Japanese ocean adventurer Kenichi Horie, who became the world's oldest person to make a solo, nonstop voyage across the Pacific on a yacht at age 83 last year, will receive a prestigious American sailing award.
The Cruising Club of America said this week that it has chosen the now 84-year-old adventurer for its highest honor, the Blue Water Medal, in recognition of his "lifetime of ocean-crossing achievement."
Horie completed his 8,500-kilometer voyage to the Kii Channel in western Japan on June 4 after setting sail from San Francisco on March 27.
In response to the news of the award, Horie said he feels like he was "dreaming," and that he "would like to express my gratitude for such an honor," according to the club.
A seasoned adventurer, Horie's 2022 journey traced a similar but reversed route to one that brought him fame in 1962, when at age 23 he became the first yachtsman to cross the Pacific from Japan to San Francisco alone with no port calls.
His other successful challenges include a nonstop solo journey around the world in the early 70s, and a 2008 expedition in which he sailed a wave energy-powered boat around 7,000 km from Hawaii to the channel.
The Cruising Club of America comprises a select group of accomplished ocean sailors in the field of adventuring. Its Blue Water Medal recognizes "meritorious seamanship and adventure upon the sea, displayed by amateur sailors of all nationalities."
Horie becomes the second Japanese person bestowed with the honor, which he will personally receive at a ceremony planned for March in New York.
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Japan's Horie, 83, becomes oldest to sail nonstop solo across Pacific
