Casting off for a luxury life afloat (hktdc.com)


	Far East Marine founder Stuart Walker, his wife Kylie and two of their three children on the spa deck

	Life is sweet in the Walker family's floating home, a luxury 59 ft motor cruiser moored at Sai Kung

	The boat's dining room seats 12 in comfort and commands 360 degree views

Home for Stuart Walker and his family is a salubrious, five bedroom, two bathroom abode with designer décor and luxury appointments.

The enterprising Australian enjoys all the trappings of success that relocating to Hong Kong often brings. And while the thought of inner-city living held little appeal, in Hong Kong there are lots of alternatives. The Walkers have joined a growing band of contented homeowners who have swapped their land base for a life afloat.

Stuart and his wife Kylie had lived in a few different apartments in Hong Kong, but say the boat life "wins hands down". "We have no common walls, no renovations going on, and have a constant 360 degree view," Mr Walker said. "With the sea breeze it's always a few degrees cooler in summer, and there are no mozzies or bugs. We have a really pleasant, light-filled environment and we can relocate our house to a nice bay for a couple of days if we please."

The Walkers' 59ft (18 m.) motor cruiser is moored in Sai Kung, at one of Hong Kong's many marinas. Making the most of the sub-tropical climate, they love to gather up friends and cast off the lines for an outing to a secluded beach, or host dinner parties in their 12-seat, deck-high dining room overlooking the city lights and mountain peaks.

Safety first

In designing their new boat, the Walkers put creature comforts and good internal space high on their list. But as parents of (now) three young children, safety was their key priority.

"We have high rails around the boat and deadlocks on the outside doors to stop the kids going out unsupervised," Mr Walker said. "They get used to living onboard very quickly but we must keep our guard up when they are outside. When we were going through the decision process on building a boat or buying or renting a villa or apartment, we considered very carefully the safety aspects of each. In reality, there are pitfalls in each. Living on a boat with kids is like living in a high rise apartment with a balcony. If you have the door open, you obviously have got to watch what they are up to."

The design worked so well that in 2006, Mr Walker set up his own company, Far East Marine, with the aim of providing good quality, well priced liveaboard boats as a housing alternative in Hong Kong. Since then his business model has expanded to include building a range of motor cruisers suited to offshore waters.

"We are just finalising the plans of our first two models of 60ft and 65ft cruisers. They are being designed by a European naval architect and we anticipate construction of the first boat to begin in the final quarter of this year. These boats will be equally suitable as long term liveaboard boats and have the ability to cruise long distances. We are very excited about this new product," Mr Walker said.

HK/PRD model

The boats' main construction is done in a shipyard in Dongguan, southern China, under the supervision and quality control of Wing Ming Shipyard, Hong Kong. They are then brought to Hong Kong for the final detailing, commissioning and testing.

"Building in China is great because there are some very talented tradesmen at the yard and the price is highly competitive," Mr Walker said. "The convenience to Hong Kong also makes for easy supervision of the projects."

Even though boatbuilding is a competitive field, Mr Walker is confident of the market for a good quality, well-priced product that has the ability to live on board for long periods and cruise distances. "It is a competitive market but we believe that our existing product and the new line of liveaboard cruisers we are designing will find their place in the market. We already have some good interest from the concept drawings we have had done and we are looking forward to launching our new product on the water next year."

Meanwhile, Stuart, Kylie and toddlers Harley, Lara and Maia continue to enjoy their life afloat. "We have a well finished off modern home that has a fantastic view and is multipurpose (house and boat), and gives us a great standard of living for a fraction of the cost of buying a villa or apartment of the same internal space and finish," Mr Walker said. "It was definitely a lifestyle choice, but we have five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a study, full kitchen, large living room and 12-seat dining room. That fact that we can enjoy this at the marina or a beautiful bay is a bonus."