83-year-old to embark on epic journey from San Francisco to Osaka in 19-foot sailboat

SAN FRANCISCO – Saturday morning, an epic journey will start for a sailor who made a reputation for himself voyaging throughout the Pacific from Japan to San Francisco in a tiny 19-foot sailboat.

The Mermaid III does not look misplaced on the San Francisco Yacht Membership in Tiburon, a small 19 footer, with massive footwear to fill. Her captain Kenichi Horie is getting ready to sail this tiny vessel solo throughout the Pacific to Osaka, Japan, a visit Horie is sort of aware of. “I do get lonely, however all people is rooting for me,” mentioned Horie, by way of an interpreter.

In 1962, Horie set sail in a tiny wood ship the Mermaid, which now resides on the San Francisco Maritime Museum, making a three-month solo journey from Osaka Japan to San Francisco, 5,300 hundred miles in 94 days. 

The then 23-year-old sailor arriving on the town with no passport or cash, was promptly arrested, then celebrated, the then mayor of San Francisco, who gave him the important thing to the town. He is continued to make historical past one time after one other, circling the globe quite a few occasions, selling the urgency of defending the world’s oceans. 

Households visiting the museum say his story is an inspiration. “Tenacity, and that age, whether or not your younger or aged, should not outline what your choices are,” mentioned Nikki Dellinger. “You understand, which you can strive new issues, or preserve doing stuff you love.”

Again on the yacht membership, completed single-handed sailors say what Horie is getting ready to do is nothing in need of astonishing. “He is a tremendous sailor. This isn’t an enormous boat,” mentioned Alex Rynecki. “He primarily makes his personal adventures, he invents these items which I feel could be very intelligent. He simply decides to do them and I feel age is an actual issue.”

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Now 83-years previous, Horie, takes being a task mannequin in stride, saying he is blissful that persons are nonetheless concerned with what he is doing, and he says, this would possibly not be his final journey. “I intend to proceed doing this,” mentioned Horie. “From San Francisco to Japan once more!”

The Mermaid III is identical size and width as the unique mermaid. This time know-how is on Horie’s aspect, he says he is bringing a satellite tv for pc cellphone to ensure his household is aware of he is protected on this journey, one thing that he could not do on his historic first journey.

As for the very first thing he’ll do when he arrives in Japan in two and a half months, he mentioned he’ll take a protracted bathtub.