British governments, it was inevitable that China would also seek a similar agreement with Portugal over the fate of Macau. Like Hong Kong, Macau is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China for 50 years following the handover of the territory, during which it supposed to enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except defence and foreign affairs. So far so good, though not without a few hiccups.

While Macau is strongly influenced by its local Chinese population, one immediately feels the precense of its Portugese colonialism. The architecture is a charming old style European. The streets are tiled, and gorgeous yellow cathedrals loom above the rooftops. Unlike in Hong Kong, much of the history and many colonial buildings have been preserved since it became a world heritage site in 2005. Signs are written in Chinese and Portugese, though many now also feature English. The landscape of Macau is dotted with numerous picturesque cathedrals, sections of the old city walls and a mount fortress. Macau's most famous landmark is the ruins of Saint Paul, an impressive baroque facade of a cathedral that was finished in 1602 and destroyed by fire during a disastrous typhoon in 1835. At that site was the first western style university in the far east. The Largo de Senado, the senate square, is a tiled open space with a fountain, surrounded by pastel-colored neo-classical buildings creating a delightful Mediterranean atmosphere. We enjoyed some fresh grilled sweets we bought from a street vendor. Dr. Sun Yat Sen practiced medicine in Macau for some years before seeking to overthrow the Qing dynasty in 1911 and a memorial house to him replaces the original house which blew up when used as an explosives store. We saw the home of a residential compound of a weathly Chinese, featuring courtyards and details that revealed the mix of cultures and materials available in this international trading center. We also saw moorish barracks, built in 1874 for an Indian regiment that served as part of Macau's police force. A temple dedicated to the goddess of the sea, known as Tin Hau in Hong Kong but as Amah in Macau, still stands from a time before the city of Macau came into existence. In fact Macau gets its name from this goddess - A-Ma-Gau, the bay of A-Ma. And one of our favorite sites was the dog WCs that were sprinkled around the city; Yes, you really read "dog WC": that's a designated potty spot for dogs, complete with graphic sign making its purpose more clear.

One of the most rewarding aspects of a visit to Macau is the exotic mixture of food that is derived from the mixing of so many cultures and heavily influenced by the vast trading territory of the Portugese. African Chicken is one of the most popular tasty entrees on offer and my personal favorite. We also sampled spicy prawns, roasted mackerel, a variety of delicious sausages, and Bacalhau, a salted cod served in a variety of ways. And of course, lots of Vinho Verde! In search of fine restaurants that could handle a table for 9 without reservations, we travelled to the other islands in Macau: Coloane and Taipa and appreciated the opportunity to see a greater part of the Macau territory. A sweetened jerky was for sale everywhere, yet we weren't that enamored with it.

Macau is known as a great gambling destination. A number of architects we know in Hong Kong have been busy with the casino building boom currently underway in Macau. We have heard that Macau has surpassed Las Vegas in gambling receipts. We saw the Sands, Wynn and other dramatic architecture or themed park style buildings, providing a marked contrast to the colonial architecture elsewhere. A father is soon to be in competition with his daughter and his son, each with their own casino under construction. We couldn't resist a stroll through the casino following the fireworks display at the end of one evening. An airless, timeless feel was notable as we watched the serious gamblers and slot machine junkies pursue the big win. Friends who once won during a visit to Macau told us how unappreciated their celebrations were as they collected their winnings in the company of others who had lost. None of us were tempted to gamble that night, however. There was too much other interesting stuff to do.

We fit quite a bit into our short visit, but it was soon time to check out with Immigration and race the 60 miles back to Hong Kong and then make our way back to Hebe Haven. The wind died, making the racing less than stellar and we were forced to motor a chunk of the way back so we wouldn't be out all night on a work night.

We have set up a blog where we can easily post updates without necessarily having to send out mailers or have Internet access. Check http://yachtvelella.blogspot.com/ to see whether we've posted an update since our last email. We often have! I just updated the blog with some things I wrote an age ago but hadn't gotten to posting yet. And I've got lots more to post if I can find some time.

Newest postings:
Chinese Customs
Life in Hong Kong
Surviving the Onslaught
Path to Enlightment
Guilin and Yangshuo, China
Indulging
Cruising the Islands
Surf's up

View our more recent photos at http://photos.yahoo.com/yachtvelella
and our older photos of our voyage at http://photos.yahoo.com/atomicsalsa

Cheers,
Wendy Hinman and Garth Wilcox
S/V Velella (Wylie 31)