EMPTY ISLANDS

ATTEMPTING TO CRUISE WHERE FEW VISITING YACHTS SAIL, CAMERON DUECK IS CHALLENGED BY SOUTH KOREA

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The sea around us was filled with orange and yellow buoys, causing my imagination to go wild with visions of fouled propellers and angry aqua farmers. The markers rose and fell with the swell like a coloured carpet that glowed in the grey, rain-filtered light.

Ahead of us, Jehoon Yee beckoned us to follow the route he was taking aboard his small yacht, Frog. “I hope he’s sure about this route. Look, that ferry is taking a different route through the farms,” I called to Fiona, who was standing on the bow for better visibility.

I followed Frog’s stern as closely as I thought was safe, matching Jehoon’s every twist and turn as he led us through the gauntlet of ropes, nets and buoys.

We were about to enter Yokjido, a small island fishing port in the Hallyeohaesang National Marine Park off the coast of South Korea. We'd sailed about 20 miles from Tongyeong - a journey that began in light winds and flat seas, then turned to strong gusts which had me scrambling to ease out the mainsheet, and ended with a dousing of rain as we neared our destination.

Through it all I kept Jehoon in my sights, following his path through the rocky islands and past bays filled with fish farms.

I'd met Jehoon on the docks of the Tongyeong Yacht School, where his Yamaha 30 was moored near Teng Hoi, our Hallberg-Rassy 42F. He was deeply tanned and a mischievous glint in his eye contradicted his otherwise serious demeanour. Foreign visiting yachts were rare here, and after asking the usual questions about where we were from, Jehoon invited us to join him on a weekend sail.

Jehoon also helped us file the paperwork the local authorities required even for this short cruise - a cumbersome process we were still struggling to master.