Qingdao crew bests Americans in local sailing bout

The Argonavis Sailing Club Qingdao from China's sailing capital won the FAREAST 28R class in 10-team Group A during the ongoing Jiuzhou Cup Blue Route Sailing Championship in Zhuhai.

Sunsail and SMW Racing yachting crews from the United States took second and third positions respectively.

It took about three hours to complete the eight sea mile round-trip cruise between Haibin Beach in Jida and waterways around Yeli Island in Xiangzhou. The task was to use domestically made FAREAST 28R sailboats to bypass three buoys, each marking the end of the windward, crosswind, and downwind sections.

According to Gao Guibin, a sailing coach from Jiuzhou Navigation Culture, sports boats with unified design were provided by the organizing committee and have important equipment such as masts, riggings, and deck fittings.

Group B racing was held in the late afternoon of Nov 21, with nine teams out-surfing domestic and foreign competitors to be crowned winners. Altogether, more than 100 sailing enthusiasts from around the world are taking part in the Zhuhai-pioneered competition, which runs through Nov 24.

Teamwork during sailing competition [Photo by Zhu Xi / Zhuhai Daily]

Spectators obtained the best viewing angles at Jiuzhou Port, Yeli Island, and Haibin and Lingjiaozui beaches with the sailboats being easier to see due to larger hulls and sails.

The FAREAST 28R is an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) approved with One-Design class. It is a well-designed, easy to handle, and high-performance uniform racing sailboat. Even with a length of 28 ft, the keelboats can easily reach the maximum speed of 20 knots. Meanwhile, the cabin-launched asymmetric spinnaker makes sail handling easy for a crew of four to six, as does the simple and clean deck layout.

The skipper is "commander-in-chief" who issues orders while also serving as helmsman on the quarter. The bowman with mobility skills has to handle ropes, and change and adjust sails on the bow. Sailing trimmers hailed as the engine of boats take varied missions required in different positions, with their concentration kept on the flying sails from beginning to end. The process entails coordination with the helmsmen and is directly linked to the completion of the target set by the skipper, according to Gao.