Sail Japan

Dismasted ketch towed in to Kushiro. Anyone nearby?

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:30:00 -0200

I've just received an email asking for assistance from the wife of Mike Herrington:

Quote:

Mike, was making a passage from Guam to CA and was demasted about 200 miles from Japan. He was sailing a 40ft steel hauled Ketch. At this time he is being towed by the Japanese Coast Guard to Kushiro port in Hokkaido. They should arrive at 1530 Japan time [today: July 27th]. He has decided he will not refit his boat but will liquidate and sell everything. If there is anything you can do to get the word out to the sailing community, we would greatly appreciate it. If anyone is interested they can contact me for more info.

Until I hear back from Mrs Herrington, all inquiries should be sent to me (Crip, the Editor) either through the 'Contact' button above, or direct to my email address (crip.moorey(at)gmail.com). I'll forward them on to her.

Sounds like the guy could do with a beer and a friendly face if nothing else!
Follow this story in the forums.

Post Tsunami: Ganbare! Japanese sailing fundraising

Tue, 31 May 2011 11:27:01 -0200

Source: YachtsandYachting.com

Kaori Takahashi has set as an objective to offer her Yacht Club next year her Laser Radial sail from the Olympics. One problem, the yacht club has been destroyed by the tsunami, her boat as well, actually all the boats, equipment, infrastructure...

The Iwaki Sun Marina is one of many sailing harbours that have been wiped out from the Japan Eastern cost. During the last ISAF Conference, Mr. Kawano, President of the Japan Sailing Federation has addressed the ISAF Council: âEast Japan has no more yacht clubs, no more boats, no more equipment. Everything has to be rebuilt, all the boats have to be purchased.â

The Japanese sailors have continued attending international events, in HyÃ¨res and now in Medemblik with strong teams. Kaori Takahashi competing in the Delta Lloyd Regatta in the Laser radial comes from Iwakei, a village 20 km from the coast hit by the giant wave. âWe felt the earthquake, first a small shake, then the house was like a washing machine, everything was smashed. Luckily we were not on the coast but my brother and I had to leave our house because of the threat of the nuclear plant.â

âThe problem now faced by the Japanese sailing community is to rebuild clubs and fleetsâ, explains Aiko Saito, Laser Radial coach, âAll the international funds go to other priorities such as the industries, rebuilding houses, schools, roads...we need to urgently raise money to buy equipment and build new infrastructure for sailing.â The Japanese Sailing Federation is launching an appeal among the international sailing community to raise funds around the motto: Gambare!

In Medemblik, all the Japanese boats and coach boats are displaying a Blue and red sticker with this message of hope. âGambare can be translated as âKeep goingâ or âDon't give upâ says Aiko Saito. âThe Japanese Federation will sell the stickers in Weymouth and Kiel for 20 euros each.â

As a sign of solidarity, the Dutch Sailing Federation has announced today in Medemblik that they will buy the first 25 âGambareâ stickers for all their Delta Lloyd team boats, coach boats and talent squads.

âSailing family is ONE and when you see what happened in Japan it is more than normal to support this initiativeâ declared , Royal Netherland Yachting Union Council member, Rob Franken.â

Kaori Takahashi's motivation to represent her country and her Yacht Club at the London Olympics is a further step forward for the future of Eastern Japan.

Saito Heading Home

Tue, 31 May 2011 11:13:28 -0200

Source: Khon2
Video available here.
He was attacked by pirates, survived the Chilean tsunami and sailed through ice off Antarctica.
Now Minoru Saito is back on track to finish his 8th solo journey around the world.
Itâs been quite an adventure.
It's hard to believe what 77-year-old Minoru Saito has been through when you hear his infectious laugh.
âMy boat capsized, very lucky.â He said.
The Japanese sailor set records after sailing around the world seven times.
In the middle of his eighth journey, which he planned to do against the wind, or backwards, he found himself in circumstances you see in the movies.
âToo many problems in the ocean you know stuck in the ocean, stuck in the ocean you know,â Mironu said. â15 minutes, 20 minutes of waves and 70 knot, 80 or sometimes 100 knot wind!â
âHe's been through the ice in Antarctica, the boat is dented underneath from ice and he lost his rudder,â explained his friend David Cooper. âHe went through the tsunami in Chile and all the boat around him were virtually destroyed and he only got beat up a bit.â

Saitoâs right arm was injured in the Tsunami.
So what does one do when that happens out at sea?
âHe self operated on his arm where it got crushed!â said Cooper.
âHeâs just an incredible guy!â
Saito even encountered pirates, and paid a bounty to continue his voyage.
Then in July 2010, Saito's boat had to be pulled to Kewalo after it flooded 600 miles west of Hawaii. Basin

While waiting for his boat to get repaired, life threw him another hurdle in October.
He was hit by a car while crossing the street.
âHospital,operation, surgery, exercise,â Saito said.
Seven months later he got the all clear from his doctors to finish his voyage and is happy to return to the ocean and Japan.

