japanese adventurer Kenichi Horie, 83, became the oldest sailor to cross the Pacific Ocean solo and nonstop in a sailboat this Saturday.after a transition of a little over two months.
Horie arrived at her destination in the Kii Strait, which separates the Japanese districts of Wakayama and Tokushima (west of the archipelago), aboard the Suntory Mermaid III at 02:39 local time today (Friday 07:39 GMT). , a small boat six meters long, one tonne. The Japanese set out from San Francisco on the east coast of the United States on March 27 and completed the journey to Japan in 69 days and 7 hours, after a journey of approximately 8,500 kilometers, according to his crew. To save space and reduce the energy consumption of his modest ship, the sailor sailed without an engine, GPS plotter or radar, and guided by nautical charts and mobile application.
Suntory Mermaid III has two 20-square-foot sails and solar panels to power the onboard electronics. It has been specially designed by Horie to minimize wind resistance and increase maneuverability and lightness. The seasoned adventurer communicated with his crew and others on the ground via a satellite phone during the trip, and also transmitted his position via satellite, which can be controlled in real time throughout the trip on the website.
The adventurer is scheduled to hold a press conference tomorrow, Sunday, June 5, from his hometown of Nishinomiya City in Hyogo prefecture in western Japan. Horie, a resident of the neighboring town of Ashiya, 60 years ago, he was the first person to successfully cross the Pacific solo and without interruption., and sought to repeat the success by setting a new milestone as the oldest person to do so. On this journey he took a similar route as then, but in reverse. Sixty years ago, a 23-year-old Horie set out from the west coast of Nishinomiya, devoting nearly 90 days to his journey.
The Japanese wrote a bestselling book about this voyage and continued on overseas adventures in the years that followed. He gave his first in the early 1970s. nonstop solo around the worldBetween 2004 and 2005 he would repeat on a boat similar to his last success this year . In 2008 she sailed on a wave-powered-only vessel for nearly 7,000 km from Hawaii to the Kii Strait.
Horie said her desire is to keep challenging herself until she turns 100.