The whole journey was full of fun and surprises.”

    — Wan Jinyu, 51, who sailed nearly 20,000 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean with her 61-year-old Swedish husband Rolf Nylander

    Anne Zhang

    zhangy49@gmail.com

    A TRANSNATIONAL couple pulled their boat ashore in Hong Kong last month after more than 300 days traveling across the Pacific Ocean. The couple sailed nearly 20,000 kilometers, passing 39 islands and eight countries and regions.

    Wan Jinyu, a 51-year-old Hunan Province native, and Rolf Nylander, her 61-year-old Swedish husband, shared their unique experience with more than 30 sailing enthusiasts from Shenzhen and Guangzhou on Monday in Nanshan District’s OCT.

    Their round-the-world sailing was not merely a romantic trip for the couple, but challenged their stamina and served as a testament to their sailing knowledge, experience and their mutual trust.

    Choosing a course

    less taken

    Nylander and Wan began their cross-Pacific journey in San Carlos, Mexico on Nov. 8, 2012, their fifth wedding anniversary.

    Unlike most sailors, the couple picked a less-traveled sailing course that included some small islands many people have never heard of. Before setting off, Nylander spent half a year studying and analyzing 30 years of geographic, oceanic and climatic conditions on the islands they were going to visit.

    During the journey, they crossed the equator twice, saw shoals of colorful fish in the crystal clear ocean, enjoyed the first beam of sunshine on a day in Kiribati, a country that stretches across the International Date Line, and received unexpected gifts and assistance from a Chinese fellow on an unknown island when they were in trouble.

    “The whole journey was full of fun and surprises,” Wan said, adding that their most memorable days were on three Micronesian islands in the western Pacific Ocean — Woleai, Puluwat and Luknur.

    Enjoying exotic cultures

    The couple set their feet on the island of Woleai on the first day of 2014, where Wan serendipitously witnessed the island’s traditional Women’s Day on Jan. 2. On that day, half-naked women of all ages gathered together on the lawn of a church at the center of the island, enjoyed delicious food and drinks provided by the government and exchanged gifts with each other. Women enjoyed various programs of entertainment, while men weren’t allowed to participate in or even cast a glance at the scene, Wan said, recalling that she ate the yummiest pork in Woleai because pigs on the island are fed coconuts and bananas.

    As their boat drew near Luknur early last December, the couple saw a flock of children rushing out of a building to the shore, paddled to the boat with shoe-shaped tools and yelled at them asking for candies. “We were startled at first, but I gave them the only three bags of candies we had,” Wan said.

    After talking to some islanders, the couple learned that Luknur was an island that is almost completely cut off from the outside world and the couple’s boat was only the third one not from the island that passed by in the last year.

    Wan explained that a man in Luknur must move from his home to a Man House at 13 and live there until he gets married.

    The couple celebrated last year’s Christmas on the island of Puluwat where they tasted the island’s traditional Christmas lunch — a mixture of mashed areca taro and bananas. The island is so small that you can walk from one end to the other within an hour, Wan said. “Life is simple there. No bicycles or automobiles are needed. We simply enjoyed it,” Wan said.

    But unlike women in mainstream societies, Puluwat women retain a very low social status. They must kneel down when their husband or another senior man is present or walk on their knees toward them if the men are within a short distance, Wan said.

    “I took a photo with the administrative official of the Puluwat island. He appeared very unhappy in the photo because I was standing beside him,” Wan said with a laugh.

    Braving the hardships

    The journey on the ocean also brought many dangers and thrilling adventures.

    Wan recalled one emergency they experienced on May 13 of last year. A gale rose without warning, uprooting seven screws that fixed the sail ropes and blew the boat almost parallel to the ocean’s surface. “Seawater was pouring into our boat. Fortunately, the wind lasted only a dozen minutes. Otherwise, I don’t think we would be here talking to you,” Wan said.

    The couple sailed for 38 consecutive days late last year. At one point, they encountered a nearly devastating storm. Seven-meter-high waves pummeled their boat from 8 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon.

    “The sky was as dark as night. I was so scared. I felt like death was approaching us,” Wan said.

    But Nylander was more optimistic and was confident in his sailing skills. He has 18 years of sailing experience and paid constant attention to weather patterns and wireless communications. “I never thought something that bad would happen. I just tried to do what’s required,” Nylander said. “If the sea was getting too rough, I changed course to go behind an island where the water was calmer.”

    The couple lost connection with their relatives and friends for 45 days from late April to early June of last year because the wireless apparatus on board malfunctioned. One of their friends surnamed Xiao recalled that the couple’s family and friends thought they might have died.

    When the couple finally got in touch by phone with their daughter who was on the way to the Swedish embassy in the United States to seek help, the 27-year-old daughter burst into tears.

    “At first I thought their trip was very romantic, but after all this I realized it needs good skills, rich experience and mutual trust between the two persons to finish the trip,” Xiao said.

    A romance story

    Wan and Nylander got to know each other through an international online dating site in 2007. After three months of chatting online and emailing, they discovered they had a lot in common. Nylander flew from Sweden to Guangzhou and married Wan.

    Sailing around the world was Nylander’s lifetime dream. He said sailing enables people to enjoy freedom, experience different cultures and live interesting lives.

    Wan had never sailed before. Nylander worried if Wan could adapt to marine life. He took Wan to an amusement park in Guangzhou and rode the most thrilling roller coaster. “We were the oldest riders on that roller coaster. Most girls were sacred pale. But my wife said ‘Can we go again?’ I told her ‘Let’s go’ with a double meaning,” Nylander said with excitement.

    Nylander is thankful that Wan accompanied him on the trip and helped him realize his dream. And Wan is grateful to Nylander for bringing her to a brand new world she never thought she would experience.

    “She is brave, strong and always takes the initiative in doing things,” Nylander said of his wife.

    Life is boring when the sea is calm, so you have to find something to kill time, Wan said. She spent most of the peaceful time reading and sometimes decorating the cabin with crafts they bought or received from islanders. The Hunan-native also enjoyed cooking her hometown food. “The preserved meat she made was popular among many sailor friends we met on the journey,” Nylander said.

    Adequate preparations

    Long-distance sailing isn’t an easy job. Before setting off, people must be adequately prepared, the couple said.

    Nylander has owned four sailing boats for practice in the past 18 years. He sold most of his house properties, bought a 12-meter-long sailing boat for this round-the-world trip and spent two months reconditioning and maintaining it. He also spent half a year drawing a detailed sailing route and another three months equipping the boat with advanced communications equipment, power supplies and seawater desalinization systems.

    Wan said her husband is a cautious and meticulous man who would prepare enough food and water for three months for just a one-month trip.

    “I promised Wan’s family I’d bring her back home safe and sound, and I did it,” Nylander said. “Now she is keener to go sailing than I am.”

    Setting out again

    Wan has already begun missing the life at sea. “I miss the clear sky, crystal water and sharp, short thunders on the Pacific Ocean,” Wan said.

    The couple is already planning their next trip — to sail to Sweden by following the route of the Gotheborg, a well-known Swedish merchant ship in the 18th century. They plan to sail along the Zurich channel, visit historical cities in Europe and conduct cultural exchanges with local people.

    The couple said they also plan to promote an active and green way of living on the next trip.

    “We are both at old ages, but we are young in heart,” Wan said. “We will always be chasing our dreams.”