Volvo Ocean Race - No rest for Dongfeng’s determined Chinese sailors

by Dongfeng Race Team on 14 Feb 2015 Volvo Ocean Race - The foundations for sailing in China continues to grow as Dongfeng Race Team’s Chinese sailors prepare to take part in the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour. The six leg race from Muscat, Oman to Bahrain, was created and is managed by Oman Sail – another ground-breaking project that OC Sport helped set up back in 2008/9 – helping to develop sailing in the Sultanate of Oman.

The team, named 'GAC Pindar powered by Dongfeng', will consist mainly of Dongfeng Race Team’s Chinese sailors and shore crew as they continue their quest to become professional offshore sailors. The partnership with GAC Pindar is a natural one, already a partner to OC Sport’s Extreme Sailing Series, and a key partner to the Volvo Ocean Race.

As the rotation of the Chinese sailors onboard Dongfeng in the Volvo Ocean Race continues for leg four, so does the training program that runs parallel to the race. As we know our Chinese sailors need all the training they can get and it’s opportunities to participate in regattas such as the Hainan Island Regatta, China Cup and EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour, that allow the young Chinese sailors to get the additional practice required to take on a race like the Volvo Ocean Race.

'This is part of the wider ambition of the Dongfeng project, beyond the journey of Volvo Ocean Race,' explains Team Director, Bruno Dubois. 'Where other team’s reserves can go home, our Chinese sailors need all the training we can give them. Thanks to GAC Pindar we have been given this opportunity and it couldn’t have come at a better time. And thumbs up to the Chinese guys who are giving up a normally sacred Chinese New Year to take up this opportunity'

Described as ‘super competitive’ the Dongfeng Chinese sailors have been making a name for themselves by participating in smaller regattas with Skipper Nick Moloney, who was part of Bruno Peyron’s winning Jules Verne Trophy campaign, sailing non-stop around the world in 2002 and competed in the Vendée Globe in 2005, as well as America’s Cup and other top level campaigns. Although he’s actually even better known it seems for crazily windsurfing across the treacherous Bass Straits!

An interesting addition to the GAC Pindar powered by Dongfeng is the participation of shore team member Henry Woodhouse. A keen sailor Henry is the in-house boat builder for Dongfeng and had been training Liu Ming (Leo), Chencheng Kong (Kong) and Cheng Ying Kit (Kit) on land since the Dongfeng Race Team campaign began back in 2013.

EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2015 starts on Sunday February 15th following three days of training and is likely to take around 15 days.

Crew of GAC Pindar powered by Dongfeng:

• Nick Moloney
• Ying Kit Cheng
• Liu Ming (Leo)
• Yuye Yan
• ChenChen Kong
• Henry Woodhouse

Schedule:

• Training sessions – 11-14th February, Muscat
• Leg 1 – 15th February, Muscat – Sohar
• Leg 2 – 17th February, Sohar – RAK
• Leg 3 – 19th February, RAK – Dubai
• Leg 4 – 23rd February, Dubai – Abu Dhabi
• Leg 5 – 24th February, Abu Dhabi – Doha
• Leg 6 – 26th February, Doha – Manama