By Mari Yamaguchi | Related Press
TOKYO — An 83-year-old Japanese adventurer returned house Saturday after efficiently finishing his solo, nonstop voyage throughout the Pacific, changing into the oldest particular person to achieve the milestone.
Kenichi Horie arrived within the Kii Strait off Japan’s western coast, finishing his trans-Pacific voyage in 69 days after leaving a yacht harbor in San Francisco in March in a specifically designed vessel.
It was the most recent achievement for the octogenarian adventurer, who in 1962 grew to become the primary particular person on this planet to efficiently full a solo nonstop voyage throughout the Pacific from Japan to San Francisco.
Sixty years later, he traveled the other route.
“I simply crossed the end line. I’m drained,” he wrote in his weblog after reaching Japan within the early hours of Saturday.
He stated that his crusing boat, Suntory Mermaid III, was to be toed after the dawn for an anticipated arrival at his house port of Shin Nishinomiya yacht harbor within the night. Native media stated a welcome ceremony will probably be held Sunday.
His achievement got here after three days of battle with the pushback from a robust tide. He wrote in his weblog Friday that he succeeded however was exhausted and took a nap after feeling assured that his yacht was now heading in the right direction to the end line.
Horie’s return to Japan makes him the world’s oldest particular person to finish a solo, nonstop crossing of the Pacific, in line with his sponsors.
Horie has additionally achieved numerous different long-distance solo voyages, together with crusing all over the world in 1974. His newest expedition was the primary since his 2008 solo nonstop voyage on a wave-powered boat from Hawaii to the Kii Strait.
