Aqua Luna

Cheung Po Tsai
Aqua Luna Cheung Po Tsai in 2009
History
 Hong KongHong Kong
Name: 張保仔 (Cheung Po Tsai)
Owner: Aqua Restaurant Group[1]
Launched: January 2006[2]
General characteristics
Length: 28 m (92 ft)[3]
Propulsion: Motorised (sails are decorative)[4]
Sail plan: Junk rig
Complement:
  • 80 passengers
  • Unknown crew

The Aqua Luna, known in Cantonese as the Cheung Po Tsai (张保仔), is a Chinese Junk operating in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. It was launched in 2006, and while it is named the Aqua Luna in English, in Cantonese it is named after the 19th-century Chinese pirate Cheung Po Tsai.[1]

Construction

The Aqua Luna was built from scratch; it took a Hong Kong craftsman 18 months to construct using traditional shipbuilding methods under the supervision of a 73-year-old shipbuilder.[1][5] It is owned by the Aqua Restaurant Group, and was launched in 2006 with a party on top of a building at Pier Four, in Hong Kong. It has two decks which offer 1,500 square feet (140 m2) with an upper deck cabin[1] with sofas[6] and a lower deck saloon. The ship can accommodate 80 passengers in addition to the crew.[1] It is 28 metres (92 ft) long, and has three crimson sails arranged in a junk rig style. However, the sails are purely decorative, and the barge is motorised.[4][7] It costs up to HK$80,000 to rent.[5]

Use

The ship is used for pleasure cruises around Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, with stops at Tsim Sha Tsui, Central, Wan Chai and Hung Hom during the day and Central and Tsim Sha Tsue in the evening. It is also used for day tours to Stanley on weekends,[1] as well as Aberdeen, Cheung Chau Island[6] and Joss House Bay since 2011.[3] It has featured in magazines, on postcards, and in Hong Kong TV shows.[8] In 2011, to mark World Aids Day, the ship was used by Aids Concern for a "Sail in Red" day; students from Li Po Chun United World College were invited aboard and talks were given about the disease.[9]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aqua Luna.
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Harbour Tours - Hong Kong Extras". Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  2. ↑ "Group's long march to success". South China Morning Post. 10 September 2010. p. 14. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Iconic junk Aqua Luna launches sailings around Stanley". 15 May 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  4. 1 2 Kurosawa, Susan (23 March 2013). "The joys of a harbour crossing". Weekend Australian. p. 3.
  5. 1 2 Sun, Andrew (27 January 2006). "Aqua's new investment sets sail for business". South China Morning Post. p. 2. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Riding a Hong Kong Junk". Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  7. ↑ "All aboard to drink in the sights". Hong Kong Trader. 1 July 2006. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  8. ↑ "Aqua Luna (Traditional Chinese junk)". All About Hong Kong. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  9. ↑ "Red ribbon day". South China Morning Post. 2 December 2011. p. 4.
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