In early June 2022, 83-year-old Japanese man Kenichi Horie set a record when he became the oldest person in the world to cross the Pacific Ocean alone.
Before setting off, Mr. Horie revealed that his only fear about making this journey alone was the issue of age. However, he himself overcame his fear and proved that age is not an obstacle. The 83-year-old man set foot in the sea off the Kii Peninsula in western Japan at 2:39 local time after 2 months of crossing the world's largest sea.
On the voyage from Shikoku to Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, Mr. Horie accepted an interview with CNN via satellite phone. He shared that he wanted to bring to everyone a belief ''don't let your dreams just be dreams. Set a goal and work hard to achieve it and a beautiful life is waiting ahead''.
Conquering the Pacific Ocean at the age of only 23
At the age of 23, while working as an auto parts salesman, he became the first person in history to successfully complete a journey across the Pacific Ocean - from Japan to California.
“I was confident I could do it – I wanted to take on the challenge myself,” Horie added. He was nervous at times during storms at sea because he only had a radio and no GPS at the time.
Kenichi Horie set sail at the age of 23.
He crossed the Atlantic in 94 days.
Horie, then an amateur swimmer, crossed the ocean in 94 days in a 18-foot plywood boat. Surviving on rice and canned goods, he sailed unannounced across San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge without a passport or money.
Although Horie had no official papers, he said then-San Francisco Mayor George Christopher issued him a visa. At the time, donations poured in to support Horie, and he received so much media attention that interviews with him were limited to 20 minutes at a time, according to the Gadsden Times.
Set sail at the age of 83
Horie set sail on his 2000-pound, 18-foot-long sailboat, the Suntory Mermaid III, from San Francisco, California, on March 26. The boat, which was custom-built for him, was packed with survival gear, books for entertainment, and canned food for the trip. Horie said that because he had read a lot while sailing, he spent the two months immersing himself in the beautiful scenery.
Age did not prevent him from crossing the Atlantic.
Before departing, friends from the Silicon Valley Sailing Club also came to see Horie off and brought him some food for the next few months. Nick Sugimoto, a fellow club member, said he admired Horie’s courage and that he would never have the courage to do what the 83-year-old had done.
During the launching ceremony in San Francisco, Kenichi Horie said he never thought he would be standing here at the age of 83. However, he was happy to have dared to conquer this challenge again. "My dream is to row until I am 100, if I live," Mr. Horie added.
Asked if he was confident about his journey, Horie said "always", except for storms or unusually dangerous weather conditions. Horie said some parts of the journey were challenging but he kept in touch with his family every day by calling them on a satellite phone. "If I don't call at least once a day, they get worried," he added.
Horie and his small sailboat crossing the Atlantic.
He lived in the confined space of the boat.
Horie did not call at any port during his voyage and was found leaving the Hawaiian island of Oahu on April 16. He arrived at Cape Hinomisaki in western Japan on June 4.
Many questions were sent to Mr. Horie about how he could maintain his health for months at a time at sea or whether being alone without communicating with anyone made him feel sad. This man simply answered "This is a journey and there are rules that you have to find a way to overcome yourself."
Environmentally friendly
In the 60 years since his first voyage, Horie has crossed the Pacific Ocean several times in eco-friendly vessels. He sailed from Hawaii to Okinawa in a pedal-powered boat, and spent 148 days from Ecuador to Tokyo in a solar-powered boat made from recycled aluminum.
Horie next to the old boat of his youth.
In 1999, he sailed a ship made from beer barrels down the West Coast of the United States to Japan. Three years later, he sailed back from Japan to the United States on a boat made from recycled whiskey barrels. Horie has spent decades promoting the idea that the sea is “the Earth’s irreplaceable life source,” but he doesn’t identify as an environmental activist. “I’m just doing my job as a member of society,” Horie says.
