News
Qingdao sails home to glory
By Wang Qian (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-26 08:02
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Crewmembers are celebrated after their grueling 20-day sail from Singapore. |
QINGDAO: At 6:06 pm on February 20, the yacht Qingdao crossed the finish line in its homeport to claim third place in the Singapore to Qingdao leg of the latest Clipper Round the World Race.
It was the best-ever finish for the dragon-painted yacht in its homeport since first joining the annual race in 2005.
At 10 am on the following day thousands of excited locals from all walks of life gathered at the Qindao Olympic Sailing Center to welcome the heroes home.
The first gift every sailor received was a mug of Tsingtao beer.
Skipper Chris Stanmore-Major, a 37-year-old Briton, told celebrants "the leg from Singapore to Qingdao is the most difficult part where we are at the mercy of complex weather and big waves".
"I am very proud that we arrived in our homeport today with the best result to date."
Sailing from warm tropical regions to the severe cold of northern China, sailors face a many challenges.
The Qingdao, the first boat named after a Chinese city in the clipper race, has now participated in the grueling event three times.
"My goal was to come home with a better ranking than the previous two matches," Stanmore-Major said. "I did it."
Since first he worked as a bosun's mate on a Hong Kong tall ship at the age of 18, Stanmore-Major says he "fit into sailing like a square peg in a square hole".
A long-term resident of Hong Kong, he volunteered to captain the 68-foot Qingdao.
In recent years, he has competed in every major regatta in Hong Kong and is a veteran of many important yacht races.
Nine Chinese crew
Nine of the crewmembers on the Qingdao are Chinese selected from nearly 100 applicants nationwide. They work in professions ranging from a national-level public servant to manager and undergraduate. Four of them - Zhang Lizhong, Li Tiewa, Tangzhen and Yu Haiyang - served on the Singapore-Qingdao leg.
"I am as proud I can be one of the crewmembers," said 27-year-old Zhang, who has participated in many international sailing races.
"Everyone did great job during the voyage under adverse conditions," he said. "I learned not only sailing skills from the crew, but also about various aspects of life - like making British tea and food as well as adjusting myself to the pace onboard."
"Li Tiewa performed his duty well. He can speak perfect English and has good sailing skills," the captain said.
"The leg from Western Australia was the part of the race I most looked forward to," Li said. "I am very happy I could take part on behalf of our homeland."
Despite having no professional sailing training before the race, Tang Zhen and Yu Haiyang also made their mark.
"You gave me two boys, but I brought back two real men," said Stanmore-Major.
(China Daily 02/26/2010 page24)
