An 83-year-old Japanese man sails alone across the Pacific Ocean

Mr. Horie’s two-month voyage, departed from San Francisco, USA in March 2022 and just ended in the Kii Strait off the west of Japan on June 4. Accordingly, on the morning of June 4, Horie returned to the Kii Strait, ending the 8,500 km journey.

During this trip, he used a sailboat 5.8 m long, weighing about 1 ton and supported with cruise tracking systems and wireless radio waves.

According to AFP news agency, this is just the latest in a series of “terrible” achievements of Mr. Horie, a famous ocean explorer.

Mr. Kenichi Horie aboard the Mermaid II in 1963. (Photo: AP)

In 1962, at the age of 23, he sailed from Japan to San Francisco by boat, becoming the first person in the world to sail alone. across the Pacific. His 1962 Pacific crossing was a sensation as he began the trip without a passport and visa, essentially illegally entering the United States.

On June 3, Mr. Horie updated on his personal blog, saying: “I am reaching the finish line”. He said he was exhausted from fighting for the past three days with the waves.

In April 2022, he wrote on his personal blog that 60 years ago, during a voyage on this same sea but in the opposite direction, “I was often worried and stressed because I was afraid of being arrested… My condition was very bad then.”

Talking about the current trip, he said: “This time it was different. A lot of people went to see me off and I had their encouragement and support through the tracking system and radio waves. I am extremely grateful.” .

Mr. Horie, then 23 years old, was greeted by his parents and older sister when he returned to Japan in 1963. (Photo: AP)

According to his public relations team, the successful solo crossing makes him the world’s oldest person to ever cross the Pacific Ocean, the largest and deepest ocean on Earth.

In addition to his 1962 voyage across the Pacific Ocean, Mr. Horie is also known for having sailed alone around the world in 1974 and for his longitudinal circumnavigation (line of longitude) since 1978 and 1982.

The latest voyage was his first return sea voyage since 2008. That same year, he sailed from Honolulu to Japan’s Kii Strait in a 9.5-meter-long boat using the force of the waves.

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