Jason Deliksy (L) and Meg Ciavarella, members of Team Harmonic Seas from the US, take part in the Mayor's Cup regatta, part of the 3rd Qingdao International Sailing Week, near Qingdao, along the coastline of Shandong province, Sept 3, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

QINGDAO, China - The rules of the sea are unpredictable in China, especially when a yachting regatta involves dodging rocks and some dimly-lit trawlers in pitch darkness.

The journey north from the port city of Qingdao to deliver a yacht to Weihai, the starting point of the Mayor's Cup regatta, was an unusual prologue to the international race staged as one effort by China, host of the 2008 Olympics, to boost its profile on the world sporting stage.

Fifteen teams participated in the Mayor's Cup, including men and women from Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Beijing, Sanya, Xiamen, Qingdao and Weihai.

But in a sign that some hiccups remain, scheduling was often haphazard, especially for crews delivering yachts to the starting point in Weihai. The initial departure was delayed by hours, yachts landed at each point along the course past midnight and also sailed in the dark.

Over five exhausting days, the teams covered more than 400 nautical miles up and down the coast of Shandong province.

Setting off in pitch darkness to deliver their yacht 350km north for the start of the regatta, Team Harmonic Seas of the United States had had no chance to get used to handling the French-made Beneteau F40 before heading out into the green and unfamiliar waters of the Yellow Sea.

With no moon in the sky, the crew relied on a combination of good night vision, a reliable satellite system, experienced seamanship and instinct, to avoid running into rocks, trawlers and tankers.

"Float at 2 o'clock," a crew member belted out. "It looks like a giant buoy, maybe it's a rock. No, it's a fishing boat."

China's yachting industry is still in its infancy but local government officials and enthusiasts are betting that interest in sailing as a sport and yacht ownership will expand along with the country's growing consumption and rising incomes.

"At the moment our aim is to groom sailors for the Olympics but also to develop the sport for the general public," said Yao Xinpei, Secretary General of the Chinese Yachting Association.

Meg Ciavarella, a member of Team Harmonic Seas from the US, pulls a rope on a yacht near Qingdao, along the coastline of Shandong province, Sept 3, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

Just as car ownership has taken off along with rapid economic growth in China, he said there was huge potential to expand the boating industry.

Since the Olympics, China has poured investment into infrastructure, tourism and hosting major sporting events. Sailing has been one beneficiary.

The coastal province of Shandong, which has a 3,000-kilometer-long coastline, has an investment plan of $38.6 billion to develop an ocean economic zone. Other provinces, including the southern Guangdong, may follow suit.

Zhu Yuetao, vice director general of the Qingdao Development Office of Conference & Exhibition Industry, said that while sailing has existed in China for 600 years, there is no real culture of sailing for recreation.

"It has been the job of government to help promote this," he said, noting it may take 30 years to get to the point where North America and Europe are today.