It’s 4pm on a Friday and staff at Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC) have just received
news that a typhoon is heading towards Hong Kong.
Rapidly informing hundreds of boat owners of the danger and any actions they need to take
would be almost impossible for some clubs, but that’s not the case for the RHKYC team
thanks to a smart software system that helps keep operations running smoothly and its
1,000 locally based boat owners informed.
The club’s Marine Manager Alan Reid said the PacsoftNG system the club uses is being
harnessed by a growing number of boatyards, marinas and medium- and large-sized yacht
clubs around the world because of its comprehensive set of features.
“The software allows us to manage many aspects of the Club and easily send out an email
alert to every boating member with an individual berth, mooring or hardstanding space”.
In the case of a typhoon, quickly communicating any danger or required actions are essential
because there’s often someone abroad who is unaware of the upcoming typhoon and it’s
vital that boat owners secure their boats to avoid damage, Reid said.
PacsoftNG’s membership communications features also simplify the club’s day-to-day
operations by making it easy to find individual members’ email addresses and send them
personalised messages directly; such as information about an issue with their boat or an
update about mooring maintenance in their part of the marina or mooring field.
“It makes life a lot easier for us because we can send reminder emails, instructions or
information to a limited set of people.”
Reid said prior to the club introducing PacsoftNG in 2007 there was no marina-management
software in place to handle communications to its vast membership. Now Pacsoft’s software
takes care of many key operational functions, automating repetitive tasks that used to be
processed manually and bringing the management of the club, which traces its history back
to 1849, firmly into the 21st century.
Every boat with an engine in Hong Kong must be licensed by the government and insured by
the owner. Yacht clubs in Hong Kong play an important role in this process by sending out
reminders and gathering the required paperwork from their membership.
Reid said the reminders and follow ups the club sends to its members used to be a laborious
process, handled manually, but it was now all automated and managed by PacsoftNG.
“It’s amazing”.
The club is spread over three locations in Hong Kong, with Kellett Island in Causeway Bay –
the main location for racing, Shelter Cove near Sai Kung harbouring cruisers and Middle
Island near Repulse Bay being the base for dinghy sailors, rowing and sail training. In all,
there are over 15,000 members living locally and abroad.
PacsoftNG simplifies the complexity of managing berth rentals across these locations, as
well as handling batch invoicing and managing membership records. The versatile software
system also helps the club manage the extensive range of professional boatyard services it
offers, including all the associated quoting, invoicing and communications involved.
“The future looks bright for the club for sailing and rowing, including paddling,” Reid said.
“We’re training an increasing amount of children and adults and encouraging more people to
take to the water to try the sports out. Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club encompasses a large
training centre with 80 dinghies and a fleet of 28 RIBs on hand to use for rowing and sailing
training.”
With the wind in its sails the club continues to be an international hub of sailing and rowing
competition. It’s the biggest regular race event is the Around the Island Race; a 26 nautical mile
race around Hong Kong Island that welcomes an average of more than 1,500 participants in
more than 200 boats. Hong Kong Race Week is the club’s signature dinghy sailing event
with over 240 competitors from over nine countries and regions racing over three days in
215 boats earlier this year.
Major international events on the horizon being hosted by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club
include the 2026 Dragon World Championships, the Etchells World Championships in 2027
and the Flying 15 World Championships in 2028.
