Sailors get to tour cuisine and culture

The Shandong Port Fareast Cup International Regatta 2023, running from Sept 1-26, was not only a top-notch offshore sports event organized by the Shandong city of Qingdao, but a grand chance for participants to experience life in cities along the voyage and a great opportunity for cultural and economic exchanges.

After leaving Qingdao on Sept 1, the racing fleets arrived in the Russian city of Vladivostok on Sept 10, when the 2023 Eastern Economic Forum was held in the city. The regatta had won support from the forum's organizing committee and the Russian Federation of Sailing Sport.

Upon the arrival of the fleets, the organizing committee of the 2023 Eastern Economic Forum hosted a special event for them. Igor Pavlov, head of the forum's organizing committee, presented "the best event-organizing award" to the Qingdao organizing committee for the regatta.

Qingdao also held a photo exhibition at a sailing club in Vladivostok, attracting hundreds of sailors and local residents.

The fleets departed Vladivostok on Sept 13 and arrived in Mokpo, a port city in South Korea, on Sept 18.

In Mokpo, the sailors were delighted to taste local delicacies after six tough days on rough seas. They also visited local tourist attractions and an art museum.

During the stay, the Qingdao organizing committee of the regatta was invited to attend a local economic event called the fifth Jeonnam Southwest Development Sea-River-Lake Symposium.

Gao Jun, founder of the Fareast Cup International Regatta, delivered a speech at the symposium.

In his speech, Gao introduced the recent developments of Qingdao's sailing and other marine sports, as well as Qingdao's achievements in promoting international exchanges as a hub city of the Belt and Road Initiative.

He added that he expects to boost cooperation with the Mokpo Marina Association and other local institutions and business for better relations between Mokpo and Qingdao, as well as between the two nations.

The fleets left Mokpo on Sept 22 and returned to Qingdao on Monday.