普通人的环球航海故事第二季（一）： “青岛号上可以没有大副，但不能没有Frankie”——记最年轻的青岛号环球船员郑毅

2022-09-12 10:38 陈杰 JieCHENClipper201516

前言：笔者作为克利伯环球帆船赛2015-16青岛号大使船员参加了第三赛段南大洋比赛，从南非开普敦-西澳大利亚奥尔巴尼，后于2016-17年为《环球少儿航海》杂志撰写专栏文章《普通人的环球航海》，介绍克利伯参赛船员的故事。今年青岛号自2005年首次参赛以来第一次收获了赛季总冠军，每一位克利伯中国船员都为之自豪，也让更多人好奇这个环球航海比赛中他们的故事。于是，有了这个《普通人的环球航海第二季》，这一系列，会用中英文两种语言为你介绍克利伯环球帆船赛中国船员们的故事，茫茫大海有怎样的魅力？他们和你有什么不同？你是不是也可以是他们中的一员去挑战自我、拥抱大海？欢迎你，了解他们，了解帆船运动，爱上大海。

历经18载，克利伯环球帆船赛青岛号至2005年首次参赛2005-06赛季以来，虽然经历了疫情半途中断比赛然后延期恢复横跨两届比赛时间，食物中毒、赛船故障等种种困难磨难，依然捧下了属于自己的第一座赛季总冠军奖杯。这是青岛号参加的第八届克利伯环球帆船赛，国内参赛团队从仅有的青岛号到如今三支队伍：青岛号、三亚号、珠海号，这支以中国青岛命名的队伍，终于迎来了18年参赛历史上最辉煌的时刻。捧起奖杯的照片中，那张年轻的中国帅哥的脸让人难忘和好奇，更让人好奇的也许是英国船长Chris对他的评价：“青岛号上可以没有大副，但不能没有Frankie。”

这Frankie何方神圣？一个今年才刚刚在这届克利伯比赛中度过24岁生日，人称“Frankie Boy（Frankie男孩儿）”的青岛毛头小伙儿，怎么会被以严格、带着大家为比赛拼命的英国船长给予这么高的评价？这个给自己的微信签名取名为“郑毅船长”的前专业帆船运动员可不是听起来24岁小小年纪、以“普通人的环球航海”而著称的克利伯招牌业余水手，而是像每只克利伯船队标配经验丰富的专业船长和大副一样、与帆船有着悠久历史渊源的”老水手“了。

2006年4月8日，当时才9岁的郑毅被当海军的爸爸带着在青岛奥帆中心第一次见到了克利伯环球帆船赛2005-06赛季青岛号的赛船，是的，那艘深受大家敬佩的郭川船长曾经参赛过的青岛号赛船。长大以后要当船长要驾驶这样的帆船出海远行的梦想就这样深深地在这个9岁少年的心里扎根生长起来。第二年，恰逢青岛市政府开始实行”帆船进校园“推广活动，小学生郑毅开始正式开始接触帆船，从OP小帆船开始练起，一路练进了青岛市队（2011年）、省队（2013年），小OP也换成了470、激光，参加过数不清的国内外专业帆船比赛获得名次，还不断在世界杯、亚太杯等国际比赛中参赛积累经验。

这个Frankie 男孩儿的一路成长，其实也是青岛政府通过“帆船进校园”项目在青少年中推广普及帆船运动的一个缩影。虽然笔者参加的克利伯环球帆船赛2015-2016的参赛队员中有一位女大使船员刘明月，也是“帆船进校园”项目的受益者，但是从“帆船进校园”项目中开始接触帆船并成长为专业运动员的，Frankie男孩儿是第一位。因为克利伯环球帆船赛应该是全球唯一一个面对业余水手的“普通人的环球航海”，青岛号历年来的大使船员也是面向全球海选没有要求一定要有帆船经验，像Frankie这样颇有水平的专业帆船运动员加入，其实非常难得。

