Globe 5.80 Transat: Yves Liu races Trekka, hull number one

Yi Qun Liu, known to the fleet as Yves, is the first Chinese sailor to enter the Globe 5.80 Transat. The 48-year-old from Shanghai left Lagos in Portugal on 31 October 2026 aboard Trekka, hull 01, the first 5.80 ever built.

The 600 nautical mile run to Lanzarote is the race qualifier, and the Atlantic crossing to Antigua follows from 14 November. For Yves, finishing also counts towards his entry in the 2029 Mini Globe Race.

Close view of Trekka's stern quarter with a Chinese flag, solar panels and a crew member in the cockpit — Trekka off Lagos on 31 October 2026, flying the Chinese flag for the race's first Chinese entrant. | Photo: G580T 2026

From Shanghai offices to the sea

Yves spent more than 20 years in office work and business travel, following the university and career route taken by many of his generation during China's rapid growth. He never sailed as a child. He did carry a dream of crossing oceans, and kept a large world map on the wall at home.

He knows his background is unusual for an ocean racer. As he sees it, China is a land-based culture where offshore sailing is thought to belong to people who grew up on the coast and started young. Plenty of people told him an ordinary middle-aged city man could not do it. He set out to prove them wrong.

Six years from first lesson to the start line

Yves started sailing properly in autumn 2020. He earned his ASA 101 and 103 certificates under Jian Zhang, one of a handful of people in China qualified to train ASA instructors. His daughter, then 10, began racing Optimists the same year, and the pair later sailed a Hobie catamaran together in Shanghai's monthly Rio Cup series, improving race by race until they won the overall annual title.

The offshore miles came this year. In early 2026 he and his coach sailed a non-stop passage through the South China Sea, taking in Shenzhen, Daya Bay and Hong Kong waters. In July he sailed his 300 nautical mile solo non-stop qualifying passage aboard Trekka in the UK, with guidance from her previous skipper, Ertan Beskardes.

He is upfront that his experience is modest compared with some of the fleet. He believes his preparation, problem-solving and calm under pressure match anyone's, and he credits the support of his wife and daughter.

Trekka, sail number 01, sailing upwind with the Portuguese coastline and a headland behind — Trekka sets out on the Globe 5.80 Transat qualifier from Lagos to Lanzarote, 31 October 2026. | Photo: G580T 2026

Hull number one

Yves found the Globe 5.80 and the Mini Globe Race in 2025 and contacted founder Don McIntyre straight away. He wanted to build his own boat, but fitting a build around a full-time job made the deadline hard to hit, so he bought Trekka instead.

Hull 01 was built in Poland and launched in 2021. McIntyre raced her in that year's inaugural Transat, finishing third overall and winning the seniors division. The overall winner was Swiss sailor Etienne Messikommer on Numbatou.

Ertan Beskardes bought Trekka next and sailed her around the world in the 2025 to 2026 Mini Globe Race. Messikommer and Beskardes are both now racing solo in the Golden Globe Race, which Go Boating follows every day, and Beskardes recently had a passing ship confirm his sextant work.

She shares her name with John Guzzwell's Trekka, which proved in the 1950s that a yacht under 21 feet could sail around the world.