Taipei, July 4 (CNA) A group of students set off Saturday from Taiwan’s northeastern coast on a round-the-island canoeing journey, hoping to use the challenging voyage to convey their love for their homeland and the sea surrounding the island and promote water sports.

More than 30 National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU) students and recent graduates joined the team that will row three two-man canoes in a 1,006-kilometer relay that will take one and a half months to complete.

The canoes set off from Dawulun beach in Keelung City, and will circle Taiwan in a counter-clockwise direction.

Huang Wei-lun, head of the round-the-island canoeing team, said that while students take turns rowing, the others will ride a boat and photograph the canoes’ movements, Taiwan’s coastal landscape, and ecological changes along the coast.

They will also hold workshops during their stays in Kaohsung City and Hualien County to share their experience with local students and organizations dedicated to promoting water sports and water leisure activities, Huang said.

The team includes six recent graduates, who initiated the canoe journey as a way to bid farewell to their school life.

“Young people should have dreams. Those who don’t dare to pursue dreams waste their youth, ” a student said, expressing the hope that the group can create special memories on this trip. (By Elizabeth Hsu)