Set Sail, Yue-Ming’s Young Sailors!

On the morning of July 3, 2026, with Premier Cho Jung-tai and senior officials from several ministries there to send them off, following the ringing of a gong, a sailboat set out from Su’ao Harbor. Its young sailors, whose average age is under 15, thereby officially began the 12-day, roughly 1,500-kilometer nautical exploration project known as “2026 Eastward, Exploring the Ocean—Young Optimist Sailors: Ocean Taiwan Dream 4.0.” They will cross the Kuroshio Current and sail toward Japan’s Okinawa island chain, via the small islands of Ishigaki, Miyako, Iriomote, and Yonaguni, using real-life navigation to reimagine Taiwan’s relationship with the world.

With the best wishes of many supporters, Yue-Ming Elementary and Junior High School’s young sailors prepared to set sail, cross the Kuroshio Current, and head toward Japan’s Okinawa island chain. (courtesy of the Yilan County Government Press Section)

Crowds gathered at Su’ao Harbor to cheer on the young sailors, wishing Yue-Ming’s grand voyage a joyful departure and a safe return.

Building offshore sailing capabilities over time

This is not the first time Yue-Ming has taken up the sea’s challenge. The Yilan school, a model for ocean education, began years ago by taking children out to sea aboard a sailboat named the Yue-Ming. In 2018, for an activity entitled “Sailing Toward the Blue Ocean: Taiwan-Japan-Hong Kong Youth Sailing Project,” teachers and students set out from Su’ao Harbor, crossed the Kuroshio Current, and sailed to Ishigaki to test their sailing skills against young Japanese sailors. In 2019, they visited Tokyo to take part in an international sailing  event, and in 2020, they engaged in the “Ocean Taiwan Dream” island-hopping voyage around Taiwan. More recently, they partnered with 36 schools on a citizen-science circumnavigation of Taiwan and sailed with young people from other countries living on the island. The resilience and adaptability built through these sailing practices and exchanges showed that Yue-Ming’s students were ready for more distant waters.

At the launch ceremony, Premier Cho Jung-tai presented gifts to the young sailors and offered his heartfelt best wishes.

Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun attended the launch ceremony to express support for the children as they began their journey of exploration.

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The current 4.0 expedition is being held in the spirit of making the world their classroom, turning the voyage into a living lesson in world geography. To sail this international route themselves, the young sailors and their teachers underwent long, rigorous training in large-vessel sailing, celestial navigation, and risk management. Before departure, they also completed a one-day long-distance relay sail from Wushi Harbor to Guishan Island and back. On board, these children are not passengers—they are real sailors, each with a role to perform.

In 2024, Yue-Ming brought together teachers and students from 36 schools and completed a voyage around Taiwan aboard two large sailing vessels.

A classroom at sea for young citizen scientists

“The ocean has never been a barrier; rather it is a route that connects the world.” Guided by this core belief, the school team divided the voyage into two legs, A and B. On Ishigaki, the children will exchange skills with Japanese youth sailing clubs and co-host a friendship regatta, continuing the deep maritime ties the two sides have built since 2017. Moreover, under the guidance of scientists from the National Academy of Marine Research, they will also become young citizen oceanographers, sampling microplastics and measuring seawater pH and dissolved oxygen in the waters around Okinawa, thereby contributing to research related to global climate change and the carbon cycle.

In sailing class, children do everything themselves, from rigging and operating the sails to furling them; their faces are filled with confidence. (photo by Kent Chuang)

During the 2024 circumnavigation of Taiwan project, children studied the ocean alongside scientists from the National Academy of Marine Research.

The ocean as a route that connects the world

From the history of the Ryukyu Kingdom in the Age of Exploration to the biodiversity of Iriomote’s primeval forests, Yue-Ming’s children are using their own feet and eyes to explore the historical ties and ecological similarities and differences between Taiwan and the Okinawa island chain. In real wind and waves, they learn courage, responsibility, and teamwork, moving beyond an older, inward-looking view of the ocean as a barrier.

While conventional classes introduce the ocean through textbooks, Yue-Ming’s young sailors are reading the wind, the currents, and the stars. Their small figures send a message to the world: Taiwan is navigating towards a sustainable future with openness and courage.