Waves of opportunity
Young sailors find the perfect conditions to prove themselves in Hainan
"They are totally on their own on the ocean, so they have to be independent."
That is how Alper Tarhan, a sailing coach for the United Arab Emirates Team, explains the independence on display at the boat park of the ongoing 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, Hainan province.
After each round of races, young sailors of elementary and middle-school age from the Optimist (OP) and ILCA 4 classes fill the boat park.
Completely unfazed by the blazing sun, they rinse the hulls with fresh water, wipe down every surface, neatly coil the control lines, roll the sails and disassemble the masts until every piece of gear is carefully stowed away.
The entire process looks calm and methodical, and they work with a quiet discipline and independence that belies their age.
"They fight the waves, the opponents, the wind, the shifting currents and the water, alone in a single boat," Tarhan added.
"They have to think and calculate everything by themselves."
Among the young sailors was Zakarya Bohamad, a 10-year-old OP sailor from Kuwait. The boy, barely a meter-and-a-half tall was pulling the cover over his 2.3-meter dinghy.
"I was feeling good. The wind was nice today," he said with a shy smile on his sun-reddened face.
Encouraged by his mother, who works as a rowing coach, to try sailing two years ago, he quickly fell in love with the sport.
"It's the open sea, the waves, the wind; everything about this sport is just amazing."
Growing up in a country where most of his peers choose to play sports like soccer and baseball, he became obsessed with a sport that requires participants to spend hours alone on the sea in the heat.
"You also have to have a good game plan, good strategy, a good start and good technique on the boat," he said.
Being one of the youngest competitors in the OP category, he already has a big dream.
"Doing good in the sport, that's the best thing for me. I want to get first place in the Olympics one day."
For 14-year-old ILCA 4 sailor Alyazia Alhammadi of the UAE, it is the sense of freedom on the boat that fuels her passion for a sport that demands both physical and mental strength.
"I feel like all my problems go away when I'm sailing," she explained.
"Sometimes out on the sea, I see rainbows, jellyfish and dolphins jumping. And the sunsets are really pretty."
She added that sailing has also made her more decisive and expressive.
"During races, you're often alone on the water, so you have to think fast and figure out what to do on your own," she explained.
"On land, you might have to deal with conflict. For example, if you feel another sailor fouled against you, you have to learn how to express yourself and resolve the situation."
The sailing competition at the Asian Beach Games adopts a multiple-race series format. Each finish position corresponds to a certain number of points — one point for first place, two points for second, and so on.
The sailor with the lowest total points at the end of all races wins the title.
"Every new race is a reset from zero. It's a whole new challenge, a new feeling. I have to keep my head in the game, think properly and figure out the best course to sail," said Gabi Oh, an ILCA 4 sailor from Singapore.
Growing up in an Asian sailing powerhouse, known for its strong sailing culture and well-developed youth training system, Oh was introduced to sailing at school. She finds traveling abroad to compete with her friends one of the most joyful parts of the sport.
"I think the conditions here in Sanya are slightly better than in Singapore. In Singapore, we don't have waves that often. It's usually flat water," she observed.
Wu Qiang, a race official for the games and vice-dean of the School of Physical Education at Hainan University, points out that Hainan has favorable natural conditions for youth sailing.
"Compared with coastal cities in northern China, Hainan enjoys mild year-round temperatures and stable, even winds. For instance, on the west coast of Haikou, the wind is mostly onshore with very little offshore wind, which provides a safety guarantee for youth training," he said.
In recent years, the island has continuously carried out activities, such as school sailing programs, youth OP sailing summer camps and actively hosted sailing competitions.
"Although it started a few years later than Qingdao in Shandong province, Hainan has developed relatively quickly, with social clubs and self-funded training on the rise," he noted.
"More and more parents are discovering that sailing can help children develop hands-on skills, courage, a sense of challenge and problem-solving abilities, so they are willing to support their children in learning the sport."
Policies have also brought some advantages to the sport's development in Hainan, Wu said.
Sailing equipment is mostly imported from abroad. Following the launch of Hainan's island-wide independent customs operations in December last year, eligible businesses can benefit from duty exemptions on imported sailing gear, substantially lowering procurement costs.
In addition, Hainan has implemented visa-free entry for citizens from 86 countries, greatly facilitating the entry of foreign athletes and making it more convenient to bid for international events in the future.
"Hainan hosts the Round Hainan Regatta every year, which is a large-scale event with significant international influence. After hosting the Asian Beach Games, Hainan has further demonstrated its absolute capability to organize major competitions," Wu said.
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