Zhai Mo, the 36-year-old Chinese painter form Shandong will be the first Chinese to attempt a solo voyage around the world. This week he was in Holland as a guest of Robosail when he met Pieter Adriaans and Henk de Velde. Henk will act as a special advisor for this trip.

Zhai Mo is looking for a boat and additional support in Europe. His route will start from Qingdao, passing the coastal cities of   Shanghai, Wenzhou, Ningbo, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Taipei, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, covering a total distance of 18,000 kilometres and taking about one month.

He will then continue on to the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Malacca. He will also cross the Atlantic Ocean after sailing through Suez Canal and Mediterranean Sea.

Zhai will call on some small islands in the Caribbean Sea on the way. His route then passes through the Panama Canal in Central America. After visiting the Maya civilization he plans to head into the southern hemisphere, before travelling back to China, with a stop in the Philippines.

The total distance to be covered amounts to 28,000 nautical miles, touching upon 30 countries and over 50 ports. The journey will take 12 months.

Zhai Mo is an artist who used to live in France and New Zealand. He sailed around New Zealand from February 2000 to August 2001. One month later, he took his vessel out again into the Pacific Ocean. (Star News)