Xu Jingkun, the one-armed captain who sailed the farthest in the world-
"I want everyone to see that the Chinese can sail so far" (all beings)
Picture①: Xu Jingkun is driving a sailboat.
Picture ②: Xu Jingkun took a photo after completing his voyage around the world.
Picture ③: "Qingdao Dream" sailed to Maldives.
Picture④: Xu Jingkun (third from left) communicates with a local street band in Tahiti in the South Pacific.
(This version of the photo is provided by the interviewee)
Dark skin, sturdy body, sometimes talkative, sometimes honest smile... When interviewed by the reporter, Xu Jingkun, who had just completed a circumnavigation, was taking a rest in the Azores, Portugal.
This 31-year-old Qingdao guy set sail from Turkey on the "Qingdao Dream" catamaran with his wife in June 2017, across the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Caribbean, via the Panama Canal, across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and bypassing the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. , Back to Portugal, the starting point of the North Atlantic Ocean Route, how many people have fulfilled their lifelong dream-voyage around the world. On this 34,000 nautical mile journey, they held the rudder for more than 8,000 hours.
In the photo, he used his left arm and right hand to display the "Qingdao Dream" flag. On the globe on the side, the route marked by a black marker has been connected into a circle. Xinhua News Agency reported: "After this voyage around the world, Xu Jingkun has sailed a total of 110,000 nautical miles, and he is the one-armed captain who has sailed the farthest in the world." Even the technical officer of the World Sailing Federation once praised: "His success is not only It is the pride of the Chinese people, and it is a miracle of the world's sailing sports."
Realize the global dream
"Do you know what is the heaviest see-off on this road? Dozens of sperm whales accompanied me. That scene really moved me to tears." Speaking of voyages around the world, Xu Jingkun was very excited, and memories came in handy.
In February of this year, when sailing from Cape Town, South Africa to Namibia, Xu Jingkun was pleasantly surprised to find that sperm whales appeared on the sea from time to time, and one or more of them jumped up beside the "Qingdao Dream" as if to see him off. of. From the early morning to the sunset, he saw nearly fifty whales in one day.
"I can guarantee that what you think of whale watching and this kind of whale watching are not at all a concept. It's like watching a lion in a zoo, and the difference between watching a lion in the African grassland. That time a group of whales really surrounded you. look……"
Good times are not always there, and the sea is unpredictable. It didn't take long for the "Qingdao Dream" to encounter a storm of 45 knots. The 6-meter-high waves carry huge energy, and the bridge that is more than 4 meters high is shot from the stern. The waves came over like a wall, and the entire stern was lifted up, almost overturning the entire ship.
"At that time, the various processes of abandoning the ship to survive in my mind went over and over again, what should I take? How to hold someone in the water temperature not exceeding 10 degrees? I thought: I must keep this ship, we You must go home alive." Xu Jingkun used all his strength to adjust the rudder and left the storm zone without leaving the rudder for 12 hours. In the end, his hands and feet were stiff, and no knee joints were painful.
For voyages around the world, the most important thing is adventure. Xu Jingkun has seen the calm sea under the sunny wind, and has also encountered sea storms with swift and rainy rains. He dare not approach the isolated islands of the world. He has also achieved "Lobster Freedom" on the islands in the South Atlantic (no vegetables , Fruit replenishment, but lobster eats casually). I have seen pirates, encountered storms, see off whales, accompanied by rainbows...Reviewing all the thrilling past, Xu Jingkun said: "If there is anything in this voyage around the world that has filled my heart, it is grateful."
In the circle of friends, Xu Jingkun wrote down his deep thoughts: Thank you for this great era, and thank our country for growing stronger, so that we have the opportunity to realize our dreams. The Chinese are using the primitive way that mankind first discovered the world, using the friendliest, bravest, and most industrious side of the Chinese to embrace the world, and let the world recognize China's power.
Perhaps Xu Jingkun's long list of thanks should also include his own name. Because, after 10,000 times of wanting to give up, he chose to persist 10,000 times.
"When I came into contact with sailing boats, I was immediately fascinated by it! Life is like opening a new window." Xu Jingkun said that he felt the vastness of the ocean and the magic of nature on the boat. He made up his mind to Keep going in this field and enjoy it.
Run into the sailing team
In fact, Xu Jingkun was unexpected to embark on the road of navigation.
