Chinese sailor Guo Chuan finished his circumnavigation challenge in 137 days, 20 hours, 1 minute and 57 seconds as he piloted his Class 40 boat to the Olympic Sailing Center in east China’s Qingdao on the morning of April 5. The completion of the global voyage made him the first Chinese sailor that succeeded in sailing single-handed and non-stop around the world.
Crédit : Guo Chuan
Soon after Guo crossed the finish line, he lit the fireworks onboard and waved hands to thousands of people cheering for him on boats and on the land. Only a few meters shy of the pontoon, Guo jumped into the sea and swam to his wife and two sons, who had been waiting here for Yacht Qingdao’s arrival for a couple of hours. “In comparison with 137 days, I find the last few hours particularly hard to withstand”, said Xiao Li, Guo’s wife.
Amid crowds of people and media, Guo took the central stage and spoke in joy, excitement and tears.
“I’m so on the top of the world. It’s such an unbelievable moment. 137 days ago, I wouldn’t have imagined I could have a moment like this. It is a moment that could only happen in a dream.
“I want to show my most profound gratitude to my family, my sponsors and my support team. I’d also like to thank the winds that came all the way with me, for their help to propel the boat back home but not for the troubles they made”, Guo said in his speech to the cheerful crowd.
Since the 48-year-old sailor left his hometown Qingdao on November 18, 2012, he has rounded Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope, crossed the equator twice, and sailed across the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean in a row. Guo Chuan sailed across the Sund Strait of Indonesia before he moved on to the South China Sea and returned to Qingdao eventually.
The adventurer’s global route passed through the most dangerous waters on the planet and exceeds a distance of 21,600 miles, the benchmark that validates a circumnavigation in accordance with the rules of the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC), an official governing body of sailing records under the International Sailing Federation.
The result of Guo Chuan’s round the world trip will be delivered to WSSRC for confirmation. Should it be approved, the announcement will be made in the middle of April and Guo will be honored as the record holder of Class 40 circumnavigation.
Guo Chuan : " I must be the happiest man in the world today."
"I am extremely happy today. I have not seen so many people for such a long time. And today I saw so many, so many relatives, friends, fellow countrymen. I must be the happiest man in the world today.
It is difficult to describe my feeling at the moment. It is still like a dream, I feel like being in a dream. Sometimes during the journey, I do not know if I could go home. In Cape Horn, when I could not see anything in the wave, I felt it might be too far to go back. Several days ago in Taiwan Strait, I suspected if I could go home with the boat safely. But finally, it is all over.
I have to say many many thanks to my family, my friends, my sponsors. But I'd like to say 'THANK YOU' to the wind as well. For the whole journey, wind is always accompanying me. It is fighting with me, it is driving me back home."
From Guo Chuan
