I don''t recall hearing about his arrival before this item from
Scuttlebutt arrived today - a week old. Hooray for Hiro!
https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2019/04/21/blind-sailor-crosses-pacific-ocean/
Blind sailor crosses Pacific Ocean
Published on April 21st, 2019
Blind sailor Mitsuhiro Iwamoto called himself “the happiest person on
earth” after conquering the Pacific Ocean after nearly two months of
sailing nonstop from San Diego, USA to Iwaki, Japan.
“Six years later, I finally could achieve my dream,” he said, referring
to his first attempt in 2013 that failed after his boat capsized and sank.
His 12-meter yacht, Dream Weaver, arrived in Iwaki harbor on April 20,
55 days after setting off from the U.S. West Coast on February 24. His
navigator was Douglas Smith, a 55-year-old American and a longtime
resident of Japan.
The successful voyage made Iwamoto, 52, the first to conquer the Pacific
through blind sailing, in which a visually impaired sailor steers a boat
while a sighted partner describes the surroundings.
In his previous attempt, he and Jiro Shinbo, a TV anchor, sailed out of
Onahama Port in Iwaki in June 2013 bound for San Diego. But Iwamoto’s
boat collided with a whale shortly after, and the duo were forced to be
rescued by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.
Despite that, he did not give up his dream of achieving the feat and
realizing a message for Fukushima students, “A challenge will eventually
pay off.”
Iwamoto, a native of Kumamoto Prefecture, lost his sight when he was a
high school student. After becoming an acupuncturist, he moved to the
United States where he married an American woman and they took up
sailing together. He has previously competed in the Blind Sailing World
Championship.
Smith, who is married to a Japanese and has no prior experience in
sailing, said he signed up for Iwamoto’s undertaking to cross the
Pacific as he was inspired by the blind sailor’s quest.
Source: www.asahi.com
Tags: blind sailing, Douglas Smith, Mitsuhiro Iwamoto, records
_52-year-old __blind__man completes 2-month-long, non-stop voyage across
the Pacific Ocean_
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.timesnownews.com/the-buzz/article/52-year-old-blind-man-completes-2-month-long-non-stop-voyage-across-the-pacific-ocean/405890&ct=ga&cd=CAEYDioTNTcwMzQ0MTcxNjcxOTQwMTg0MzIaNDE2MmEwMmYxYzc2ZmU0NDpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNENKoQ_A_86kcre-zL8EgxKfQdHEA>
Times Now
However, a blind sailor from Japan, who calls himself “the happiest
person on ... Iwamoto has also competed in the Blind Sailing World
Championship.
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://nextshark.com/blind-japanese-sailor-pacific/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYASoTNTcwMzQ0MTcxNjcxOTQwMTg0MzIaNDE2MmEwMmYxYzc2ZmU0NDpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNEuSM0QW1Bya_0lJ3d8yPkBoNT1og>
_Blind__Japanese Sailor Crosses the Pacific Ocean in 2 Months_
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://nextshark.com/blind-japanese-sailor-pacific/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYCyoTNTcwMzQ0MTcxNjcxOTQwMTg0MzIaNDE2MmEwMmYxYzc2ZmU0NDpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNEuSM0QW1Bya_0lJ3d8yPkBoNT1og>
NextShark
Iwamoto has become the first visually-impaired sailor to cross the
Pacific without making any stops, according to the Japanese Blind
Sailing ...
Mitsuhiro Iwamoto becomes first blind man to sail non-stop across
Pacific
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://newsum.in/inspiring/mitsuhiro-iwamoto-becomes-first-blind-man-to-sail-non-stop-across-pacific/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYASoTNTcwMzQ0MTcxNjcxOTQwMTg0MzIaNDE2MmEwMmYxYzc2ZmU0NDpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNFZdAg_DFEgJ_rrwnUW9nEVoTlToQ>___-
__Newsum (press release) (blog)_
Full Coverage
<http://news.google.com/news/story?ncl=https://nextshark.com/blind-japanese-sailor-pacific/&hl=en&geo=US>
More links:
https://www.foxnews.com/world/blind-sailor-successfully-completes-non-stop-pacific-voyage
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47997727
