Shenzhen station of the 9th Meisha Education National Youth Sailing League takes in sails

The 9th Meisha Education National Youth Sailing League in Shenzhen came to an end on May 3, after four days of competition. A total of 304 young sailors completed their first Meisha race of the year in the waters of Daya Bay in Dapeng New District, Shenzhen.

A total of 15 categories of prizes were awarded in the competition: male and female OP, Under-10 boys' and girls' OP, under-12 boys' and girls' OP, under-15 boys' and girls' OP, boys and girls topper4.2, topper5.3 level, and ILCA4 level, and RS Feva level.

"Most of the young sailors' competitive spirit has greatly improved since the last race. From the process of competition, the selection of routes, and the application of rules, we can feel the improvement of the young sailors' competition level. It is especially the case in the under-10 OP group where young sailors identify the wind swing more keenly and clearly, fluently use competition terms to communicate, which shows the rapid development of young sailing events," Zhang Zhiqiang, referee of the competition said.

In order to improve the skill level of the young sailors and to lay a good foundation for them to connect with the international community and to strengthen the ability of dialogue and communication, the race set up RS Feva level with a total of 6 boats and 12 sailors taking part. Chen Hongjin, the helmsman of Nanjing Wind Song Team, won the category.

"All the operations of a solo boat are done by one person, but a two-men boat needs the cooperation of two people, which not only exercises but also tests the communication, cooperation and tacit understanding between me and my teammate," Chen said.

Ren Ziyou, a 14-year-old sailor from Hong Kong of China and who participated in the Meisha Race for the first time, has been learning OP sailing since the age of 9. According to Ren Ziyou's father, this is the first time for him to take his child to the mainland to participate in the sailing race.

"Meisha's young sailors are of a high standard. I also hope my child can experience in a more diverse atmosphere and different waters, and can strengthen his communication and learning from his peers," he said.

The Mesha medals, which can be divided into two pieces in the shape of a "9", commemorate the nine years of trials and tributes to the participants and the youngsters who have "inspired each other and grown together" over the past nine years.

Meisha Education National Youth Sailing League was founded by China Sailing Association in 2015. The first race was held in Dishui Lake, Shanghai, on July 11, 2015, China Sailing Day. A total of 30 young sailors from 5 clubs took part. 

In 2019, in order to evaluate and select excellent young sailors objectively and fairly and promote the rapid development of young sailors, China Sailing Association began to explore and trial launch the young sailors' Points ranking list in the event.

In 2022, more than 345 young sailors competed in the Xiamen Station of Meisha Education National Youth Sailing League, a record number of participants.