Wave Powered Boat

Wakayama, Japan - Kenichi Horie, YachtPal and venerable sailing adventurer, has completed his wave powered voyage aboard the Suntory Mermaid II. Small waves and opposing currents slowed the journey considerably, but Kenichi struggled through, and is now the first person to have traversed the Western Pacific on a boat powered by waves.

What would you do to help conserve natural resources? Switch to fluorescent lighting? Drive an economy car? Cross the Western Pacific alone in a prototype, wave-powered boat? While most of us would consider carpooling effort enough, Japan's most famous sailor Kenichi Horie is not a man with average limits, and he is slowly but steadily progressing across the big blue to prove the value of an untapped renewable resource: wave power.

We received word from Ken-ichi Horie on the wave powered boat last night. He is moving along at 2.2 knots using only the power of the waves. The weather and currents are working in his favor, and he is enjoying clear Hawaiian skies.

Miles Anderson of the Hawaii Yacht Club has just reported that Ken-ichi Horie has cleared Ala Wai Channel on his wave powered boat! He will now travel all the way to Japan, on the first ever wave-powered Pacific crossing. Ken-ichi says the journey will take him about two and a half months on the Suntory Mermaid 2.

Singlehanded Sailor Plans a Wave Powered Crossing

Ken-ichi Horie is preparing to be the first skipper to cruise from Hawaii to Japan solely on wave power. This 69 year old Japanese adventurer will attempt the pacific crossing on March 16th using his three-ton yacht Suntory Mermaid II. The 4,300 mile crossing should take him about 2 and a half months.