Chinese explorer SUN Haibin, who previously rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, recently revealed in an interview his plan to join forces once again with his longtime Danish partner, Christian Havrehed. They are scheduled to set sail on May 25th to embark on a new adventure, “Rowing Connects the Pacific.”

In 2001, SUN Haibin and Christian Havrehed participated in what is known as “the world’s toughest rowing race”, the Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Race. They rowed a 7-meter boat from Spain and covered 5,000 kilometers in 56 days without any external support, successfully reaching Barbados in the Caribbean. They became the first Dane and the first Asian to row across the Atlantic, respectively. They had made a pact back then to row across the Pacific Ocean in the future. On May 25th, 2024, they plan to reunite for this dream, with Christian stating that the “Rowing Connects the Pacific” initiative will consist of four stages. The first stage in 2024 will replicate the route of Xu Fu, a navigator from the Qin dynasty in 210 BC, rowing from China to Japan. They plan to continue in a “hopscotching” style from Japan to the Kamchatka Peninsula and eventually from Alaska to America as conditions permit.

On May 25th this year, they will depart from Zhoushan in Zhejiang in an ocean rowboat, traveling 800 kilometers to Nagasaki, Japan, then continuing along the Japanese coast, making 6-8 stops for onshore interactions, and concluding the trip in Shingu City, covering approximately 2,000 kilometers in total. The journey is expected to take around 40 days, including cultural exchanges and sheltering from adverse weather. The boat has been refurbished on Zhujiajian Island in Zhoushan, and all safety, rescue, and communication equipment has been installed and inspected.

Christian Havrehed, who studied at Renmin University of China and spent two decades living and working in China, has a deep passion for Chinese culture, especially its ancient maritime history. His profound interest in Chinese history and culture may well stem from his heritage; his fourth great-grandfather managed the “Thirteen Hongs” company in Macau and Guangzhou between 1770 and 1785, learned the Chinese language, and is acknowledged as Denmark’s first Sinologist.

SUN Haibin, a former professional athlete who now teaches outdoor sports at a university, has long dreamed of creating a signature outdoor sports event in China. He envisions this epic journey as the catalyst to launch a maritime event brand in Zhejiang, China’s coastal province, thereby addressing the lack of ocean rowing competitions in Asia. He highlighted that transatlantic and transpacific rowing races are well-established international events. This venture eastward is intended to establish the organizational, managerial, and technical groundwork for his envisioned “Ocean Rowing Race” between China, Japan, and Korea. Furthermore, Zhoushan’s unique geographical features make it an ideal location for hosting such maritime events.

DANISH

Den kinesiske opdagelsesrejsende SUN Haibin, kendt for tidligere at have roet over Atlanterhavet, løftede for nylig sløret for sin plan om at genforenes med sin danske makker gennem mange år, Christian Havrehed. De har planer om at sætte sejl den 25. maj for at påbegynde deres nye eventyr, “Roing forbinder Stillehavet.”

Tilbage i 2001 deltog SUN Haibin og Christian Havrehed i det, der betegnes som “verdens hårdeste rokonkurrence”, nemlig Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Race. I en 7-meter lang båd roede de fra Spanien og tilbagelagde 5.000 kilometer på 56 dage uden nogen form for ekstern hjælp, hvilket førte dem sikkert til Barbados i Caribien. De blev den første dansker og den første asiat til at krydse Atlanterhavet i robåd. Dengang aftalte de at ro over Stillehavet i fremtiden. Den 25. maj 2024 planlægger de at forene kræfterne igen for at realisere denne drøm. Christian har forklaret, at initiativet “Roing forbinder Stillehavet” vil omfatte fire etaper. Den første etape i 2024 vil efterligne ruten for Xu Fu, en navigator fra Qin-dynastiet omkring år 210 f.Kr., der roede fra Kina til Japan. Herefter planlægger de at fortsætte i et hoppende mønster fra Japan til Kamchatka-halvøen og senere fra Alaska til Amerika, alt efter hvordan forholdene udvikler sig.

Den 25. maj i år vil de påbegynde deres rejse fra Zhoushan i Zhejiang i en oceanroningsbåd. Turen går 800 kilometer til Nagasaki i Japan, og de vil fortsætte langs den japanske kyst, hvor de foretager mellem seks og otte stop for at interagere med lokalbefolkningen, før de afslutter deres rejse i byen Shingu. Samlet vil de dække omkring 2.000 kilometer. Hele rejsen forventes at tage cirka 40 dage og vil inkludere kulturelle udvekslinger samt pauser for at søge ly fra dårligt vejr. Båden er blevet renoveret på Zhujiajian-øen i Zhoushan, og alt sikkerheds-, rednings- og kommunikationsudstyr er blevet installeret og nøje inspiceret.

Christian Havrehed, der studerede på Renmin Universitet i Kina og har boet og arbejdet i Kina i tyve år, har en dyb passion for kinesisk kultur, særligt den gamle maritime kinesisk historie. Hans store interesse for Kinas historie og kultur kan meget vel være påvirket af hans slægt; hans tipoldefar drev virksomheden “Thirteen Hongs” i Macau og Guangzhou fra 1770 til 1785, lærte kinesisk og er anerkendt som Danmarks første sinolog.

SUN Haibin, der tidligere var professionel atlet og nu underviser i friluftssport på et universitet, har længe haft en drøm om at skabe en markant udendørs sportsbegivenhed i Kina. Han opfatter denne episke rejse som en mulighed for at lancere et maritimt eventbrand i Zhejiang, en kystprovins i Kina, hvilket vil adressere den eksisterende mangel på oceanroningskonkurrencer i Asien. Han påpegede, at der allerede findes velkendte internationale roningløb over Atlanten og Stillehavet. Denne rejse mod øst er tænkt som en grundlæggelse af det organisatoriske, ledelsesmæssige og tekniske fundament for hans vision om et “Oceanroningsløb” mellem Kina, Japan og Korea. Desuden udgør Zhoushans unikke geografiske karakteristika det perfekte sted for afholdelse af sådanne maritime begivenheder.