KOBE: Japanese sea adventurer Kenichi Horie, 83, became the world’s oldest person to complete a nonstop trans-Pacific solo voyage on a sailboat in the early hours of Saturday.

He arrived at his destination off Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan. His boat, towed by another ship, is expected to reach a marina in the city of Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, also western Japan, later on Saturday.

After undergoing maritime quarantine, the resident of the Hyogo city of Ashiya is set to hold a press conference Sunday.

Horie kicked off his voyage from under San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in the United States on the morning of March 26 local time.

After sailing around 8,500 kilometers, he arrived at his destination in the Kii Channel off Hinomisaki, a cape in the Kii Peninsula, around 2:40 a.m. (5:40 p.m. Friday GMT).

In 1962, Horie became the first person ever to successfully cross the Pacific on a sailboat solo and nonstop, at the age of 23.

In the 2022 voyage, Horie crossed the Pacific from the opposite direction to his voyage made 60 years ago, heading for Nishinomiya this time.

His 6-meter-long, 1-ton boat, the Suntory Mermaid III, is equipped with solar panels. Horie steered the ship using satellite communications equipment to check the boat’s location and the weather.

JIJI Press