Two sailors in their 60s are about to finish their tour around Taiwan proper in an sailboat that they built themselves.
Chen Ming-chung (陳明忠), 63, and Chang Tsung-hui (張宗輝), 60, on June 17 set sail from the Jhuwei (竹圍) area in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水).
They originally planned to complete their tour in 25 days, but adverse weather conditions have delayed their progress several times.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
On Friday last week, they sailed to the southernmost tip of Taiwan from Haikou Harbor (海口港) in Pingtung County’s Checheng Township (車城).
Over the weekend, they sailed around the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) before arriving in Taitung County.
The sea conditions around Taiwan are constantly changing, Chang told reporters on Sunday.
While they were sailing off the west coast, they had to avoid oyster dredges near Chiayi County and encountered downslope winds caused by southwestern air currents off the coast of Checheng Township, where their boat capsized, he said.
After the accident, they waited for a week for the weather to stabilize before setting sail again, Chang said.
The sailboat does not have a motor, so they control the vessel only by using paddles and sails, Chen said.
They experienced rough waves as they passed Pingtung County’s Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻, the nation’s southernmost tip), but once they entered the waters near Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州) on the east coast, the sea calmed down and was as still as a mirror, and they could even use their hands to propel the boat, he said.
Taiwan is a maritime nation, but its attitude toward the ocean is conservative, Chen said.
Compared with cycling around Taiwan proper, the most difficult part of sailing around the island is not the sailing itself, but obtaining government documentation for the trip, he said.
They sail during the day and rest on the shore at night, but many cities and counties have refused to grant them permission to enter their harbors or drop anchor, he said.
On several occasions, they were only permitted to enter harbors after telling the authorities that their boat could be pulled ashore and would not occupy any boat slips, he said.
Chen said he hopes that after they complete their journey, they could raise government awareness about marine-related activities and inspire more people to appreciate the beauty of Taiwan’s waters.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS