STAR FERRY
The Star Ferry has been plying the short route between Hong Kong island and the Kowloon mainland since colonial times. It is the cheapest way to make the journey.
The sea breeze blows through the historic open plan boats. Views of the Hong Kong skyline are excellent in the afternoon, when the sun illuminates it. Walk on the boardwalk on the Kowloon side at the end of the day and at night to see the lights.
Sit on the Star Ferry and look around in 360-degrees!
The ferry service in its early days charged five cents per person. The fare is still comparatively inexpensive when considering other methods of cross-harbour transportation.
The history of the great Star Ferry has by no means been crisis-free. Its sevice was hit hard in September 1906 by an almost unexpected typhoon which took away two vessels and left the Kowloon pier beyond repair. The devastation subsequently led the company to reconstruct the ferry wharf using a new design ¡V being parallel instead of perpendicular to the praya. The new layout allowed ferries to berth without loss of time and unnecessary wastage of coal.
The Japanese invasion in 1941 marked the longest halt of the ferry service. Despite the intense shooting and shelling, the company did manage to run the ferries up to 10am on 12th December under the control of the British Army to evacuate refugees, troops and key personnel from the Kowloon peninsula. The service was then suspended for the following forty-four months.
Liberation came at a price. In 1946, the Star Ferry found itself bereaved of three vessels with two others having to return to the dockyard. Subsequent to this, the company operated a joint inner harbour service with the Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry for a period of several months.
In the years of 1966 and 1967 the first of the public services affected by Territory-wide disturbances. The political turmoil resulted in the suspension of the company¡¦s Hunghom service, which was resumed quite some time later.
However, just like its fleet of sturdy sea ships, the Star Ferry managed to retain its stability even in the most incliement weather. From the original four single-deck vessels propelled by a single coal-fired boiler, the ferry fleet has evolved to comprise twelve diesel-electric vessels. The two newest additions in 1989, the 750-seat ¡§Golden Star¡¨ and ¡§World Star¡¨ can accommodate two hundred more passengers than the traditional ferries and has an air-conditioned upper deck cabin. Now, all ferries in the fleet have an air-conditioned upper deck cabin.
