Sail of the Century. One-Armed Skipper’s Global Odyssey

Sixth Tone

23rd June 2025

Sail of the Century. One-Armed Skipper’s Global Odyssey

Translator: Vincent Chow; editors: Wang Juyi and Hao Qibao.

After “dancing with death” in a solo around-the-world race, Chinese sailor Xu Jingkun aims to inspire a new generation of dreamers.

Chinese skipper Xu Jingkun clearly recalls the day he first learned about the Vendée Globe, a solo, nonstop, around-the-world sailing race that starts and finishes on the west coast of France. It was 2007, he was 17 years old, and his eye was drawn to a magazine cover story while visiting New York.

But it wasn’t the challenge of the gruelling race that struck him — it was the yachts. Or, as he calls them, “the beasts.”

In February this year, Xu fulfilled his “ultimate dream” by becoming the first Chinese sailor — and only the 100th in history — to complete the Vendée Globe, after spending almost 100 days sailing a secondhand IMOCA 60 yacht 27,616 nautical miles. What makes the feat even more impressive is that Xu has only one arm.

https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1017260