A Chinese sailor made history this morning by completing an ambitious solo non-stop circumnavigation in 137 days.

Guo
Chuan, 47, was the first Chinese crew member to compete in the Clipper Round
the World Yacht Race in 2005/06.

Now a
professional sailor, he has completed a 21,600
mile solo non-stop circumnavigation in a class 40 boat named ‘Qingdao’
after his hometown.

He finished his
challenge in 137 days, 20 hours, one minute and 57
seconds as he piloted Qingdao to the Olympic Sailing Centre.

The completion of the
global voyage made him the first Chinese sailor to succeed in
sailing single-handed and non-stop around the world.

Soon after Guo crossed the finishing line, he lit the fireworks onboard
and waved to the thousands of people cheering for him on boats and on
the land.

As he neared the pontoon, Guo jumped into the sea
and swam to his wife and two sons, who had been waiting here for Yacht
Qingdao’s arrival for a couple of hours.

Guo’s wife Xiao Li said: ‘In comparison with 137 days, I
find the last few hours particularly hard to withstand.’

Amid crowds of people and media, Guo took centre stage and spoke in joy, excitement and tears.

He said: ‘I’m so on the top of the world. It’s such an unbelievable moment.

‘137
days ago, I wouldn’t have imagined I could have a moment like this. It
is a moment that could only happen in a dream.

‘I want to show
my most profound gratitude to my family, my sponsors and my support
team.

‘I’d also like to thank the winds that came all the way with me,
for their help to propel the boat back home but not for the troubles
they made.’

Since
the 48-year-old sailor left his hometown Qingdao on November 18, 2012,
he has rounded Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope, crossed the equator
twice, and sailed across the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the
Indian Ocean in a row.

Guo sailed across the Sund Strait of
Indonesia before he moved on to the South China Sea and returned to
Qingdao eventually.

The adventurer’s global route passed
through the most dangerous waters on the planet and exceeds a distance
of 21,600 miles, the benchmark that validates a circumnavigation in
accordance with the rules of the World Sailing Speed Record Council
(WSSRC), an official governing body of sailing records under the
International Sailing Federation.

The result of Guo Chuan’s
round the world trip will be delivered to WSSRC for confirmation. Should
it be approved, the announcement will be made in the middle of April
and Guo will be honored as the record holder of Class 40
circumnavigation.

The Clipper Race, the world’s
longest yacht race at 40,000 miles, was founded by Sir Robin with the
vision of enabling ordinary people from all walks of life to experience
the challenge of ocean racing.

The next edition of the race, which
starts this August, will feature a new fleet of matched ocean racers,
the Clipper 70.

Click here to view more pictures of the arrival on Guo Chuan’s Facebook page.