On the morning of June 4, 2022, a small yacht docked and anchored on the coast of Japan. An elderly man with happy tan walked down from a six-meter long boat, took off his male-dominated hat and bowed many times in front of the crowd welcoming him. That is Mr. Kenichi Hori, 83 years old - the oldest person in the world who traveled the Pacific Ocean alone without stopping.
He departed from San Francisco and traveled 8,500km in 69 days. During his lifetime, Mr. Kenichi Hori traveled around the world, set many world records and even crossed the ocean on a ship made of beer cans.
Small boats are better
During his first crossing the ocean, he assigned the production of the yacht to a familiar design engineer named Akira Yokoyama.
The ship is called the wooden Siren and has only one sails. That person did not install the engine on the Siren because he thought that if there was an engine, "the adventure would be too safe".
According to cruise ship owners, the real skill of a cruise ship is the ability to achieve maximum results with minimum resources. For that reason, That did not carry a rescue missile with him.
The list of food items included nearly 200 items: rice, ham, seafood, fruits, desserts and some drinks: water, soda, instant coffee and beer.
90 days alone at sea
Kenichi Hori, then only 23 years old, departed on May 12,2. At the port of Nishinomiya, a suburb of Osaka, only a few close friends came to see us off.
Finally, on August 11, 1962, the Siren reached the coast of California and passed the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
After that, That's name was not only mentioned in his native Japan but also around the world. That broke the record as the first person on Earth to cross the Pacific Ocean alone without stopping to rest.
Thanks to solar energy
In addition to checking their own strength, That is another task - the environment, the ecology.
Sailers have traveled across large areas of the Pacific Ocean using alternative energy sources.
In 1985, he traveled from Hawaii to Japan on an electric boat, and from 1992 to 1993 on a step boat. In 1996, he traveled from Ecuador to Japan on a ship made from an aluminum beer can. The 16,000km journey took 148 days and was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest person to cross the Pacific Ocean on a solar-powered boat.
In 2008, at the age of 69, That decided to exploit a new type of energy - the force of the sea waves. He traveled 7,700km between Hawaii and Japan on a parallel-water energy yacht, traveling at an average speed of 1.5 nautical miles per hour - lower than the average speed of a pedestrian.
"I will repeat this when I turn 100"
In 2022, 60 years after the first trip, That repeated his miracle, but in the opposite direction - from San Francisco to Japan.
At a press conference held at the port of Nishinomiya right after arriving, the sailing cruise ship owner shared details of the adventure. According to him, due to the COVID pandemic, preparing for the exploration trip has encountered many surprises.
This journey was not easy: Immediately after leaving San Francisco, That was passed by a storm, and towards the end of the journey, the high tide caused obstacles. But as an experienced crew member, he once again mastered the stubborn ocean and returned to Japan safely.
For two months in the ocean, the reserve medicine is still intact - 83-year-old Thistic only uses eye drops and high bands. Responding to questions from journalists, Mr. That admitted that he intended to repeat the same journey when he was 100.
I still feel like I am in my middle of my youth. As long as I am alive, I will challenge myself, he said.