在这届前后4年跨越2019-20和2021-22正常情况下两个赛季的四年里，克利伯青岛号总计航行47000海里，Frankie个人掌舵时间累计1500小时，种种原因下大副换了三次，19年比赛刚开始时的全程船员也在20年比赛因为疫情原因中断以后退赛了几个，无论发生什么，都有一位稳定而专业的水手在船上稳稳地掌舵，这届青岛号总共获得5个单赛程冠军，8次赛段前三名，不难想象一直以“赢”为目标带领队伍的Chris船长为什么会多次说“青岛号上可以没有大副，但不能没有Frankie”，这可能也是迄今为止中国船员在克利伯环球帆船赛中得到过的最高评价。
郑毅船长其实是第二次参加克利伯环球帆船赛，在上届2017-18克利伯环球帆船赛中，他就以青岛号大使船员的身份参加了两个赛段的比赛，不过那一次的参赛可不容易。英文一般般，在远洋比赛中用英文工作还可以，可是漫漫大海除了值班工作以外，生活和休息时候的日常交流、聊天说笑、跨洋比赛标配的甲板上谈人生谈理想难度就太大了，第一次参赛，完全吃不惯船上简单的船餐，也不知道可以自己带一些方便面自己泡面吃，Frankie说自己常常都很饿，也很孤独、无助，常常哭泣，完成比赛，瘦了17斤，身心俱疲。2019-20作为全程大使船员再战克利伯，Frankie从身到心做好了各种准备：恶补英文、天天去健身房锻炼、学习营养知识、准备运动摄影器材、准备阅读的书、甚至还备好了很多方便面……

第二次踏上克利伯环球帆船赛征程的Frankie，虽然还是因为年轻被大家称为Frankie Boy（Frankie 男孩儿），但很快因为自己的专业水平和风浪中的沉稳赢得了大家的尊重，不管多大的风浪，不管多激烈的赛队竞争，有Frankie Boy在后面稳稳地掌舵，大家心里都踏实很多。这在青岛号上的媒体船员关雅荻对船上日常航行、重要比赛时刻的视频记录中最多见，因为几乎他都会说一句：现在Frankie正在掌舵，不能和大家庆祝。Frankie自己也说值班的时候总是特别忙碌，精力高度集中，下值了以后，往往会看书、用自己的休息时间拍一些视频，写一些文章，记录船上的比赛生活。这届比赛中，Frankie Boy又一次穿越了国际日期变更线，过了两次自己24岁的生日，被大家开玩笑说，终于从Frankie Boy变成了Frankie Man（Frankie男人）。而近5万海里的海上历练，也让他年轻的脸增添了更多水手的沧桑，于是在青岛号上留下了一句经典：“船上最黑的那个，24岁的人，42岁的脸。”

作为青岛号大使船员里唯一的一位前专业帆船运动员，Frankie是这样对比自己以前参加的专业帆船赛事和克利伯比赛的：专业赛事多半都是场地赛，高度比拼技巧的熟练运用，而克利伯帆船赛更多的是比对船上生活的适应和与不同帆船水平、不同背景的人一起合作、在远洋船上生活的能力，似乎不太有可比性。相同的也许是帆船这个运动的魅力，去经历不同的海况、去认识大自然的魅力、去提高在不同天气、风、浪、洋流等各种情况下通过对船的操控去找到与自然的那种平衡和顺势而为、去结识不同的人、去一次次地踏出自己的舒适区、去不断地学习和提升自己……

与Frankie的交流，对他的温文尔雅印象深刻，常常会说谢谢，会考虑他人（在苏格兰街头遇到工人罢工举了半个多小时矿泉水瓶子才找到合适的垃圾桶扔下去），总是会说还需要多学习，总是会感谢父母、奶奶和家人们对自己的无尽支持，会让人想起那个古老的说法：“帆船是绅士的运动。”而他给自己的签名“郑毅船长”也许更代表了对这个绅士运动的更高追求。在因为疫情中断比赛的等待过程中，Frankie对自己作为青岛号全程大使船员完成比赛的承诺一诺千金，拒绝了好些可能的合作和个人发展机会，一心一意等待那个不确定的未知：重新恢复比赛与青岛号一起完成环球之旅。于是那个2020年在菲律宾苏比克湾的暂停，直到2022年3月重返再次船队新成员磨合培训，那个船只损坏后改道日本横须贺港口的维修和等待台风过境后的加速追赶，那个因为疫情比赛线路调整取消回到母港青岛号、没能完成心中最期待的青岛-西雅图赛段的遗憾，那个马不停蹄追赶大部队的辛苦，都一点一点成为“郑毅船长”那个“船长”称谓背后的注脚，真实而厚重。

