SANYA, China, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Eighteen thrill seekers have been selected to represent the upscale tropical resort of Sanya, China, as they embark on an adventure of a lifetime racing across oceans in the Clipper 2019-20 Round the World Yacht Race.
Following a grueling selection process, sixteen adventurous candidates, including a graphic designer, CEO, bilingual event host, snowboard instructor student and engineer, two reserves, plus one media crew member were chosen to form the tag team of ambassadors who will race on board the Visit Sanya, China team.
Almost 40 percent are from Hainan Island, where Sanya is located, and the remaining either have strong connections to Sanya, or currently live across Europe including UK, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.
Over 50 percent of the selected crew are female; the 10 women and nine men, ranging in age from 23 to 51, will travel to Clipper Race HQ in Portsmouth, UK, next month to embark on an intensive four levels of mandatory Clipper Race training.
Their mission is to help promote China's best kept secret, the idyllic tropical paradise of Sanya, including its white sandy beaches, visa-free entry for nearly 60 countries, and free trade zone as they race around the planet on the resort's team entry in the biggest round the world yacht race.
In the 2017-18 Race, after racing over 40,000 nautical miles around the globe, Sanya Serenity Coast became the first ever Chinese team to clinch an overall victory in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
When the Race gets underway from the UK this summer, the Sanya Ambassadors will spend 11 months being pushed to their physical limits, racing through some of the most inhospitable conditions on the planet. At times, the nearest human life to the crews will be those in the International Space Station.
In the previous edition of the Clipper Race, the teams faced phenomenal sea states with waves over 14m tall, hurricane force winds and temperatures below freezing.
Regarded as one of the toughest challenges on the planet, the Clipper Race is the only event which trains everyday people to make six ocean crossings, covering six continents, testing them to their absolute limit.
Fewer people have sailed around the world than those climbed Mt Qomolangma, and with 40 percent of crew having no previous sailing experience before signing up, the achievement is all the more incredible.
