Guo Chuan sails through Taiwan Strait after 3 days without sleep

QINGDAO - Chinese sailor Guo Chuan, who is attempting a solo, non-stop sail around the globe, has successfully crossed the Taiwan Strait after three days without sleep, according to his supporting team Monday.

Weather forecast had said that wind in the Taiwan Strait would be gentle last week, but the wind speed reached 30 knots when Guo sailed into the Strait last Friday. Yet what had made the voyage more difficult were the fishing boats and fishing nets.

"In order to avoid to be tangled with fishing nets, I had to change the yacht's direction while facing the wind. It's very hard and dangerous to do so," Guo said over a satellite phone.

"I had to watch out for fishing boats, fishing nets, wind speed and wind direction day and night, I didn't sleep in three days," added the 47-year-old.

There came another bad news after Guo crossed the Taiwan Strait Sunday as he found that the yacht's electric generator had broken down again.

"I am worried whether the yacht could make it to the end, and I just hope the yacht will be stronger than me," Guo said.

If everything goes well, Guo is expected to return to the starting point in Qingdao, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province, on April 3 or April 4.

Guo, the first Chinese sailor to have taken part in the Clipper Round the World (2006) and the first Chinese to complete the Volvo Ocean Race (2008-2009), set off his world sailing from Qingdao on Nove 18 last year.