Although Xu Jingkun lives in Qingdao, a famous coastal city in China, his hometown is in Pingdu Daze Mountains. His parents are farmers in the mountains. When he was a child, Xu Jingkun’s knowledge of water was limited to the water level in his hometown. Small river. At the age of 12, an accident caused Xu Jingkun to lose his left forearm. Long-term medical treatment made his body bloated. So Jingkun Xu started running. On the weekend at school, he tied a sandbag to his lap, ran 10 kilometers home, and then ran back to school on Monday. Wherever he goes, when others take a car, he also runs.
Xu Jingkun said: "In other people's world, I will always lose half of my arm, but in track and field, I have two legs just like everyone else."
Because of his good physical fitness, Xu Jingkun, recommended by the local Disabled Persons’ Federation, ran all the way from the school stadium to the Shandong Provincial Sports School, and also entered the Shandong Provincial Track and Field Team as a sprinter.
In 2006, Xu Jingkun received a call asking if he would like to participate in the selection of the National Disabled Sailing Team. At that time, Qingdao became the co-host city of the Beijing Olympic Games and hosted some water sports competitions. Xu Jingkun was selected by the forming Chinese disabled sailing team. At that time, Xu Jingkun knew nothing about sailing. Only when he searched for photos on the Internet did he know what the sailing looked like. In this way, he rushed to the training base with the vision of entering the national team.
Sailing requires the cooperation of both hands, which is not small for Xu Jingkun. During training, Xu Jingkun often uses both hands and mouth to make all the body organs of Shangjin pull together. Therefore, after training, he not only has blisters in one hand, but also has broken lips, and the roots of his teeth are sore.
Despite all the difficulties, Xu Jingkun succeeded in the 2008 Paralympic Games. The "child who can run especially" among the villagers became the "tide-maker" in the sea.
Later, Xu Jingkun realized that Daze Mountain was said to have been an isolated island in the sea, only sailing can pass. Perhaps, this ancient legend has already destined his indissoluble bond with sailing ships.
Professional navigator
After the 2008 Olympic Games, the Chinese Paralympic Sailing Team was disbanded, but Xu Jingkun’s pursuit of dreams did not end. He learned that apart from participating in competitions, there are many ways to play sailing, which can cross the ocean and even sail the entire earth. After several years, he began to prepare for a professional sailing career.
In Qingdao, he found a scrapped 24-foot inshore cruising sailboat, spent 9 months repairing it, and named it "Dream". Driving a sailboat alone requires a lot of skills. For example, the captain must understand weather, geography, navigation and communication, repair machinery, and contact event organizers, sponsors, and the media. In addition to these, Xu Jingkun said that compared with competitive venue competitions, long-distance offshore sailing is more difficult to test the will.
In September 2012, Xu Jingkun started a solo voyage around the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea. This was his first solo voyage. Starting from Qingdao, going north to Dandong, Liaoning, and then all the way south to Xisha Yongxing Island, until the end in January 2013, stopping at 17 major coastal cities along the way, which lasted 129 days and sailed 2500 nautical miles.
In this heart-pounding voyage, what Xu Jingkun has unforgettable so far is a look back when he sets off.
When he left the dock of the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center in a sailing boat, he watched the friends on the shore beckoning him gradually blurred, the city moved away from him, and the land slowly disappeared. He was plunged into the endless sea, replaced by an uncertain future. Yiwei Yihang's indifferent feeling, fear and helplessness hit strongly. In the face of the unknown world, everything is solved by oneself, which is the real limit challenge.
"Everything is difficult at the beginning. At that time, it really felt like'the strong man is gone and never returned.'" Xu Jingkun said, but if there weren't that time to bid farewell to the horizon of his hometown, there would be no self who would later cross the ocean. "Navigation has given me the most refined life education. Even if I know that I will be afraid of the unknown, I still want to explore my limits."
After that voyage, in 2015, Xu Jingkun embarked on a solo journey across the Atlantic. This is the MINI TRANSAT (French Mini Transatlantic Extreme Challenge), known as one of the most abused sailing events in the world. The use of any mechanical power, satellite phones and other modern sailing technology equipment is prohibited throughout the competition. Original chart positioning. This time, Xu Jingkun experienced the closest moment to death.
