A blind Japanese sailor successfully completed a two-month non-stop voyage across the Pacific ocean. He is the first visually impaired person to do so, reports BBC news.
How did he make it?
Mitsuhiro Iwamoto, 52, sailed the 8,700-mile (14,000 km) crossing with the help of a sighted navigator.
He left California on 24 February with Doug Smith, an American navigator who assisted him in his 12m (40 ft) yacht that made port in Fukushima, ending his two-month trip.
Success in second attempt
His first attempt at the journey in 2013 ended in failure after his boat struck a whale and sank. He had to be rescued by the Japanese military.
Speaking at the port of Iwaki, he told Japan’s Kyodo News that completing the challenge on his second attempt was a “dream come true”.
“I’m the happiest person on earth,” he said.
The blind steered not blindly!
Mr Iwamoto, who lost his sight aged 16, steered the vessel while Mr Smith gave him verbal guidance, advising him on wind directions and potential hazards.
He is the first blind person to successfully sail across the Pacific without stopping, the Japan Blind Sailing Association says.
Determined to make the crossing second time around, Mr Iwamoto – a Japanese citizen who currently lives in San Diego – took part in triathlons.
Together we can achieve anything
“We undertake this voyage not only for personal accomplishment, but to send a message that anything is possible when people come together,” Iwamoto wrote on his website.
He and Mr Smith made the voyage to raise money for charity and for efforts to prevent diseases that cause blindness.
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Source: BBC
