Chinese mariner departs for trans-Pacific world record challenge

Chinese mariner Guo Chuan sets sail of his trimaran in San Francisco, US on Oct 17, 2016, aiming to set a new solo non-stop trans-Pacific sailing world record from San Francisco to Shanghai. [Photo/IC]

SAN FRANCISCO - Chinese mariner Guo Chuan set sail of his trimaran near US west coast city San Francisco, embarking on a solo trans-Pacific voyage with Chinese city Shanghai as the destination on Tuesday.

Guo, aiming to set a new solo non-stop trans-Pacific sailing world record from San Francisco to Shanghai, piloted his trimaran Qingdao China west across the start line under San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge in the afternoon. His solo sailing across the Pacific Ocean is about 7,000 nautical miles and expected to be completed within 20 days.

The current trans-Pacific speed record is 21 days, set by crews on board the Italian Maserati. When arriving Shanghai, he will be the first to finish a solo non-stop trans-Pacific sailing from San Francisco to Shanghai.

"Most of the pressure will come from the weather," he said prior to departure, adding that the wind could be both his companion and rival.

"You need to be focused and concentrate on all the manual work, making sure the boat in the good order. When the wind is strong, you may make some small mistakes and then they may become larger and larger. So that's part of the things I need to be really careful about," he said.