One morning when sailing in North African waters, Xu Jingkun was hit by a sudden big wave into the water. Thanks to the safety line, he finally got up after being towed by the boat for a long distance. Back on the boat, he found that his right arm had been cut with an 8 cm long opening, but his left arm could not be sutured and treated. Xu Jingkun realized that once he could not be treated, he had to quit the game. In the end, he just used his mouth to drug himself.
After 30 days, 3 hours, 54 minutes and 52 seconds, 4020.7 nautical miles, Xu Jingkun finished the race with a total ranking of 36th, becoming the second Chinese to complete the race after Guo Chuan, the “first professional sailing man in China” .
Xu Jingkun will never forget that when he finished the last qualifying match, the German media reported: "No one thought that the one who did all this was a Chinese who looked very easy-going."
Telling Chinese stories
In the past three years of circumnavigating the world, I have met countless voyagers from Europe, America, and Australia. When they see Xu Jingkun, they often say: You are the first Chinese I met.
Indeed, for the sport of navigation, Chinese faces are not common.
In 2017, Xu Jingkun participated in the Disabled World Sailing Championships in his personal capacity. Faced with many international masters, without a coaching team, he finally finished fourth, refreshing the Chinese Disabled Sailing in the men’s singles of the World Championships. historical record. After the game, Xu Jingkun said firmly: "I believe that if there is more support and attention, in the future, it is not a dream for us Chinese to win the gold medal in this sport!"
In fact, as early as the first voyage around China, Xu Jingkun opened the public welfare sailing experience to the public. More than 2,000 people participated in the activity, including more than 120 disabled people and nearly 200 children.
During the three-year voyage around the world, the "Qingdao Dream" has visited more than 40 countries and regions. At each port, Xu Jingkun will conduct cultural exchanges and exchanges with local youth, sailing enthusiasts, local government organizations and non-governmental associations. Sailing experience activities spread traditional Chinese culture, and also showcase the urban spirit of Qingdao, the "capital of sailing" in the hometown.
Xu Jingkun's "Captain's Kitchen" is even more popular. Along the way, he often uses Chinese methods to cook seafood and invite friends from all over the world to taste it. On the Dragon Boat Festival, he will show off his salted duck eggs. During the Spring Festival, he will make dumplings with crew members from all over the world...Xu Jingkun said that food culture is also China business card.
During this trip, Xu Jingkun found that the circumnavigation information in foreign languages was very rich, but the circumnavigation information in Chinese was almost blank. He plans to compile his experience data along the way into the first Chinese-language global navigation tool book to help more Chinese sailors go farther and safer.
Not only Xu Jingkun, but Chinese disabled athletes have already shown a whole new look. At the 2016 15th Summer Paralympic Games, the Chinese sports delegation won 107 gold medals, 81 silver medals and 51 bronze medals, breaking 51 world records and setting the best result since participating in the Paralympic Games in 1984 , Won the gold medal and medal list for the fourth consecutive time.
Go stronger
For a long time, one-armed is the label Xu Jingkun cannot escape. Faced with this topic, Xu Jingkun was quite calm: “When I was a child, I felt that one hand less was different from others, but after training in a sports team, I found confidence, courage and goals. The obstacle, even it motivates me to work harder and cherish what I have. I am lucky to lose a hand but gain the world."
When he won the honor of "The Most Beautiful Youth in Qilu" in 2019, Xu Jingkun was sailing to the Charles Islands in the Indian Ocean. On the satellite phone, he encouraged everyone: "We are all qualified to have dreams and have the ability to realize our dreams. If I can do it , You can do better!"
After completing the circumnavigation, Xu Jingkun emphasized in an interview with Portuguese radio and television station: "Some people always say that my dream of circumnavigating the world is impossible. You only have one hand. This is too difficult. But for me, there are dreams. Put it into practice, and there will always be unlimited possibilities ahead."
Speaking of future plans, Xu Jingkun was excited: "I want to challenge the uninterrupted voyage of a single person around the world, and add the Chinese name to the palace of the world's single-person extreme sailing!"
This top sailing honor has always been monopolized by Western sailors, and no Asian sailor has completed the event. The reporter asked, why do you still want to participate in such a difficult competition?
Xu Jingkun replied: "I didn't expect myself to be a role model, but I wanted to open a door for future generations to make it easier for Chinese sailors in the future. I want everyone to see that the Chinese can sail so far."
Drawing: Pan Xutao
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