First Time Entry Shanghai Seeks Crew 首次参赛的上海号正招募船员

Photo credit : Shanghai at the China Cup 上海號在中國杯比賽時的情況(CHINA CUP/Studio Borlenghi)

The third Chinese entry in the 2018 Rolex China Sea Race has been received from Hanse 575, Shanghai.

Shanghai’s owner and skipper, Zhu Li Xiong is a veteran sailor with 33 years of experience and he will be joined on the Race by a core crew of eight ranging in age from 28 to 35. The team have participated in a slew of top races in China including the China Cup, Round Hainan Regatta, Taihu Cup Sailing Regatta, Liuzhou Cup and the Si’nan Cup Regatta. They have also raced at the King’s Cup in Thailand.

This will be the first time Shanghai will compete in the Rolex China Sea Race.

“We have been following the Rolex China Sea Race for years, and with an increase in Chinese entries in the last few editions and great reviews and encouragement from Li Li a passionate Chinese sailor and integral part of DongFeng Volvo Ocean Race Management Team, we have entered! We trust her professional judgement and look forward to competing.” said Zhu Li Xiong.

With only seven months to go until the start of the race and a call out on one of China’s major social media platforms, WeChat, Zhu is on the search for new Chinese crew to join his team. Zhu commented, “In the lead up to the race we will setup a series of special training for our crew and enter various races in China including the Shanghai Dianshan Lake Race.

Zhu acknowledges the challenges before him, saying “the Rolex China Sea Race is a Category 1 Offshore Race which is quite different from the races we have taken part in before. We would like to increase our offshore experience and we are expecting that this offshore race will bring us a lot of excitement. In addition, it is our honour to be able to meet international sailors and we can’t wait to share our experience with them.”

Zhu agrees that Mainland China is still in a start up position in competitive yachting compared to Hong Kong and Europe and adds that Chinese sailors need more professional training and time to learn from experience. They are pleased that the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club has launched a WeChat social media platform which they believe will reach more Chinese sailors who would love to know more about the Rolex China Sea Race and enter.

If you are interested in joining team Shanghai, please contact the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club Sailing Office.

The Notice of Race for the 2018 Rolex China Sea Race starting on 28 March 2018 is available online at www.rolexchinasearace.com.

Hanse 575型上海号是2018劳力士中国海帆船赛第三支报名的参赛船队。

上海号的船东及船长朱立雄是一位专业的帆船手，有33年的航海经验，是上海本地人。他将会带领着八位28至35 岁的骨干船员出赛，上海号曾参加过太湖杯、海南岛环岛赛、柳州杯、泰王杯、司南杯、海峡杯等。

本届将会是上海号首次参加劳力士中国海帆船赛。

朱立雄称：「我们对劳力士中国海帆船赛经已关注了一段很长的时间，在机缘巧合下得东风队Volvo环球帆船赛大客户经理Lili 的讲解及建议下，我们决定参赛，因为她是一位达世界级的中国帆船手，并拥有专业的衍海经验。」

距离比赛还有七个月时间，上海号现正透过微信平台招募其余船员；朱立雄补充：「上海号正积极备战劳力士中国海帆船赛，船员选拔亦正进行中，我们将会透过一上湖泊（如上海淀山湖）及参加国内外赛事来锻炼队伍，期望达到以赛代练的效果。」

朱立雄承认劳力士中国海帆船赛有别于他们早前所参加过的帆船赛，因为此是一级离岸赛。上海号希望能籍著是次的参与，能让他们累积多点离岸赛的经验，同时他们亦十分期待离岸赛为他们带来极至快感。船上各人都为能够参与劳力士中国海帆船赛而感到光荣，因为这是一个很难得的机会与来自世界各地的参赛者见面和交流。

另外，朱立雄亦同意现时的中国大陆在航海运动上仍处于一个起步点，有别于香港和海外；中国帆船手需要更多的专业训练及时间，多参加一些国内外比赛以增加航海经验。上海号亦相信，透过香港游艇会刚设立的微信公众号，可以让更多中国帆船手了解更多关于劳力士中国海帆船赛。

如欲你想成为上海号的船员之一，欢迎与香港游艇会赛事部联络。

劳力士中国海帆船赛将于2018年3月28日举行，有关赛事公告请浏览以下网址：www.rolexchinasearace.com。