Weng Yi Xuan's character story
In the eyes of navigators, crossing the five corners of the Southern Ocean, namely Cape Horn in Chile, Tierra del Fuego at the southernmost tip of South America, Cape Luin and the southwest corner of Tasmania, Australia, and the southwest corner of Stewart Island, New Zealand, is similar to climbing Mount Everest, which proves their ability. 1998 12 14 Weng Yi Xuan left the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA, and embarked on a journey.
"Knowing how to appreciate the process and how to achieve the result you have been longing for for for a long time is the true meaning of a sailor, and so is life." Weng Yi Xuan said. If it is risky to sail a dhow to the five corners of the Southern Ocean alone, it is even more risky for most ordinary people to give up their good jobs abroad and choose to sail. "That's the real adventure." Weng Yi Xuan said. Using one's own money to buy a house and a boat, and using one's own money to sail and repair a boat, is equivalent to "sitting on the mountain." Even so, when someone offered to sponsor him to sail alone for three years, Weng Yi Xuan refused because "I want my own life". "When you are in the unpredictable waves, you can feel the magical power of nature; When you overcome risks again and again, you can realize that as the spirit of all things, there is no miracle that cannot be created; When you are embraced by the endless blue sky and sea, you can realize what the real harmony between man and nature is; When there are groups of albatrosses hovering around you, you really understand what it means to forget humiliation and humiliation. " Weng Yi Xuan said. The longest time, Weng Yi Xuan stayed at sea for 56 days and nights. He said he liked the feeling of being at sea. Before each departure, he will bring enough rice and noodles according to the standard of 20 kilograms per month, prepare a lot of dried meat, sausages and other foods, and reserve enough fresh water in the water tank. Weng Yi Xuan has a small kitchen on his boat. He always likes to cook by himself, which is a special enjoyment. Sometimes, when the ship is docked, it cooks Chinese food for foreign friends.
The true meaning of a sailor
Traveling around the world, you can meet legendary stories like movies, and you can also meet dangers unimaginable to ordinary people. At midnight, a hurricane with a speed of 90 nautical miles per hour came violently, and the rain hit the deck intensively. Nothing can be seen in the dark sea except the crackling rain. Weng Yi Xuan struggled with the strong wind with all his strength, and it took him more than an hour to lower all the sails on board. Then, braving the biting cold wind, I got involved in the stormy waves and personally took the helm outside the cabin. The waves are getting bigger and bigger, and his boots are filled with cold sea water. Stay up from night till dawn. It was not until the afternoon when the wind stopped and the autopilot could run safely that Weng Yi Xuan returned to the cabin and fell asleep. But when I woke up at dusk and climbed out of the cabin, it was beautiful. The southwest corner of Stewart Island solemnly appears in the sunset. A pair of rainbows propped up the empty sky, and an albatross flew freely in the air.
According to Weng Yi Xuan, at the end of his voyage around the world, he was at the end of his rope, and the mast of the ship was broken, leaving only a few tens of dollars on him. They met a pirate near Nansha Islands. Seeing that he was poor, they didn't pursue him hard. His financial resources depend entirely on himself. Fortunately, there are several paintings handed down from his ancestors, and he sold them in case of financial difficulties. "In fact, sailing doesn't cost much." He always responds to people who sigh for economic reasons. Perhaps, for these people, giving up the existing life is the biggest difficulty.
Now in Beijing, where there is no sea, he has set up his own yacht club in a quadrangle. Weng Yi Xuan said that his biggest dream now is to build a navigation center in China, so that more people can enjoy sailing and feel the charm of the sea. "If I can't do these things, I will still go sailing, because that's my favorite.
Like a knife
Southern California is by the sea, a very beautiful sea. At that time, I was eager to know what was deep in the sea. There are many islands, countries and places in the sea. You can only go there by boat. Weng Yi Xuan, 45 years old, is about 1.7 meters tall, with dark complexion and heavy eyebrows. Twenty-four years ago, he went to study in the United States from Chinese mainland. 13 years ago (199 1 year), he bought a boat in California and started his life at sea.
Weng sailed the sloop albatross from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and successfully traveled around the world in 3 years, 4 months and 2 6 days. It passes through 26 countries and regions with a voyage of 2 1000 nautical miles, passing through three oceans (Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean), four continents (North America, South America, Australia and Africa) and five major corners (Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope, Cape of Louvain, southwest corner of Tass Megner and southwest corner of Sri Lanka).
