Floating History and Nostalgia

Beautifully refurbished with New York Loft-style industrial decor, Hong Kong’s only privately owned Star Ferry as a price tag of £1.9m. 

As one of Hong Kong’s most affordable attractions, the Star Ferry fleet is renowned and loved by locals and tourists worldwide. The iconic boats, which ferry people between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, have long been one of the city's most famous - and most photographed - symbols. 

The Golden Star Ferry Yacht takes this love to another level. 

Just one single Star Ferry has ever been sold into private hands following the discontinuation of a cross-harbour ferry line due to the expansion of the MTR subway in 2022. Since then, the owner has painstakingly converted into a luxurious yacht named Golden Star - a incredible transformation from when the U.K.-built boat started life in 1988 for the mass transportation of 762 passengers. 

Today the luxurious Golden Star Ferry Yachthas hit the market at £1.9million after being cared for by the anonymous Hong Kong owner who has a deep, nostalgic connection to the ferry system. It is understood to have worked in Hung Hom and regularly commuted via Star Ferry and so created the floating mansion with 6,000 square feet of living space during his decade of ownership.  

That space includes four state rooms, offices, an on-board movie theatre, a formal dining room, rooftop spots for sunbathing and a living room that is reportedly home to Hong Kong's single biggest sofa. There's also space for a 14-foot-tall Christmas tree every year. 

Run on solar power and harnessing waste water to make it fully self-sufficient, the Golden Star Ferry Yacht - dubbed DOT by its owner - also has air conditioning to ensure comfort during Hong Kong’s humid summers.  Transport fans will notice the ferry has undergone a change of colour, from the white and dark green that is synonymous with the Star Ferry fleet due to the surplus of dark-green paint the British army had left over from World War II.  

These days, DOT is all-white, with the 154ft (47m) long vessel moored on the beautiful Tai Tam inlet. Spread around 6,000 square feet of living space and across three decks are four en-suite staterooms that can sleep up to eight guests, with each room boasting a bath and standing shower. The kitchen/dining area has large sliding doors that open up on both sides to allow a 'really good sea breeze to waft through the boat when temperatures get too much'.

The former ferry's roof is used for outdoor dining and sunbathing with its former first-class landing platforms converted into half-moon balconies. 

The owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: ''We didn't want to fight her industrial history, but rather to celebrate it. These goals drove much of the layout.'  

The interior style is New York loft-style, which the owner is particularly fond of: 'I have had an obsession with old brick industrial buildings for many years. I love industrial furnishings, rust and elegant dilapidation. 

'My home in London has much of this, with beds built from factory workstations, a weaver's block, and a book press. We have the oldest wallpaper in London, from the 18th century, which is little more than rusty pegs and torn remains, but there is great beauty in age and ruin. 

'DOT is heavy, robust, and wide-hipped. I think a sleek shiny look would not suit her! What's the expression? Mutton dressed as lamb? She had to dress to her strengths! Her old well-worn thick teak floors and copious steel speak to a factory more than an elegant home.'  

The boat has a 10,000 nautical mile range, with a top speed of nine knots and a cruising speed of seven knots. It has one MAN 6L 730 HP, 900 RPM engine - and coukd potentially reach Australia with her 100,000-litre fuel tanks.  

Included in the asking price is an AB Semi-Rigid inflatable with an 8hp Mercury outboard engine, three spare hp outboard engines and a mooring in Tai Tam Bay. 

'This boat has been about my three wonderful children,’ the owner added.  

‘Watching them jump from the roof into the sea; stargazing with them top side; games of charades as the sunsets after dinner. 

'She was designed to create great memories for my children, and she has delivered them in spades’.

All boats in the Star Ferry fleet have the word "Star" in their name. There are two remaining routes - between Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) at the southern tip of Kowloon and Central Piers on Hong Kong Island, and between TST and Wan Chai. The three neighbourhoods are home to a large percentage of Hong Kong's hotels, meaning that a ride on the ferry is both scenic and convenient.