Henichi Horie, an 83-year-old adventurer, and his solo journey from San Francisco to Nishinomiya
Japan’s Kenichi Horie aspires to become the oldest sailor to cross the Pacific solo on a sailing ship
⛵️ Kenichi Horie, de 83 años, quiere convertirse en la persona de mayor edad en completar un viaje en solitario sin escalas por el océano Pacífico en velero. Partió el 26 de marzo de San Francisco (EEUU) y calcula que llegará a Japón a principios de junio.pic.twitter.com/C3ELtHsc2R
— María Roldán (@mroldana) April 18, 2022
The Japanese adventurer Kenichi Horie, 83, aspires to become the oldest sailor to cross the Pacific by sailboat and alone, a journey of which he has already completed approximately a third, according to the Japanese media on Monday.
This man, 83-year-old Kenichi Horie, is about to set sail alone for Japan in this tiny boat — but it won’t be the first, second or third time doing this. Before his fourth journey across the Pacific, Horie spoke to us at the @mercnews check out the story in tomorrow’s paper pic.twitter.com/5YptCPazjQ
— Aldo Toledo (@aldot29) March 25, 2022
Horie departed from San Francisco, on the east coast of the United States, aboard the ‘Suntory Mermaid III’ at the end of last month, and the day before he arrived on the island of Oahu (Hawaii, USA) approximately a week before than planned.
The navigator, who has already sailed around the world alone in a similar boat between 2004 and 2005, among other transoceanic odysseys for which he is known in Japan, aspires to set a new record for longevity at the helm with his new trip .
“Overall I’m doing well and no issues. I’m enjoying the ride,” Horie said by phone.
The Japanese sailor navigates without an engine, GPS plotter or radar to save space and reduce the energy consumption of his small boat of less than six meters in length, and he navigates with nautical charts and a mobile application, in addition to transmitting his location via satellite , which can be checked in real time on its website.
The ‘Suntory Mermaid II’ is equipped with two 20 square meter sails and solar panels to power its devices, it was designed by Horie to minimize its resistance to the wind and increase its maneuverability and lightness.
Horie still has 3,384 nautical miles ahead of him across the Pacific, and if he encounters no obstacles in his path, he is scheduled to arrive in the southern Japanese city of Nishinomiya in early June.
