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SATURDAY, AUGUST 30, 1980
CHINESE JUNK SETS SAIL FOR LONDON
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AN AUTHENTIC CHINESE SAILING JUNK WILL BE SEEN IN BRITISH WATERS FOR ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN NEARLY 150 YEARS WHEN 'KEYING !!' LEAVES THE ROYAL SOUTHERN YACHT CLUB, HAMBLE, ON MONDAY (SEPTEMBER 1) FOR AN EIGHT-DAY VOYAGE TO LONDON.
THE JUNK, SPECIALLY BUILT FOR THE 'HONG KONG IN LONDON' FESTIVAL AT BATTERSEA PARK ON THE WEEKEND OF SEPTEMBER 20-21, WILL SAIL ALONG THE SOUTH COAST TO GIVE RESIDENTS AND HOLIDAY-MAKERS AT POPULAR SEASIDE RESORTS A GLIMPSE OF A TRADITIONAL SEA-GOING CRAFT FROM THE ORIENT.
IT WAS NAMED AFTER THE JUNK KEYING', THE FIRST CHINESE VESSEL TO MAKE THE VOYAGE FROM HONG KONG TO LONDON 134 YEARS AGO, WHICH WAS VISITED BY QUEEN VICTORIA AND MANY THOUSANDS OF HER SÚBJECTS.
DURING THE FESTIVAL, KEYING I WILL BE MOORED ON CHELSEA REACH. TRADITIONAL METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIAL WERE USED TO BUILD THE 60-FOOT KEYING I AND, THOUGH IT IS NOT AN IDENTICAL TWIN OF ITS ONCE FAMOUS ANCESTOR, IT IS A CLASS OF JUNK THAT HAS NOT BEEN BUILT IN HONG KONG FOR 30 YEARS.
ON ITS VOYAGE TO LONDON, THE JUNK WILL BE CREWED BY TWO CHINESE JUNK SAILORS FROM HONG KONG AND EIGHT VOLUNTEERS FROM THE EXETER MARITIME MUSEUM WHERE THE JUNK WILL FIND A PERMANENT HOME AFTER THE FESTIVAL.
THE JUNK WILL BE SKIPPERED BY MR ROBIN RISING, RECENTLY RETIRED FROM THE ROYAL MARINES, HE HAS BEEN A SAILING ENTHUSIAST FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS BUT, LIKE THE REST OF THE BRITISH CREW, HAS NEVER BEEN ON A SAILING JUNK BEFORE.
+ IT'S QUITE A CHALLENGE+, HE SAYS.
THE TWO HONG KONG SAILORS ARE BROTHERS WONG KWAI-KWOK AND WONG KWAI-KEUNG WHO HELPED BUILD THE JUNK AT SHAU KEI WAN BOATYARD UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE IR FATHER, ONE OF THE BEST-KNOWN BOAT BUILDERS IN THE TERRITORY.
THE JUNK WAS BUILT WITH MONEY DONATED BY THE CHAIRMAN OF WORLD-WIDE SHIPPING, SIR YUE-KONG PAO, AND IT WAS SHIPPED FROM HONG KONG BY OVERSEAS CONTAINERS LIMITED (OCL).
FIREWORKS WILL BE LET OFF TO MARK THE LAUNCHING OF 'KEYING (1 ON ITS VOYAGE FROM HAMBLE TO LONDON, AND AMONG THE DIGNITARIES AT THE CEREMONY WILL BE THE HONG KONG COMMISSIONER IN LONDON, MR DAVID FORD.
DURING ITS JOURNEY TO LONDON, THE JUNK WILL MAKE OVERNIGHT STOPS AT ITCHENOR (NORTH CHICHESTER), BRIGHTON, NEWHAVEN, RYE, DOVER, RAMSGATE AND SOUTHEND.