Five mainland leisure yachts arrived in Hong Kong waters around noon on Friday, docking at the Lantau Yacht Club to mark the official inaugural sailing of the southbound yacht travel initiative between Guangdong and the territory.
The vessels arrived in succession, representing the first batch of pleasure craft to enter the city under the cross-boundary travel program.
The inaugural fleet vessels feature three from Shenzhen, one from Nansha and one from Zhuhai.
The visiting yachts range in length between 13 meters and 38 meters.
To mark the milestone, the Hong Kong Marine Department and supporting organizations deployed vessels to welcome the arriving fleet on the water, sounding their ship horns in salute as the yachts approached the marina.
Marine Department Deputy Director of Marine Shi Qiang was on site to receive the skippers and crew members, shaking hands with the mariners as they stepped ashore at the Lantau Island marina.
