Profile picture

    A Chinese sailor Guo Chuan is planning a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in November while piloting "Class 40" vessel "Qingdao," named after the coastal city in Shandong province.

    He will aim to travel 21,600 nautical miles in 130 days, attempting to make the journey in a world-record time for a 40-foot sail boat.

    Guo will depart from Qingdao and then head eastwards for Cape Horn in Chile. After sailing past the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, it is hoped that he will pass through the Malacca Straits and finally return to Qingdao, according to a spokesman with the China Ocean Shipping Corporation (COSCO), the sponsor of the record attempt.

    The 47-year-old sailor is being trained in Europe. He found his direction at the age of 33 when he first boarded a 40-foot keelboat in Hong Kong.

    Now a professional sailor, he became the first Chinese to complete the renowned VOLVO Ocean Race. In 2011, he successfully navigated the Atlantic Ocean single-handed in a mini yacht.