完成比赛后的Frankie选择了继续留在国外加入专业赛队全面提升自己。如同众多帆船爱好者心中的英雄郭川船长当年在法国潜心学习帆船很长一段时间一样，Frankie把自己放在更多的未知和不确定当中，在国际帆船更大的舞台上去学习、去锻、去经历更多的风浪、磨合和挑战，难度不一定少于克利伯环球帆船赛这四年中的种种艰难险阻。Frankie的下一场比赛是和“中国宁波一号”的队友们一起参加将于10月3日到10月9日在葡萄牙卡斯卡伊斯举行的M32双体帆船世锦赛，与国际顶尖的队友们合作，在国际专业赛事中积累经验，未来“郑毅船长”这个“船长”的称谓会更加名副其实，更有魅力，不仅仅是克利伯环球帆船赛青岛号上让船长表扬不可缺少的那个Frankie Boy（Frankie男孩儿）。

*关于克利伯环球帆船赛：克利伯环球帆船赛（Clipper Round The World Yacht Race，https://www.clipperroundtheworld.com）是全球最有影响力的环球航海赛事之一，首届赛事于1996年举办，每两年举办一次，比赛线路途经六大洲，全程共40000多海里，完成整个赛程需要近一年时间，每届参赛人数近700余名。赛事欢迎航海爱好者及无航海经验的人士报名参加，通过四周严格的赛前培训后，在专业船长和大副的带领下完成环球比赛。截止目前，全球已有6000余人、中国已有近130人通过参加克利伯环球帆船赛，完成了他们环球航海的人生梦想。
注：本文图片、视频来自于克利伯官网及郑毅船长微信、视频号，特此感谢。文章如需转载或引用，请注明出处，欢迎联系作者获得授权。
“We can have no AQP in Qingdao team, but NOT no Frankie”, Sailing Story for People Around You, Season Two, Part One, About Frankie Zheng, the youngest circumnavigator of Qingdao Team

Prelude: After joining in Leg 3 from Cape Town, South Africa to Albany, Australia, Clippe Round the World 2015-16, the writer wrote series of column articles for a Chinese magazine, Global Children Sailing to introduce stories about Clipper sailors. This year, with the awarding of Clipper 2019-20 Race Winner by Qingdao team, all the Chinese Clipper crew are proud and more and more people get more curious about them. Thus, Sean Two of Sailing Story for People Around You is launching with both Chinese and English to help more people understand the stories behind. Why the ocean is so attractive? What is the difference between you and them? Will you be one of them to challenge yourself and embrace the ocean as well? You are welcomed to get to know them, know sailing and love the ocean.

After 18 years of participating in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race since 2005 for Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 2005-06 edition, Qingdao team has announced its champion as the Clipper 2019-20 Race Winner, even though this 2019-20 edition has been suspended by the pandemic and then resumed after two years, even though there were food poison, boat damages in the middle of the ocean and all sorts of other difficulties. This is the 8th edition of Qingdao team to join in Clipper race, while the teams named after Chinese cities have been expanded from the only Qingdao team to the current three: Qingdao, Sanya and Zhuhai. This time, named after Qingdao, a northern Chinese city and capital of Shandong province, Qingdao Team finally achieved its glory in its 18-year race history. In that most popular photo of Qingdao in the Race Finish Final Celebration, the handsome Chinese young man holding the trophy is very striking. While, what is more curious about this young man might be the comments by Chris Brooks, the Qingdao skipper, ‘We can have no AQP (Assistant Qualified Person, or the First Mate) in Qingdao team, but we can NOT have no Frankie.’

