Sailing before the wind at 2025 Cruise Port Regatta
Visitors watch the sailboat regatta at Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal on Saturday.
Sailboats helmed by top international sailors raced at the mouth of the Yangtze River in Shanghai over the weekend.
The 2024 Shanghai Cruise Port International Regatta opened on Saturday, marking a key step in the city's push to expand international maritime sports and tourism.
The event brought together 24 professional and amateur sailing teams, including international competitors, at Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, Asia's largest.
Organizers also unveiled plans to extend next year's regatta to an offshore route linking Shanghai and Jeju Island in the Republic of Korea.
Twenty-four professional and amateur sailing teams race near the Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal.
The new cross-border course aims to foster closer maritime ties between East Asian port cities and strengthen Shanghai's role as a regional sailing hub.
Since its debut in 2019, the event has become a symbol of Shanghai's integration of sports, cruise tourism, and urban waterfront renewal.
The port at the confluence of the Yangtze, Huangpu and Wenzaobang rivers, offers 600,000 square meters of deep-water sailing conditions, making it a rare venue capable of hosting high-level international racing near a major urban core, the district government said.
The regatta is also part of the efforts to revitalize the city's Yangtze riverside. Recent developments include expanded green space, upgraded public access, and new cultural and leisure attractions aimed at cruise tourists.
