THE Qingdao leg of the 2011 International Extreme Sailing Competition to be held in Qingdao between April 13 and 17 is now recruiting 30 members as the “fifth man.”

Those interested in competing with the world’s top sailors can apply at www.qdsailing.org and send an application form to qdjixian40@163.com. Applications will close March 15.

The extreme sailing competition uses 40-inch-long yacht and each yacht can carry five crew members, including four professional sailors. The last one can be a sailing enthusiast, which is the “fifth man.” In the competition, the fifth man will work with the professionals.

There will be 55 fifth men in the Qingdao leg and 11 yacht crews from around the world competing, including Olympic gold medalist Roman Hagara from Austria. It will be held over five days with six competitions each day.

(Wang Yuanyuan, Sun Fei)