Japanese, 83, becomes oldest to sail solo across Pacific

TOKYO: An 83-year-old Japanese adventurer returned home on Saturday after successfully completing his solo, nonstop voyage across the Pacific, becoming the oldest person to reach the milestone. Kenichi Horie arrived in the Kii Strait off Japan’s western coast, completing his trans-Pacific voyage in 69 days after leaving a yacht harbour in San Francisco in March.
It was the latest achievement for the octogenarian adventurer, who in 1962 became the first person in the world to successfully complete a solo nonstop voyage across the Pacific from Japan to San Francisco.
Sixty years later, he travelled the opposite route. “I just crossed the finish line. I’m tired,” he wrote in his blog after reaching Japan on Saturday.
His achievement came after three days of struggle with the pushback from a strong tide. He wrote in his blog on Friday that he succeeded but was exhausted and took a nap after feeling assured that his yacht, Suntory Mermaid III, was now on the right track to the finish line.