THE U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a Chinese man attempting to set a sailing record after a crew did not find him aboard his boat off the Hawaii islands.

    In a statement Wednesday night, the Coast Guard said a crew from the USS Makin Island went aboard Guo Chuan’s trimaran about 1,000 kilometers northwest of Oahu and only found Guo’s life jacket.

    Guo, 50, was attempting to set a sailing record from San Francisco to Shanghai.

    Guo “was a professional mariner with a deep passion for sailing. Our thanks to our Navy partners who helped us search for this vessel in a timely manner so far from shore in an attempt to locate Mr. Guo Chuan. Our deepest condolences go out not only to his family and friends but also to his racing team and the sailing community,” said Capt. Robert Hendrickson, who directed the Coast Guard’s search.

    Guo’s sailboat, the Quindao China, is adrift, and its main sail has been taken down, the Coast Guard said.

    The Coast Guard located his trimaran Tuesday.

    Guo was the first Chinese person to sail around the world in 2013, according to his website, guochuanracing.com.

    Guo left San Francisco on Oct. 18 to challenge the solo nonstop trans-Pacific world record.

    The current speed record for that journey is 21 days, and he was trying to sail from San Francisco to Shanghai within 20 days, the website says.

    The news made its way across Chinese media as netizens expressed their best wishes for Guo. “Guo Chuan missing near Hawaii while trying to challenge the world record,” read a headline on Sina, one of China’s largest online portals.

    “I am extremely shocked at the news. My hero, please come back safe and sound,” said one Internet user whose comment was liked 500 times.

    “Pray for this very brave man. I hope he can come back safely,” said another user.(SD-Xinhua)