He found a like-minded friend in Bernd, a German who had been sailing since the age of eight. As they became good friends, Liu came to learn that, like him, the German had failed at marriage and business. Bernd, who had exiled himself to America, decided to sail the Fulong with Liu Ning-sheng across the Pacific to Taiwan.
於是結識了與他志同道合的好友，八歲就開始駕駛帆船的德國人班賀德，同樣也經過失婚與生意失敗，將自己放逐在美國的班賀德決定與劉寧生一同橫越太平洋，把福龍號開回台灣。