23-Year-Old Aims to Become Youngest to Sail Solo Nonstop Around the World Departing from Nishinomiyahama in November

On June 4, 2022, Kenichi Horie successfully completed a solo, nonstop yacht crossing of the Pacific Ocean at the world-record age of 83.

And now, from Nishinomiya, another sailor is about to aim for the youngest Japanese record: a solo, nonstop, unassisted circumnavigation of the world by yacht at age 23.

Here ↓

This is Shin Nishinomiya Yacht Harbor, the largest yacht harbor in western Japan.

He is 木村啓嗣 (Hirotsugu Kimura), age 23.

He lives in Nishinomiyahama!

23 years old means he is the same age as Yumacchi from Nishitsu! By the way, Yumacchi plays pitcher on a recreational baseball team.

With this yacht, he plans to spend about six months attempting a solo, nonstop, unassisted circumnavigation of the world. The Japanese flag looks so cool.

We Got a Look Inside the Yacht

A lot of people probably haven’t had the chance to take a close look at a yacht.

He let us have a quick look inside.

This is the rudder. It’s pretty big.

This propeller-looking thing is apparently a hydropower generator. It is placed in seawater and spins to generate electricity, which is then used to power the equipment. There are solar panels too.

These are the devices.
The main equipment includes radio, radar, and satellite communication gear.

Can you spot some of the equipment from earlier? There are multiple units installed as backups in case something breaks.

The dark area in the middle is the cabin, and the thing tied down with fluorescent yellow-green rope is…

…an emergency life raft.

Cabin ↓

We visited while preparations for departure were still underway, so things were a bit hectic.

This is the sleeping area. Since ships come and go, he checks the radar, calculates how long it will take for them to get close, and then figures out how much sleep he can get before resting.
So even when he can sleep, it’s apparently only for about an hour at a time. That means he sleeps in short bursts. I thought that must be incredibly tough, but he says you get used to it. Seriously!?

Windows like this are kind of a dream, aren’t they? I’d love to say something like, “Tch. The sea’s rough today.”

This is called a watermaker, a device that filters seawater into drinking water. Apparently, though, it doesn’t taste good. Seems like it’s because all the minerals are removed.

This room will apparently be loaded with six months’ worth of food, mostly freeze-dried meals, along with supplements to make up for nutritional needs. Apparently it really all fits.

He Was Originally in the Maritime Self-Defense Force

Kimura is from Oita Prefecture and played baseball in junior high school. But when he got to high school, he felt something like, “Do I really want to devote my life to Koshien?” and ended up joining the yacht club more or less on a whim.
He looked up to ocean adventurer Shiraishi, the current youngest Japanese record holder at age 26, and started thinking, “I’d like to sail around the world too.”

After graduating from high school, he joined the Maritime Self-Defense Force and became a submariner.

As it happened, submarine repairs in Kobe took longer than expected, and during that time he was able to take an extended break. When he tried sailing again for the first time in a while, his love of yachts came rushing back: “Yachts really are awesome.”

This time, because he absolutely, absolutely wanted to take on a solo, nonstop, unassisted circumnavigation of the world, he left the Maritime Self-Defense Force. And that brings us to now.

He seems to like the singing Italian restaurant Cacucina near Koroen Station. The pizza is delicious.

Also, he often eats a regular 300g hamburger steak at Bikkuri Donkey in Imazu.

Update

Amazingly, starting today (9/21), he is apparently heading to Iwo Jima for training.

Here it is on the map ↓