69 year old sailor first to cross Pacific in wave-powered boat

The 69-year-old solo yachtsman and his boat made from recycled materials embarked on the 3800nm trip from Honolulu bound for Japan, expecting to arrive 'sometime in May'. Well it took longer than he thought, but on July 04, he did it, arriving at the port of Wakayama in the channel between Honshu and Shikoku Islands, just before midnight, thus becoming the first person in history to cross and ocean powered by wave power.

His 9.5m double-hull boat, made partly of recycled aluminium, named Suntory Mermaid II, was equipped with two special fins at the front that move like a dolphin's tail each time the boat rises or falls with the rhythm of the waves.

The theory said that that a vertical motion could drive the boat forward at a speed of three knots. In the event, he averaged 1.5 knots, not the fastest way to travel, but it could spell the dawning of yet another innovative green way of transiting oceans.

'Throughout history, mankind has used wind for power, but no one has appeared to be serious about wave power,' Mr Horie said late last year.

Horie told reporters in Japan that what he wants most now is to go home, and have some home cooked meals. "The sea was so calm, and the weather was so great throughout my journey. That's why it took me so long," Kenichi Horie said of his historic voyage. The vitals are that Kenichi left Honolulu March 16th, arrived in Wakayama, Japan last night (which by our calculation makes 110 days), and covered over 3,400 nautical miles via wave power. "When waves were weak, the boat slowed down. That's the problem to be solved," Kenichi Horie told reporters from aboard the wave powered catamaran Suntory Mermaid II, now docked off the Kii Peninsula in western Japan

Horie first made world headlines in 1962 when, at the age of 23, he became the first person to sail solo across the Pacific.

He embarked on the three-month voyage from his hometown of Nishinomiya near Kobe despite breaking Japanese law, which did not allow its citizens to sail on their own out of the country, and without a passport or money.

He was arrested upon arrival in San Francisco but the city mayor freed him, gave him a 30-day visa and made him an honorary citizen. News of his achievement made him a hero back home in Japan and his book of the voyage "Kodoku (Alone in the Pacific)" was made into a film.

Since then, he has completed numerous sailing trips across the Pacific and around the world.

His projects have included sailing boats that rely on a single solar battery or are made from recycled materials.

Kenichi Horie, 69 year old marine adventurer has set a record to cruise in the Pacific ocean in a wave powered boat.

    * he commenced his voyage on March 16 from Honolulu, Hawaii
    * he started his voyage in wave powered boat Suntory Mermaid II made out of recycled aluminium from beer cans
    * he reached his finishing line Kii Channel on his 110th day of voyage, between the capes of Hinomisaki, Wakayama Prefecture and Kamodamisaki, Tokushima Prefecture in Japan on July 04
    * he has covered a distance of 7000 km
    * his scheduled completion of voyage in end May got delayed due to weak waves and strong ocean currents