Photo: Courtesy of the Chinese Yachting Association

Some 200 upbeat sailors took to the sails on Saturday to participate in the national family sailing race in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province.

Some participants were from inland areas far from the sea. Forty high school students from the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Northwest China's Qinghai Province competed in the event, which the Chinese Yachting Association (CYA) hopes could boost the sport's popularity among ethnic minorities.

It was the 40 students' first sailing experience on yachts as the coastal city hosted the family sailing race for the first time.