Looking to be the first sailors sailing on Summer Sailsitce 2010, Alistair Skinner and friends will start their Summer Sailstice sail in the pre-dawn light (essentially the dark) and at 120 degrees East. Of course there are numerous sailors between them and the day's start at the international dateline in the Pacific who might edge them out but they are easily hours ahead of most Western sailors.
Of course thousands of boats sailing in the West have been built in China but now, according to Alistair, the local population in is not just building boats but starting to sail them as well. This goes way beyond the traditional Chinese junk but to modern sportboats and dinghys at clubs like Saimeng Water Sports Club on Dianshan Lake in Shanghai. So while China has fielded it first America's Cup team, won a gold medal in windsurfing and continues to export boats like the Outbound Yachts, Robertson & Caine catamarans, the Flying Tigers, Royal Passports, Pixels, Longtze yachts and many more it is now also creating its home grown sailors.
Are there any other sailors in China ready to join in?
Junk rigs were an early export and successfully sailed in the singlehanded Transatlantic race on Jester and on San Francisco Bay. But like all things China in the new millenium don't think there isn't a lot more happening in the Chinese sailing scene.