After 186 days of voyage, the "Cavalier" yacht, operated by five Shenzhen amateur sailors, was finally embraced by the arms of the motherland, reaching its destination, Shenzhen, on Saturday.

The "Cavalier" started off in La Rochelle, France, on Feb. 21. It stopped at 45 harbors in 26 countries and regions, covering a total of 11,000 nautical miles (20,300 kilometers).

The "Cross the sea" voyage was the longest by Chinese sailors using a yacht and the "Cavalier" adventure was also recognized as good publicity for the largely unknown sport in China.

"It was really a great voyage. Sailing is a very popular sport item in Western countries. I am so glad to see that Chinese people now start to devote to this sport, which will be very helpful to the city's development in terms of tourism and economy," Delphine Lignieres, a French boating expert spoke highly of the voyage.

The "Cavalier" is a 40-feet-long (12.1-meter-long) catamaran. It was bought in France by several sailing fans from Shenzhen last July. As it would take a large sum of money to transport the sailboat back home, they decided to drive it home by themselves and at the same time to fill up the blank of China's sailing sport.

Wang Bin, a member of the "Cavalier," celebrated his birthday on April 29 on the boat.

"It was the most memorable birthday in my life," Wang said. He was sitting on the boat and missing his family when the other members surprised him as each of them cook him a dish and sang happy birthday to him together. "I was really moved," Wang recalled.

Dong Qing, the captain of the "Cavalier," said all their experiences during the voyage were unforgettable. "We have too many interesting stories to tell," Dong said.

They were once followed by a pirate ship for nine hours. "We were saved by the weather and waves. They could not approach us," Dong said.

Chen Guangyu, a member of the "Cavalier," said the voyage was indeed interesting as he had never been abroad before. "I visited many countries and experienced many cultures," Chen said.

The crew members are planning another more adventurous voyage. Their movement will surely boom the Chinese sailing sport. And they hope to see Chinese athletes in the worldwide sailing competition, Volvo Cup and America's Cup in the future.

(Shenzhen Daily August 22, 2005)