SZ global communication ambassadors’ first regatta adventure

Video by Liu Xudong

What can a sailboat achieve with a seasoned skipper and several inexperienced crew members? The crew on Boat EyeShenzhen provided an answer.

一位老练、富有经验的船长，几个航海“小白”，能驾驶一艘船走向何方? 问题的答案就在EyeShenzhen号帆船上。

The EyeShenzhen crew sail during the first World Bay Area Regatta in Bao'an District. Photos courtesy of the event organizer

在宝安区举行的第一届世界湾区帆船赛上航行中的EyeShenzhen号。图片由活动方提供

Christian Fardel, the 68-year-old French skipper of the boat, had teamed up with three Shenzhen Global Communication Ambassadors at the first World Bay Area Regatta held in the Qianhai Bay waters in Bao’an District from Dec. 12 to 17. Their rivals came from other bay areas worldwide like San Francisco, Tokyo, New York, and Sydney.

68岁法国船长Christian Fardel与三位深圳全球传播大使组队，登上了EyeShenzhen号，参加了于12月12日至17日在宝安区举行的第一届世界湾区帆船赛，与来自旧金山、东京、纽约和悉尼等全球其他湾区的强大对手一争高下。

On the last day of the regatta, Fardel told Shenzhen Daily he was so proud of the crew that teamed up only about three days before and knew nothing about sailing before the regatta. 

在帆船赛的最后一天，Fardel告诉英文《深圳日报》，他为几天前才相互认识、成团并且对帆船一无所知的队员们感到骄傲。

The EyeShenzhen crew sail during the regatta.

EyeShenzhen号在赛事中航行。

“I put them out on a race against the champions in strong winds and we did not fail. That was an amazing achievement,” he said.

“我们在强风中与冠军进行比赛，并且没有失败。这对我们来说是非常了不起的成就。”

As an experienced sailor, Fardel swiftly assigned his crew members to their optimal positions and provided them with hands-on instructions.

作为一位经验丰富的航海家，Fardel迅速为他的船员们分配最适合他们的职责，并亲自示范操作和航行技巧。

With his amateur team members from China, South Korea, Russia, Italy, the U.K., and France, Fardel from the beginning had set his goal just to finish the voyage. 

EyeShenzhen号的船员们来自不同的国家，包括中国、韩国、俄罗斯、意大利、英国和法国。Fardel从一开始定下的目标，就是尽全力完成比赛。

Boat EyeShenzhen crew members operate the sailboat.

EyeShenzhen号成员驾驶帆船前进。

“It seems that many of my crew members have never sailed before, and some do not know the basics of sailing. It will challenge my ability to teach them in three hours how to sail a boat and win a race,” Fardel, who is also a cultural scholar based in Hanghzhou, Zhejiang Province, told Shenzhen Daily at the team's first training.

他告诉英文《深圳日报》，他知道船员们大多是没有驾驶过帆船出海的，而且有些人对航行没有任何基础认知。“这对我的来说是一个极限挑战，要在三个小时内教会他们如何驾驶一艘帆船，并赢得比赛。”

The boat’s sailing is an event of the “Shenzhen Global Communication Ambassador” program. The program was launched June 10 this year by EyeShenzhen, which provides city information services to users worldwide via channels including a multilingual portal. So far, the program has organized several fascinating events for the communication ambassadors to explore the city, experience local cultures, and share their Shenzhen stories on international social media platforms. The Boat EyeShenzhen sailing is the latest venture for the program participants.

EyeShenzhen号的首航际上是“深圳全球传播大使”计划的系列活动之一。该计划于今年6月10日由EyeShenzhen推出。EyeShenzhen是专注于深圳城市形象推广以及提供国际信息服务的新品牌，其业务范围涵盖运营与其同名的深圳多语种门户网站。今年，“深圳全球传播大使”计划已经组织了多次精彩的活动， 带领传播大使们探索深圳、沉浸式体验本土文化。借助他们的海外社交账号，传播大使们将他们的精彩故事分享给了众多海外订阅者。 

During the five-day regatta, the team that started from scratch gradually bolstered their morale through daily interaction and sailing, fostering a stronger sense of unity as they deepened their understanding of each another.

在为期五天的帆船赛中，这支从零开始搭建的队伍在每日的交流互动、一同航行中逐渐振奋了士气，加深了彼此之间的了解，从而变得愈发团结。

Christian Fardel (R) gives instructions to EyeShenzhen crew members.

Christian Fardel（右）指导EyeShenzhen号成员。

“What surprised me the most was the level of unity and successful navigation we achieved in such a short period of time,” said Matteo Convertino, an associate professor at the Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School.

清华大学深圳国际研究生院副教授Matteo Convertino表示：“最让我惊讶的是，我们在这么短的时间内实现了如此高的凝聚力和成功的航行。”

“It was a great experience to connect with people from other countries and enjoy Shenzhen from the ocean side, as well as to see how much water surrounds our city indeed,” Convertino added.

Convertino补充道：“这是一次很棒的经历，能够与来自不同国家的队员、对手交流，还能从海上欣赏深圳，并看到深圳是一座真正的海洋城市。”

For Tafadzwa Kadere, who works as English teacher in Shenzhen, the opportunity to join the crew and compete with other strong teams is incredibly exciting.

对于英语教师Tafadzwa Kadere来说，有机会加入这个船队并与其他强大的团队竞争是非常令人兴奋的。

“The races were very tense and we tried to remember all the new maneuvers. Our minds had to be sharp so we could communicate clearly and adjust quickly when the conditions change. Even during the race we were still learning,” Kadere said.

“比赛非常紧张，我们努力记住所有的新动作。我们的头脑必须时刻保持敏锐，这样才能清晰地沟通，并在情况发生变化时迅速做出调整。即使在比赛中，我们仍然在学习，”Kadere说。

Boat EyeShenzhen sails in the waters.

EyeShenzhen号扬帆前进。

As for Shin Moon-sub, a South Korean Ph.D. student from Shenzhen University, sailing while running a high fever is something he has never ever imagined, but he managed to do it.

对于来自韩国的深圳大学在读博士生申文燮来说，一边发着高烧，一边进行帆船比赛，是难以想象的事，但他竟然做到了。

“I am very honored to be a part of this activity and have the opportunity to learn sailing skills step by step. Fardel, our skipper, is very professional,” Shin told Shenzhen Daily.

“我很荣幸能参加这次比赛，有机会一步一步地学习帆船技术。我们的船长非常专业，” 申文燮告诉英文《深圳日报》。

During the five-day races, Boat EyeShenzhen, as the first sailboat to promote Shenzhen’s urban image and build its city brand, also carried an important mission: to sail the story of Shenzhen overseas and introduce this beautiful city to more people. This message has clearly been sent by its participants.

在为期五天的赛程中，EyeShenzhen号作为第一艘推广深圳城市形象、深圳城市品牌的帆船，还肩负着一项重要使命：将“深圳故事”驶向海外，向更多人介绍这座美丽的城市。而这艘船上的使者们也将他们所见所闻欣然分享。

“Bao’an is a beautiful and modern part of Shenzhen. The event provides the world with an opportunity to catch a glimpse of what Shenzhen has to offer,” said Kadere.

“帆船的比赛场地宝安区，是体现深圳城市美丽而又现代化的一个篇章。这次帆船赛让世界各地的人们有机会一睹深圳的风采，”Kadere感叹道。