Broken Tether Gives Clues to Mystery

Late last month, when Chinese singlehander Guo Chuan, 51, sailed out the Golden Gate aboard the 97-ft trimaran Qingdao China, he was determined to set a solo nonstop record for the 7,000-mile passage to Shanghai, while spreading a message of "Sino-American friendship" and promoting "marine culture exchanges between the two nations." Sadly, those goals were not realized, as Chuan apparently fell overboard and became separated from the big red tri while sailing 620 miles northwest of Oahu, a week after departing San Francisco Bay.

Despite an exhaustive aerial search by the Coast Guard and a hull search by US Navy personnel, Chuan — who is believed to have been wearing a life jacket — has not been found. The tri, however, was retrieved this week by a specially assembled recovery team, who discovered a telltale clue as to the solo sailor’s fate: Near the aft end of the starboard ama, a short section of Chuan’s safety tether was found with one end shackled to a cable and the other end frayed, as though it had parted from chafe or tremendous strain — possibly from the weight of Chuan’s body dragging against it.

According to project manager Liu Lingling, the recovery crew includes four top French professional sailors whose primary goal is to complete the voyage to Shanghai, unless damage prevents them from doing so, in which case the massive tri (formerly Francis Joyon’s IDEC 2) will be towed to Honolulu by the 86-ft workboat Betty H. Regarded as China’s most famous sailor, Chuan will be greatly missed by his countrymen, as well as by the international sailing community — especially due to his role as China’s "Peace Champion."