Raise the sails, arrange the ropes, and carry the boat into the water...... Everything is ready, and at about 10:30 a.m. yesterday (June 29), 40 groups of families participating in the 2024 China Family Regatta were ready to set sail on Dushu Lake.
According to the wind direction at that time, the referee finally set the course of the game. Under the order, the players reacted quickly, and the helmsman and the handsmith worked closely together, and the division of labor was orderly, striving to ride the wind and lead the way.
"Quick, the wind has changed, change the sails!" As the wind direction changes, the helmsman gives commands to the handyman from time to time. Some players operate smoothly, and the boat "sails away in the wind"; Some of them did not grasp the direction of the wind and stopped in the lake "standing still". Looking down from the air, the sails on Dushu Lake are dotted, and the beautiful scenery is amazing.
One event, a trip for the whole family
"My family and friends love regattas and we want to follow in the footsteps of the regatta to travel to more places." Zhu Xiaomei, the leader of the "Chengze Sunshine" team, brought her children to participate in the competition, and it was because of the regatta that she got to know more Peking University alumni and traveled through many cities together.
Because of the family-oriented participation unit, covering a wide range of people and having a low professional threshold, which can not only enhance physical fitness, but also promote family harmony, the China Family Regatta has become a water sports event that ordinary citizens can "see, touch, and play", attracting more and more parent-child families to participate in it.
At the competition site, there are parent-child family teams, as well as "young couples" teams and "husbands and wives" teams, and the competition set up two groups of Hobie T1 and Hobie T2, welcoming a total of 40 groups of families from all over the country to participate, with the youngest age only 8 years old and the oldest age up to 60 years old, with a total number of more than 100.
Mark Hansen, a member of the Suzhou Eight Flags Sailing Club, participated in the family sailing race with his daughter Lia last year, and this year they will continue to compete as part of the "Suzhou Sailing Dogs" team. The Home Regatta gave us the opportunity to race together, play boats together, and meet a lot of new friends. We are very confident in this year's competition! ”
Intimate service, regatta has become a "must-see item"
In August last year, the China Family Regatta "visited" Dushu Lake for the first time, and the unique family sailing party and thoughtful and considerate event service gave the participating families a beautiful and unforgettable happy experience, and also left a beautiful sail shadow on Dushu Lake, and participating in sailing has become a new "must-check item" for Suzhou citizens.
"Suzhou is my favorite city in China, with its beautiful environment, convenient transportation and the rapid development of water sports." Adrien, who is from France and needs to live and work in the park due to his work, said that when he first came to Suzhou, the sailing industry was not very mature, but now he has a lot of ways to play, which has also allowed him to meet many like-minded people, and he does not feel lonely in a foreign country.
The Home Regatta is a unique and attractive sailing event, which is more popular and entertaining than traditional races, and is attracting more and more sports enthusiasts to participate in it.
Natalia Chubenko, technical director of the Eight Flags Sailing Club, the organizer of the event, introduced that this year's event continued the previous high-standard event system and requirements, and strengthened the emergency plan and logistics support as a whole to escort the safety of participants, especially teenagers and children.
"Venice on the water", the charm of the "villa" is unique
"Suzhou Dushu Lake Zhennai Lake, as its name suggests, is unique, there is a lake in the city, a city in the lake, classical and modern, nature and humanity echo each other, reflecting the elegant temperament of a modern Chinese metropolis." Liu Weidong, vice chairman and secretary general of the China Sailing and Windsurfing Association, believes that the achievements of Suzhou's development of water sports are obvious to all, and he appreciates Suzhou's abundant water resources and vast water sports market.
The richness of urban sports culture, industrial development and professional level are becoming an important part of urban soft power.
In recent years, Suzhou Industrial Park has actively organized a number of water sports events such as the Jiangsu Youth Sailing League, the Jinji Lake Kayak Challenge, the Jinji Lake Paddleboard Challenge, the China Family Regatta, the Water Sports Carnival and the Suzhou Popular Sports League, which not only meet the growing fitness needs of the public, but also simultaneously drive the consumption chain of food and entertainment, transportation and hotels, sightseeing and tourism, etc., and inject continuous momentum into the economic development of the park.
According to the organizers, they will continue to optimize the infrastructure with an international vision and resources, introduce international cutting-edge sailboats, training equipment, and coaching talents to improve the technical level; Introduce and hold more top competitions at home and abroad, improve the level of competition, and enrich the experience of competition; It will also establish cooperative relations with more international and domestic sailing clubs, create more communication and learning opportunities, and promote sailing to the public and young people, so that more and more people can experience the fun of sailing. (Su Bao financial media reporter Chen Yan text/photo)