Weng, 1959 was born in Beijing, and 1978 was admitted to the computer department of harbin university of science and technology. 1980 went to America under the sponsorship of American uncle. 1985 graduated from the computer department of the University of Texas. Before 1998 sailed around the world, he worked in Boston and California for 13 years in computer software development.
When I was 2 1 year old, I was a foreigner and a person who needed to work hard in the United States. At that time, we had to run for survival. When I graduated from college, I became an American citizen. In order to live, I am still a person who needs to work hard. At the age of 30, I was middle class in America. After I settle down and have everything, I often feel at a loss. 199 1 year It was during this period that I came into contact with sailing. Weng Yi Xuan said that no matter how depressed you are, once you get out of the sea, all your troubles are forgotten. Not long after, Weng Yi Xuan bought this second-hand sloop with a length of12m and a width of 4m, and gave it his own surname, called Albatross.
Weng Yi Xuan said that albatrosses are common migratory birds in the South Pacific. On the sparkling sea, in Xia Hong and the sunset, between the sky and the water, albatrosses are so charming. This is a dialogue between life and nature. This kind of dialogue has a touching beauty.
Flying around, flying around, what am I like, just a sandpiper in the vast world! . Weng Yi Xuan said, seeing such a scene, I really want to know whether a person can live in nature like a free bird, completely relying on what he and nature provide, how long can he survive and how rich his viability is?
Weng Yi Xuan suddenly felt that there was something he should pursue. A bold idea gradually fixed in his mind: with the approach of the Millennium in 2000, many people are planning to achieve some important goals in life. In order to satisfy myself and not finish anything before the age of 40, I want to embark on a long personal journey, so I have a plan to sail around the world.
Weng Yi Xuan has carefully prepared for this round-the-world trip for six years. Learn to dive before buying a boat. I'm really ready. I bought my first boat to study. Later, when I got the money, I bought a second boat and equipped it. I live on this ship again. Two years later, I thoroughly understood it. Finally, I carefully planned a sailing route from easy to difficult, because I still have no experience. I'll walk along the beach first, across the ocean, across the ocean. Sailing is a very comprehensive thing, which requires a lot of knowledge preparation, physical preparation, ship preparation and material preparation. ...
Albatross is a quite advanced old sailboat, with a foldable bottom fin, a draft of 1.5m ... and it can be sailed on the shallow shore, and then it can be sailed after letting go. Weng Yi Xuan likes it very much.
Weng Yi Xuan left San Francisco in an albatross and began his voyage around the world. 1999 On New Year's Day, he arrived in the Mexican Sea. On New Year's Day in 2000, he arrived in New Zealand.
Weng Yi Xuan still remembers the moment when the Millennium came: the New Zealand port was so quiet that people seemed to fall asleep. Suddenly, a cloud of fireworks rose into the sky. Then, the port boiled and the city boiled. Everyone is celebrating the arrival of the new millennium. At that moment, Weng Yi Xuan shed tears. He is crying for himself. He was 40 years old in 2000, and he finally realized his wish. ...
He said, the wind is blowing, and my boat slides like a knife on the water, steady and fast.
Sea, hometown
Many people have asked Weng Yi Xuan this way. How did you fall in love with sailing? How does it relate to your personal character, experience and thoughts? You used to sail around the world alone. Are you a very adventurous person?
Weng Yi Xuan's answer is simple and sincere: I grew up in a turbulent era, and later I went to the United States to study and changed a lot. My early life decided that I liked challenges and adventures later. Sailing is hard, but it is also enjoyable. What you enjoy is returning to nature, and what you get is the purest air, the sweetest water and the most simple and friendly people. It's definitely worth giving up a little material enjoyment for these things.
