SAILING TAKE ENTHUSIASTS IN TO NUMBERS THE WATER
Young participants eager to show their competitive skills
Xu Chunyang has become accustomed to the sound of water buffeting the hull of his sailboat on Jinhai Lake in Pinggu district, northeast Beijing.
The 42-year-old construction manager at an ice and snow sports company in the Chinese capital, who took up sailing in 2017, said he is excited when he steps aboard his boat in search of “new adventures”.
He said sailing inspires awe, is akin to entering an unknown world, and brings those taking to the water closer to nature.
“Each time you sail, you take a break from everyday life. Sailing provides enjoyment that’s hard to find in day-to-day living, but learning the sport requires patience,” Xu added.
He began studying sailing after he was given the chance to take a sailboat trip from Tianjin port, and quickly became engrossed in the sport. During weekends, Xu has learned sailing theory, and acquired practical experience and an understanding of how different parts of a sailboat function.
In September, he and four teammates finished third in the 2022 Beijing International Sailing Competition held on Jinhai Lake.
Sailing is becoming increasingly popular in Beijing, with participants attracted to locations such as Jinhai Lake and the Gui River in Yanqing district. Compared with other water sports such as kayaking and paddleboarding, sailing is safer and covers a wider area of water. A number of sailing competitions are now staged regularly in Beijing and areas close to the city.
According to the General Administration of Sport of China, the number of people taking part in sports in the nation is growing rapidly and is estimated to reach more than 500 million by 2025. More participants are taking up trendy sports such as sailing, skateboarding and skiing.
The Chinese Yachting Association estimates that nearly 100,000 people nationwide go sailing regularly, and about 10,000 become interested in the sport every year.
The Beijing Yachting Association, which was founded last year, promotes sailing and has expanded the talent pool for the sport. Universities and colleges in the capital have also launched sailing clubs and teams, among them the Tsinghua Sailing Association.
Mind over matter
Wang Haigang, 41, an architect who designs ski centers, became interested in sailing, and trained with instructors at almost the same time as Xu, the construction manager.
“It’s like training for a soccer game, where teamwork between players and confrontation with the opposition matter the most. The entire sailing process is about learning,” Wang said.
Sailing is largely for leisure, but mastering the tactics can be mentally challenging and affect every racing experience.
“A strong wind brings speed and added enjoyment for sailors, but when there is no wind, they are still in a hurry, and that’s where sailing challenges the mind. A positive mental approach is usually the difference between victory or defeat in a competition,” Wang said.
“It is important for sailors to remain calm. Due to variable winds, you have to change course and stay focused all the time, which requires both physical and mental strength.”
A crew of two or more typically pilots a sailboat at different times, which requires a high degree of teamwork based on wind direction.
A sailboat should be steered into a headwind so that the crew can pilot the vessel smoothly.
“Sailing into the wind requires tacking, and the crew must decide the number of headwind turns needed to sail against the wind,” Wang said. Tacking is a basic maneuver in which a boat’s bow is moved into the wind to change the vessel’s direction.
“More turns mean a loss of speed and time, while fewer turns or tacks require longer voyages. Usually, the sailboat’s bow is turned toward and into the wind, with a series of zigzag moves enabling the vessel to be sailed in the desired direction,” Wang said.
Winning a sailing competition is important for Wang, but what makes the sport attractive and unique for him is taking part in every sailing competition he is able to enter, and facing numerous challenges on the water.
“Sometimes, practicing sailing on a lake is less effective in improving your ability than joining sailboat competitions,” Wang added.
For a competition typically staged over two or three days, Wang said he and his teammates often relax between events to get themselves in a good mood before setting sail again.
In September, Wang and Xu went camping around Jinhai Lake during a break between the first and second day of a sailing competition.
“Retaining a positive mental attitude during a competition enables you to candidly assess the situation and gain a sense of achievement when you pass other participants through sheer determination,” Wang said.
Xu, who takes part in sailing competitions with Wang, said the interaction between teammates is what he loves most about the sport.
“I took up sailing because I am interested in it. I’ve spent a lot of energy, effort and money on the sport, and had discussions with friends and partners who are also interested in it so that we could study sailing together,” Xu said. “Only through discussions can we improve more quickly and pursue higher goals.”
Contact with nature
Xu has been an avid sailor for the past three years — taking time out from his work to pursue the sport, and spending nearly every weekend from May to November taking to the water. He also enjoys other water sports such as paddleboarding and kayaking.
