On April 9, 2002, Shaun Y. Weng arrived at the Port of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, on his 38" Ted Hood Design yacht Albatross, becoming the first Chinese solo circumnavigator.
During his three and a half year adventure, the 43-year-old sailed more than 31,000 nautical miles, or 57,412 kilometers, through the oceans of the southern hemisphere.
Weng tackled the five greatest capes -- Cape Horn in Chile in March 2000, Cape of Good Hope in South Africa in April 2001, Cape Leeuwin and Southwest Cape of Tasmania in Australia in January 2002, and Southwest Cape of Stewart Island in New Zealand in March 2002.
Born in Beijing in 1959, Weng studied computer science at the University of Texas in the United States in 1980.
In later years, he worked as a computer software developer and became a naturalized US citizen.
In the early 1990s, Weng went to work in Southern California where he fell in love with the sea and sailing, a very popular sport there.
Weng often walked quietly by the sea in his spare time, dreaming of far away islands whilst watching spectacular sunsets.
"The view of the sea in Southern California was so nice that I decided to buy a yacht and live aboard at the port," recalled Weng, who, now a divorcee, is in Beijing to visit his parents.
"In my yacht I could have a 'million-dollar view' of the beautiful sea," he said happily.
At the same time, Weng began cruising off the California Coast and had a good time at the National Park at the Channel Islands.
After experiencing four years of cruising, Weng began to dream of solo circumnavigation.
In 1996, he spent US$100,000 on the second yacht Albatross which is suitable for long periods of sailing as well as difficult sailing.
Asked why he chose this name for his yacht, Weng explained: "Albatross lives in the southern ocean. The bird can fly rapidly for a very long time. Also, albatross in Chinese means a belief in and a love for Mother Nature. All this serves as a driving force for my cruising around the world."
Careful preparations
Weng made thorough preparations before beginning his adventure in the United States in late 1998.
He equipped his yacht with everything he thought necessary for daily life at sea.
Inside Albatross was a bed, a well-equipped kitchen, a lavatory and water tanks with a capacity for one person to use for three to four months.
Weng connected his computer to a single side band radio which enabled him to handle e-mails via a modem.
"I can keep in touch with the outside and receive important information about the weather," he said.
Weng also carefully planned the route of his circumnavigation.
When people knew he was going to cruise around the world, they were often shocked and thought he was mad as the act appeared to be extremely dangerous, Weng recalled.
"In fact, I did not act rashly. Otherwise, my journey would have been increasing difficult," he said.
Before passing through Cape Horn in March 2000, Weng cruised the seas from the United States down to South America, crossed the Pacific Ocean, and arrived in Wellington right before the dawn of the new millennium.
"This kind of route enabled me to have a gradually difficult and dangerous journey," Weng said. "By that time, I was more experienced in cruising and gained enough confidence to tackle Cape Horn."
Dangers everywhere
There were many hardships and even dangers during Weng's adventure.
When he entered the sea near Mexico in January 1999, the Albatross was seriously damaged after the engine overheated and nearly caught fire.
"At that time I got desperate and wanted to quit," said Weng, who instead, went on with the journey after he repaired the yacht with the help of local people.
"I did not want to be a coward and was determined to finish my circumnavigation no matter what happened," he said.
Weng said that the overheated engine was merely a minor difficulty compared with his dangerous and awful experience on the way from New Zealand to Cape Horn in Chile.
Cape Horn, situated only about 600 nautical miles (1,111 kilometers) away from the Antarctica, is the mecca of any avid navigator, just like Mount Qomolangma in the eyes of devoted mountain climbers, Weng explained.
Weng said Cape Horn was also the first most difficult cape of all of the five he had tackled.
It took him 46 days to pass the cape.
Endless ferocious sea winds, with a speed of more than 100 kilometers per hour, slammed against his yacht violently.
"It became so cold that I could not fall asleep at night," Weng recalled.
Besides the roaring sea and severe coldness, loneliness was another big enemy for Weng to fight against.
"I had to keep myself busy or I might have lost courage," he recalled.
He forced himself to prepare a meal everyday, for instance, pasta or tomato sauce. He also kept learning Spanish, the official language of Chile, and read novels which he liked but had no time to read before.
In the same way, Weng overcame the 56 days of loneliness inside the yacht when he sailed across the Indian Ocean on his way to Cape Leeuwin and the Southwest Cape of Tasmania in Australia.
When Weng sailed towards the Southwest Cape of Stewart Island in New Zealand, the last stage of his adventure, in March 2002, the automatic steering device suddenly broke down and he had to steer by hand and fight against a fierce storm with a speed of 160 kilometers per hour for 10 hours at a stretch.
"I really enjoyed the challenge against nature, for she rewarded me with her stunning beauty more and more after I surmounted more and more difficulties," Weng said.
More than a record
As the first Chinese solo circumnavigator, Weng said: "I wanted my journey to be interesting and enjoyable rather than only record-oriented."
"If I only hoped to set a record, it would not have taken me such a long time to tackle these five capes," he said. "Without enjoyment, this journey would have been very boring for me."
Weng often stopped for several days at a place that he found interesting and beautiful.
On his way from Mexico to New Zealand, Weng was fascinated by Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean.
"That place is really heaven on earth," Weng said.
Weng visited three islands of totally different styles -- Marquises, Tuamotu and Society Island.
Weng said that the local people were very kind and generous.
"People there are very happy to help others and never want to take anything from them," Weng said.
Weng took part in the exhilarating celebrations for the new millennium in New Zealand.
People there can see the first sunrise of the special new year because the International Date Line goes through their country.
After passing through the most dangerous Cape Horn in Chile, Weng spent nine days on another kind of adventure on the glacier nearby.
"I could see various exotic plants on the glacier as well as lively dolphins in the lake around," Weng said.
Weng spent almost the whole year of 2000 in South America. He was deeply impressed by the carnival in Brazil, people's crazy love for football in Uruguay and the passionate tango in Argentina.
The Chinese solo circumnavigator also enjoyed the engaging scenery and interesting local culture and traditions in southern Africa and Australia before and after he conquered the capes there.
In addition, Weng made friends with other navigators during his adventures.
"It was so exciting to meet other navigators at sea that we often greeted each other by our interphones," Weng said.
"We often exchanged our cruising experience and helped each other," Weng said.
Weng said that before he entered the sea of a country, any navigator he met would kindly tell him how to go through the official formalities there.
Future plans
After realizing the dream of circumnavigation, Weng has had quite a few plans for his future.
"I hope to write a book and let all the Chinese in the world share my adventure," Weng said.
He is also planning to participate in the 5th Osaka Cup sailing race in Japan next year with Albatross.
In order to successfully go back to his job as a software developer, Weng wants to continue studying and hopes to complete a doctorate in computers.
"I have another dream," Weng added. "I hope to go to some place in Latin America or Africa and help the local people develop their economy while protecting the environment and developing the culture there."
Weng said after his three and a half year cruise around the world, he has become more confident in life.
(China Daily July 15, 2002)