Weng Yi Xuan's global tour has been to Tonga and French Polynesia in the South Pacific. Weng Yi Xuan said that diving in Tonga is particularly interesting. The water is particularly clear and the underwater vision is far away. Underwater corals are alive, like flowers, big flowers. If you touch it with your hands, it is very textured, soft and vivid. This is life. French Polynesia is also a place far from other civilizations. This place is blessed with good weather, neither too hot nor too cold, and rich products. Fruit can rot on the ground, and most people can't eat that much. There are fish in the sea. People in this place can sing and dance, and they are happy and fat, especially on the island. Outside people came, they were all very enthusiastic and entertained guests with many things, which was a bit like the Peach Blossom Garden, like the original *
Sailing alone has romantic plots and more difficulties and dangers. Weng Yi Xuan said that the most difficult and dangerous place is Cape Horn, Chile, which is called the sea cemetery by western navigators. There was an unusual storm and the sea was very cold. Ships sink here every year, and countless people are buried in the belly of fish. After the Panama Canal was dug and the strait of magellan was unblocked, no other ships were willing to venture through Cape Horn except the adventure boat. Weng Yi Xuan learned that in Cape Horn, the wind blows downwind for several days every year, and the storm is weak. After entering Cape Horn, he adopted a soft strategy: when the storm started, put away the sails and let them drift; Once the storm subsides, increase the horsepower and sail. Once, he met a terrible wave. The wave came at the boat like a carpet, and the boat was overturned again and again like a leaf. Although he was wearing a waterproof suit, he was almost frozen into ice by the biting sea water.
The day before we arrived at Cape Horn, the storm suddenly stopped. At dawn, Weng Yi Xuan looked up into the distance. Patagonia mountains stand in front of him, and the sea is as calm as a lake. Dolphins swam to me from a distance, just like yue longmen, a carp, surrounded my boat and escorted me to the Beggar's Channel. There are many birds and majestic peaks covered with snow and ice, which are very beautiful. It is only over 600 nautical miles from the South Pole, but Weng Yi Xuan has been sailing at sea for 46 days. He recalled, looking at the cheerful dolphins, I had a sacred sense of accomplishment. This is the greatest and most brilliant moment of my life.
Weng Yi Xuan felt that sailing at sea was like returning to his hometown with a long-lost heart of nature. He said sailing can give people great happiness. When you are in the unpredictable sea, you will feel the magical power of nature. When you overcome risks again and again, you can realize that no one can create miracles as the spirit of all things. When you are embraced by the boundless blue sky and ocean, you will experience what is the real unity of heaven and man; When you are surrounded by groups of albatrosses, you really understand what it means to forget humiliation and bear the burden of humiliation.
Sailing is hard and dangerous, but it makes Weng Yi Xuan enjoy the pleasure of getting close to and returning to nature, and enjoy the most real life.
Want to have a home?
Some people say that building a house at sea is doomed to drift all your life. Now, for Weng Yi Xuan, his boat is like his house, and he has lived at sea almost all these years.
Weng Yi Xuan called his albatross sparrow with a smile, though small and complete. I have a bed and a living room. I don't have to bow my head when I stand up. I used to have a Japanese friend, and I joked with him. I said this boat is better than your apartment in Tokyo, and my boat may have more space than his.
This time, for Phoenix's westward journey, Weng Yi Xuan carried out substantial maintenance and renovation of the Albatross Port, and updated the equipment and completely renovated it according to the needs of facilitating TV shooting. After the internal and external transformation, the Albatross was renamed Phoenix, which was much more luxurious and advanced than before.
Compared with the house, Weng Yi Xuan described the current cabin of Phoenix as a V-shaped two-bedroom and one-living-room, with a double bed at the last cabin and a hall in the middle. The so-called one-bedroom is two long chairs, one side can sleep and the other side can sleep two people. There is a kitchen, a refrigerator and a bathroom, where you can take a bath and heat water when you start the machine.
Weng Yi Xuan said that the loneliest thing in the past was that after a lot of efforts, I arrived at a beautiful place and suddenly calmed down. Beautiful nature and beautiful fantasy are in front of me. At this time, no one shared with me, and I felt very lonely. Now I can share the pleasure of sailing with China people all over the world. This is a very fresh experience and worth looking forward to.
Weng Yi Xuan hesitated for a moment about Phoenix's plan after her return from the Western Ocean, saying that in fact, after a long time at sea, what she missed most was home. My parents in Beijing are very old. They don't want to see me alone for so many years.
Life is like the sea, with ups and downs. Everyone will get old. If you can get married and have children, your life expectancy can be extended.
Wandering people want to have a home after all.
When the wind blows, my boat slides on the water like a knife, steady and fast. Maybe many years later, I hope Weng Yi Xuan can tell this story to his children.