(Sports Focus) Worried Chinese pray for safe return of legendary captain Guo Chuan

Legendary Chinese captain Guo Chuan's disappearance sent a shock wave across his home country, where millions of his compatriots are praying for his safe return.

Guo's support team reported his disappearance in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, saying he was last heard from just after 15:00 Tuesday Beijing time.

Guo was on a solo trans-Pacific voyage when he went missing.

His trimaran has already been found drifting 900 nautical miles off the west coast of Hawaii, but Guo was not spotted on the deck. All attempts to contact the sailor have failed, Guo's support team told Xinhua.

The news made its way across Chinese media as netizens expressed their best wishes for Guo.

"Guo Chuan missing near Hawaii while trying to challenge the world record," read a headline on Sina, one of China's largest online portals.

"I am extremely shocked at the news. My hero, please come back safe and sound," said one internet user whose comment was liked 500 times.

"Pray for this very brave man. I hope he can come back safely," said another user.

"Guo Chuan, we are waiting for you!" headlined a public account on the social media app WeChat. The public account "Who most embodies the Qingdao spirit" posted photos from some of the Qingdao native's past adventures.

Guo aimed to set a new solo trans-Pacific world record by sailing non-stop from San Francisco to Shanghai. He piloted his trimaran, the "Qingdao China", west across the starting line under San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge. His solo sailing route is about 7,000 nautical miles in length and would normally be completed within 20 days.

The current trans-Pacific speed record is 21 days, set by crews on board the Italian Maserati.

U.S. Coast Guard ships have just arrived at the site of Guo Chuan's trimaran, and will soon use a helicopter to drop rescuers onboard to look for the sailor, Guo's shore team said on Thursday. Endit