The first Chinese skipper at the Volvo Ocean Race? – Horace Chen prefers to focus on the next generation of mainland sailors
The 26-year-old has a great future ahead of him but, for the moment, wants to develop future stars at his Shenzhen sailing school
Horace Chen Jinhao has the potential to become the first Chinese skipper of a Volvo Ocean Race boat, but the humble yet tough 26-year-old from Shenzhen is, for the moment, more concerned about the next generation of mainland sailors.
Chen – whose rise as a world-class sailor was made possible by the Hong Kong owner of well-known local yacht Jelik, Frank Pong – set up a sailing school in Shenzhen soon after competing in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) for Chinese entrant Dongfeng Race Team.
And as Dongfeng heads towards Hong Kong at the end of the fourth leg of the 2017-18 race, Chen is keen to meet his family and students who made the trip to Kai Tak Terminal to greet him.
“I’m looking forward to arriving in Hong Kong, it is a second hometown for me. It is where my sailing dreams started,” said Chen.
“I am keen to educate the younger sailors,” he added in an interview with VOR website. “And that’s why I opened up the sailing school in Shenzhen.
“Sailing is not only about having fun, it is also about teaching the children to think in a logical way. I believe sailing is one of the ways to show children the value of the old saying ‘think twice before you take action’. I am sure sailing will be a lesson for life for them.”