“When you take up an outdoor water pursuit, you are part of nature, and I believe this is the best way to connect with nature,” Xu said.
In addition to improving physical fitness, sailing enables participants to familiarize themselves with the natural environment.
“You gain a much clearer picture of yourself. As each year goes by, the world you explore grows bigger, and you realize how small you are and that you should be humble and respect nature,” Xu added.
Lakes in Beijing provide perfect settings for people to take up sailing, and also help popularize the sport, according to Xu.
Accessible to all
Sailing, which originated in the Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries, was introduced to China in the 1950s.
In 1954, competitive sailing events were launched in the port city of Qingdao, Shandong province.
Four years later, in Hubei province, a sailing performance competition was held on Donghu Lake, Wuhan, in 1958, with competitors coming from that area, Shanghai, Qingdao, Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, and Harbin, the Heilongjiang provincial capital.
In 1980, China held its first sailing championship, with such competitions being staged every year ever since.
When the Qingdao International Regatta 2006 was staged in August that year — the first trial event for the 2008 Olympic sailing competition — the sport was attracting ever-increasing attention, according to the Chinese Yachting Association.
Sailing clubs and associations promoted development of the sport, with training taking place mainly in coastal provinces and cities such as Shandong, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Hainan and Shanghai, as well as in Hubei.
Training for the Optimist Class sailboat, a single-handed dinghy used by those in the 7 to 16 age group, has also grown rapidly nationwide in recent years. Such courses are held at athletics schools in coastal cities such as Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang, and Xiamen, Fujian.
Queena Liu is among the young sailors who have trained for the Optimist Class sailboat. She began learning entry-level sailing in Beijing in 2020, when she was 10. She said the training opened the doors to a new world for her.
During the summer vacation that year, she attended a sailing camp in southwest Beijing. Instead of living at home in a downtown apartment with her parents in Dongcheng district, she stayed at the camp for two weeks with her peers, studying sailboat theory, identification of wind direction, and tacking skills.
Queena is bright, spirited and willing to explore any new sport. The camp she attended is based at a sailing training center launched by Zhai Mo, a wellknown Chinese navigator, and it has been staged at the center every summer since 2019.
When summer arrived in 2020, Queena packed her bags, before being driven to the sailing center by her mother. She then set sail on the lake.
Queena enjoys staying at the camp with other children, where she helps them improve their sailing skills.
“When sailing on the lake, I have to determine which way the wind is blowing, in order to control my boat based on any change in wind direction, which is great,” Queena said. “I like this feeling, and when summer ends, I look forward to my next sailing trip.”
Now a junior high school freshman at Beijing No 2 Middle School, Queena said her classmates have taken up a range of sports.
“Some have learned horse-riding, while others go skiing or skating in winter. I don’t view sailing as a sport with limited access, but I do hope to continue sailing for a long time and spend more time training,” she said.
Queena also took part in the Beijing International Sailing Regatta on Jinhai Lake on Sept 11 and 12. As one of three young female sailors, the competition made her aware of her shortcomings in the sport.
“A young contestant was ahead of me in the race. He had all the techniques required for sailing — even learning a new skill during the competition by watching other participants. I couldn’t match that, but I hope that next year I attain a good ranking in the competition,” Queena said.
Parent-child activity
Fan Guotao, a trainer at the Zhai Mo International Sailing Center in Beijing, said the number of people taking up the sport rose significantly in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic saw more families seek interesting and accessible sports in and around the capital.
“Dozens of primary and secondary school students took part in our sailing camps in 2019, but the number rose to more than 100 in the summer of 2020, and over 200 young participants took up sailing this year,” Fan said.
Families in Beijing have also started to view sailing as a way to nurture closer parent-child relationships.
Xu, the construction manager who sails at Jinhai Lake, said his two children — one in junior high school and the other at primary school — are taking Optimist Class training.
“My daughter, who is in primary school, has taken part in several sailing regattas with me. I don’t expect to train her as a professional competitive sailor, but I hope to expand her horizons and get her to know more about nature,” Xu said.
“A competitive sport is not that easy, and learning to protect yourself is important. I hope my kids master the skills, view sailing as a rewarding activity, and fully enjoy this sport.”
Each time you sail, you take a break from everyday life. Sailing provides enjoyment that’s hard to find in day-to-day living, but learning the sport requires patience.”
Xu Chunyang, construction manager in Beijing