Who is this Frankie? How could this Qingdao Frankie Boy, who just had his 24-year-old birthday during the Clipper race, could win such high comments from the strict British skipper who just aims to win this race? Using Skipper Frankie as his Weichat nickname and being one of the former Chinese sailing athlete, this 24-year-old boy is totally different with the other crew, ’people around you’, as described by the Clipper event organisor to recruit ordinary people to join in the race. He is already an OLD sailor, as experienced as the skippers and AQPs for each race team.

Back to the 8th of April 2006, took by his Chinese navy soldier dad, 9-year-old Frankie met with a Qingdao yacht with dragon in Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center at the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race 2005-06. Yes, he saw that Qingdao boat onboard by Mr. GUO Chuan, the well-loved Chinese skipper. From then on, a dream to sail across the ocean with that type of boat and as a skipper after grown up is developing by this 9-year-old boy. The next year, when Qingdao government started their campaign, Sailing into Schools, Frankie formally started his training as a primary student. He started from the small dingy, Optimist, and then joined in the Qingdao city team in 2011 and Shangdong Provincial team in 2013. His dingy changed from Optimist to Laser. He has joined a lot of professional sailing races and won a lot of medals since then, and developed good race experience in international regattas like the World Cup, the Asia-Pacific Cup.

The development of this Frankie Boy in sailing is actually a reflection of the Sailing into Schools program by Qingdao government aiming to promote more young people to love sailing. Even though there is one female sailor, LIU Mingyue, who is another sailor starting sailing through the Sailing into Schools program and joined in Clipper 2015-16, the one joined by the writer as well. Frankie is not the first one to fall into deep love with sailing since the launching of such programme, but he is the very first to become a sailing athlete. While, as Clipper race is probably the only one in the world to recruit amateur sailors to join in circumnavigation, there is no requirement for Qingdao Ambassador crew to must have sailing experience when Qingdao government recruit them worldwide. It is very rare and valuable for sailing athlete like Frankie to join in Qingdao team for Clipper race.

Clipper 2019-20 is unusual starting from 2019 and ending in 2022, which could have 2 editions if it is normal, 2019-20 and 2021-22. For the total of 47000 nautical miles sailed by Qingdao team, Frankie has been working as the helmsman for 1500 hours. The team AQP has been changed three times; several circumnavigators dropped the race due to the pandemic. While, no matter whatever happens, there is always one stable and professional helmer steering the boat beautifully, which is for sure a good luck for the team. Qingdao team won 5 races and 8 times on the podium, which might make it easy for anyone to understand why Chris, the skipper, who has been fully committed to win the global event to say, ‘We (Qingdao team) can have no AQP, but can NOT have no Frankie.’ This might be the highest comments for Chinese crew in Clipper race so far.

Skipper Frankie is actually the second time to join in Clipper race. He has already joined in two legs with 2017-18 edition as Qingdao Ambassador Crew. Unfortunately, it was a tough journey for him. With only basic English, he is only just about to handle the work. While, sailing across the oceans with Clipper race is not only work. It is rather more casual chat when it is not in working time and even sometimes in working time. Crews like talking freely about your life stories and even your dreams when you do not need to change sails but just like rest on deck while on watch when the wind allows. That is really not easy for basic English. As it is the first experience for Frankie with Clipper, he could not get used to the very simple boat meals and he even did not know that he could bring some fast-food noodles as personal belongings and eat by himself. Frankie said he was always hungry, feeling lonely and helpless, and could not help crying. He lost nearly 20 pounds after finishing his 2 legs and got really exhausted both physically and psychologically. The 2019-20 edition was his second time and this time he joined in as the circumnavigation Qingdao Ambassador Crew. He has made full preparation in advance, including study English, do fitness training everyday in the gym, learn more about nutritions, learn sports photograph and video making and prepare equipments, prepare books to read and even some more fast-food noodles.

