The fly fabric is extremely waterproof 30D 280T Ripstop Nylon, coated silicone on one side, PU the other, pressure tested to 70+kPa waterproofness (the testing equipment maxed out at 70kPa with zero leakage (normally tents leak between 15 and 20kPa) and seam sealed. The Pantone colour is 15-5519TPX Turquoise. The inner is 68gsm 190T water-resistant breathable polyester, the mesh is no-see-um. The inner and fly can be erected together, or fly-only. The poles are red DAC Featherlite NSL and the guy lines are 1mm Spectra. YKK zips, gear loft, pockets, extra reinforcing, small stitching, and a light hook.

They normally ship with aluminium pegs, but they do have a very good source for a range of titanium pegs – They say there didn’t seem much point in saving a few grams of weight when the fly fabric wasn’t light, but they do have that option available. Spare patches of all fabrics included.

Bath-tub style floor, dimensions: 2300 x 1400 x 150mm with reinforced corners. Large, overhanging twin vestibules you can cook in, storm skirts on all the vents, and the vents can be closed down.

Please find attached some images of their tent (style name: ‘Magellan’). They show the tent itself, details of the storm vents (there are 4, 1 for each vent), the fly tensioners (again, 4), and one of the interior showing the gear loft and light hook.

Now it’s back to work again, and making plans for business and travel. Next month the Shanghai Boat and Yacht Club will have their annual general meeting, and as it looks now I will make myself available for another year on the committee.

In April I will go to Durban, South Africa for about a month, to finish ‘Waratah’ and hopefully sail her this time. I am busy making all the necessary preparations.

The days are getting longer again, and slowly it gets warmer too. Be good to the Tiger, and the Tiger will be good to you!

As an iPhone user I am happy that there is now also an app for Windfinder. There are two versions, that both can be downloaded from the iTones app store. One version is free, the other costs USD 1.99. The only difference being that the free version has advertising, and the paid version not.

The huge boulders scattered around the hills of the outlying islands have stood for more than 100,000 years. But someone, somewhere in Hong Kong’s vast bureaucracy, believes they may suddenly roll down the slopes and injure hikers.

And so to that truly Hong Kong solution – concrete and paint.

One instance of such work is the hiking trail that cuts along a slope in Tung O, Lamma Island. Large boulders along the trail increase the beauty of the landscape that has been designated an area of special scientific interest.

But now concrete slabs, painted light blue, have been pegged under some of the boulders. Short concrete barriers have been built in front of the rocks.

Does it help hikers better enjoy the scenic beauty?

No, says Laura Ruggeri, chairwoman of Living Lamma, a local conservation group. “[These works] are tantamount to vandalism. It is totally out of proportion,” she said.

“The area is uninhabited and intensive development would not be permitted under the current land zoning restrictions.”

Young Ng Chun-yeong, chairman of the Association for Geoconservation, said the granite boulders were naturally formed by weathering over at least 100,000 years. “[It may take] another 10,000 or more years to break down to smaller pieces [as it is].”

Spokeswomen for the Development Bureau and the Home Affairs Department say they are trying to find out why the work was carried out and who is responsible.

If the concrete slabs are intended to stop the boulders from rolling downhill, it won’t work, Ng says. “They may never roll downhill unless there’s an earthquake or a really heavy downpour which may trigger a massive landslide, [and under such circumstances] the whole area will collapse because of the landslide.”

Hikers are miffed. “[They] destroy the natural beauty of the location for all hikers for centuries to come. It is truly a shame,” said Melanie Moore of the Lung Fu Shan Environmental Concern Group.

Ruggeri, a regular hiker in the Alps, says there are better ways to secure maintain slopes, such as using plants and wood. The work on Lamma Island reflects a lack of awareness and understanding of aesthetics among the city’s engineers and contractors, she says.

“Hong Kong should learn from others. The [United Nations] Food and Agriculture Organisation organises conferences [on slope maintenance] that are attended by forest experts from around the world, China included. [But] my friend, who attends these events, told me he never met any Hong Kong delegates.”

Ruggeri said concerns were raised with a district councillor, but she felt the councillor was more interested in pursuing more of these minor public works to keep contractors busy.

“These are jobs for the boys,” she said. “If the government has money to pay the contractors, it may as well pay them to do their work properly.”

Another nice feature is the availability of wind statistics for most locations. The distribution of wind speed and direction can be seen for every month of the year.

For selected locations, mainly USA and NW Europe, also information on tides is provided.

It’s great to be away from the city and enjoy clean air, blue skies and silence. I will definitely be back here soon.