TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A blind Japanese sailor completed his non-stop Pacific voyage on Saturday, local media reported, becoming the first sightless person on record to navigate a vessel across the vast ocean. Mitsuhiro Iwamoto arrived at port in Fukushima in his 12-meter (40-foot) sailboat on Saturday morning, around two months after he left California. Iwamoto, a 52-year-old San Diego resident, sailed from the US city on February 24 with Doug Smith, an American navigator […]
Tag: sailing
72-year old Frenchman in a barrel closing in on trans-Atlantic crossing
https://youtu.be/31cVXjHNqo4 by Fabienne Faur Agence France Presse BORDEAUX, France (AFP) — A 72-year-old Frenchman floating across the Atlantic in a custom-made barrel says he is in high spirits as he approaches the end of his journey, after nearly 100 days alone at sea enjoying “magnificent sunrises and sunsets.” “The days are going by too fast,” Jean-Jacques Savin told AFP by satellite phone this week. “I’m not bored at all.” The former French paratrooper and avid […]
One dead as accident mars fourth leg of Volvo Ocean Race
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A collision between a mainland Chinese fishing boat and the American-Danish team during the fourth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race left one man dead, police said Saturday, overshadowing a historic victory for the Hong Kong team as the city hosted the race for the first time. Local group Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag triumphed despite some significant setbacks in the gruelling 5,800 nautical mile stage from Melbourne, Australia, closely followed by […]
Super-yachts on track to smash Sydney to Hobart race record
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Six yachts including the supermaxis are on track to beat the Sydney to Hobart record, powered by favorable winds in what organizers described Wednesday as an “astonishingly fast race.” Regarded as one of the toughest yacht races in the world, the 628-nautical mile (1,163-kilometer) bluewater classic kicked off in Sydney Harbor Tuesday, with 102 competitors sailing down the east coast of Australia. The four 100-footer supermaxis, led by LDV Comanche, were […]
Indonesia bans ships from sailing to Philippines after kidnapping
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Jakarta banned Friday any Indonesian-flagged vessels from sailing to the Philippines, the transport ministry said, after yet another violent kidnapping in the strife-torn waters between the two nations. The ruling was issued after the government confirmed seven Indonesian sailors were kidnapped at gunpoint earlier this week, and were being held hostage by an unknown group. It’s the third time this year Indonesian sailors have been abducted in the Sulu sea, a […]
Japan-Philippines Friendship Regatta Held
ENOSHIMA, JAPAN – Members of the Philippines and Japan national sailing teams raced through the coastal waters of Enoshima last August 22 and 23 in what was dubbed as the Friendship Regatta. The Philippine contingent, composed of four male athletes namely Ricky Awali Domingo (20), Jeanson Lumapas (15), Lester Troy Tayong (25), and Emerson Villena (26) accompanied by their coach Ms. Ma. Remedios Fidel, was in Japan from August 17-24. While there, they participated in a variety […]