On the second time to join in the Clipper race, Frankie is still called as Frankie Boy by the crew with his young age among all of them. While, this young boy soon earned their respect with his professional skills in sailing especially in tough situations. No matter how heavy the wind is, no matter how hot the competitions with all the race teams, this Frankie Boy seems to have something special to enable others to feel comfortable when he is helming there. GUAN Yadi, the media crew in Qingdao team has made a lot of videos for the life and important moments of the team on board. He would always say the same words in his such videos that ‘Sorry, Frankie cannot join in the celebration with us now as he is helming.' Frankie also said he had always been very busy while on watch and always need to stay focus. He read books and took some videos, wrote some records for the race to relax himself while off watch. During this edition, Frankie Boy crossed the International Date Line for the second time, and had his 24-year-old birthday twice. The crew team joked that now the Frankie Boy finally became Frankie Man. With the journey of almost 50,000 nautical miles, Frankie’s young sailor face has successfully added more colors and winkles. There comes one famous saying in the team, ‘Frankie is the darkest one in the team who is 24 in age but 42 in face.'

As the only sailing athlete among Qingdao Ambassador crew, Frankie compared Clipper race with his former professional sailing races that the professional ones are normally short and on track which need good skills and high competence with the team all the time, while the Clipper one is more about the adaption to life in long journeys and cooperation with people with different sailing skills and from different cultural background in work and life sharing small spaces in a boat to sail across the oceans. There seems nothing to compare as they are totally different in his eyes. While what is in common lies in sailing itself as it is a very special sport for people to experience and enjoy different parts of the ocean, to understand the beauty of mother nature, to improve the skills to work together with the boat in different weather, wind, wave and tides etc for the balance with nature, to meet different people, to be pushed out of one's comfort zone, to keep improving oneself and to keep learning.

Talking with Frankie, you will be impressed with his good manner. He would always say Thank you, be considerate to others, imply his desire to learn, be grateful for his parents, grandma and families for their support and love all the time. By the way, he kept holding the water bottle for over 30 minutes until he managed to find a proper waste bin n Scotland while the workers were on strike. You would think about the old saying that sailing is a sport for gentlemen. Probably, this is why Frankie named himself in Weichat as Skipper Frankie as he strives to be more gentleman like.

While waiting during the race suspension by the pandemic, Frankie kept his promise to be the circumnavigation ambassador crew of Qingdao team and refused quite a few good opportunities for possible cooperation and personal development. He told himself that it is better to wait for the uncertainty to resume the race and make the circumnavigation together with Qingdao team. So, that pause at Subic Bay, Philippines in 2020 was resumed by March 2022 when the crew and teams got back for refresh training. So, that route change and urgent boat repair at Yokusuka Port, Japan, that catching up after waiting for the hurricane, as well as the pity to miss the mother host port of Qingdao and his most-longing leg from Qingdao to Seattle, together with those difficulties to beat the other teams, all in all, became the footnotes of that nickname as Skipper Frankie, real and deep.

After finishing the circumnavigation, Frankie chose to stay overseas to join in some higher level professional team for further development. Similar to Mr. GUO Chuan, the skipper and hero of many Chinese sailing lovers who had learned sailing in France for a very long time, Frankie decided to move out of his comfort zone to learn and experience in a bigger and wider platform of world sailing. It might be more difficult than what he had during the Clipper race in the past four years. His next race is the M32 World Championships as a member of China One Ningbo. From the 3rd to 9th of October 2022, he will fight together with his team in Gascais, Portugal, competing with the world leading sailors. With more international race experience, Skipper Frankie might be more real than just as nickname. Such name might be more charming, not only as the cannot-miss Frankie Boy as described by his skipper Chris.

About Clipper Round The World Yacht Race (https://www.clipperroundtheworld.com): The Clipper Race is one of the biggest challenges of the natural world and an endurance test like no other. It was started in 1996 as a biannual event. It's a 40,000 nautical mile race around the world acrossing six continents in nearly one year. There are around 700 people to join in each edition. The race is open to sailing lovers and non-experienced ones. Every candidate will have to pass a four-week strict training and then join in each team with a fully qualified skipper and first mate to safely guide the crew. By now, nearly 6000 people all over the world and around 130 Chinese people have enjoyed the Clipper race and their dreams of crossing the ocean and circumnavigation.
Note: The photos and videos in this article are coming from Clipper Website & Weichat & Vlog of Skipper Frankie. Thanks. If you would like to use or quote the article, please make reference, or contact the author for authorization.
Story One: Frankie