But he faces another challenge.
Debris from Japan's earthquake and tsunami floating at sea.
âWhen he turns north to start heading up towards Yokohama he will probably see some debris and that's a concern,â said Cooper.

Saito hopes to reach Yokohama in three weeks.
He says he has enough food to last him three months in case life throws another obstacle his way.
When Saito completes this voyage, he hopes to get another record: the oldest person to sail around the world backwards.

Sailing to stop dolphin slaughter.

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:19:03 -0200

If all goes according to plan, Ric O'Barry and the 'Save Japan Dolphins' org may be getting yet more media attention when the appropriately named "Dolphin Spirit" sails in to Tokyo some time in spring next year. US sailor Michael Reppy will be making a new record attempt to make the fastest SF~Tokyo crossing in his all carbon 43â Tony Grainger trimaran.
Michael has been sailing both to bring an end to 'Drive Fishing' and in support of dolphins since the early 1990's.

From SailWorld.com:
Quote:

At age 65, most people look forward to a nice quiet retirement, relaxing vacations and a less frantic existence. Marin Countyâs Michael Reppy, a physical therapist by day, seeks to conquer something that has avoided him for much of his adult life.
1. The single-handed record from SF to Tokyo Japan
2. Seeing an end to the massacre of thousands of dolphins and small whales in a small cove in Taiji Japan in an annual 'Drive Fishery'.

The Record for the course, approximately 5,700 NM was first set by Eric Taberly in 1969 aboard his 'state of the art' 35â monohull 'Pen Duick', 39 Days. 15 Hours and 44 minutes. The record stayed true until SF Native Peter Hogg drove his 40â Trimaran ' Aotea' in 34 Days, 6 hours and change in 1992.

Read more at SailWorld.com
There's a video of an interview with Michael here.

3 Japanese Teams For Phuket

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:11:42 -0200

There will be at least three Japanese entrants in this year's Phuket King's Cup Regatta.
Kozo Morimoto will be skippering "Sudsakorn Too", a chartered Hanse 315.
Yoshi Aoki will be skippering "Princess Anna", a chartered SunOdyssey 35, and Ms Makiko Matsuishi will be skippering "Tuay Lek", a Platu, in the IRC division.

What with Team HYMC's entry in the China Cup this weekend, and these three entrants in Phuket in December, it seems that some of Japan's most adventurous sailors are getting used to the idea that Asia isn't all that far away, and that there's some great sailing to be had. Now, how long will it take the JSAF to realize that they too are in Asia, and that Japan has some of the best facilities in the region, not to mention some of the best waters...

Best of luck to the teams listed above, let's hope they bring some of the enthusiasm for racing at a truly international event back home with them.

Go Japan!

Where'd the wind go?

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:30:56 -0200

PredictWind.com is a new (or new to us) on-line service that gives amazingly detailed wind predictions... in case you hadn't guessed. What's more, the basic version of their service is available for free, and you can access the results on your mobile. Japanese coverage is darned comprehensive and the interface is all in English. Excellent! No more cries of "Where'd the wind go?" Try it out.

2nd Pisces 21 heading for Yokohama

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:07:42 -0200

The second Pisces 21 âLa Pasâ is on her way to Japan, and will join her sister ship 'Splendid' when she arrives.
The Pisces 21 daysailer, inspired by the traditional Herreshoff Fish class daysailer, was designed by C.W Paine in 1999. 'La Paz's hull is glass, but cold moulded wood epoxy construction is also available.
These boats are ideal for Japan, where short crews and 'around the bay' sailing is the staple for local sailors. And let's face it, if you had the choice between a Pisces 21 and a Yamaha Jog... need I say more. Sail Japan hopes to see more classy boats like these in local waters, and if they were built locally, so much the better!

Anonymous Japanese 'officials' at Qingdao International Sailing Week

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:53:13 -0200

The Shenzen Daily reports that more than 200 officials and experts from over 20 countries and regions recently attended a forum in eastern Shandong Provinceâs Qingdao, the host city of the 2008 Olympic sailing events, in a joint effort to promote sailing. Apparently, mayors from Kiel (Germany), Brest (France), Southampton (the United Kingdom), and officials from South Korea, Japan and international sailing organizations held a brainstorming session at the forum which resulted in a declaration calling for the promotion of sailing among young people in Asia. Sail Japan thinks it's great that China is getting its sailing act together, we're also glad to see Japan tagging along, even if they've been barely half-hearted about their commitment to sailing since the Nippon Challenge a decade ago.

JSAF sees fit to send a team to the China Cup.

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:11:01 -0200

The 4th China Cup International Regatta to be held from Oct 29th will finally have a Japanese team taking part. The JSAF seems to have woken up to the fact that there's a hell of a lot of good sailing going on in Asia, and that it might be an idea to encourage Japanese teams to participate. A few forward thinking Japanese sailors have made efforts to participate in some of the more famous events such as the Phuket Kings Cup Regatta, but such events usually fall well below the horizon as far as the JSAF are concerned. So, credit where credit's due, JSAF have recommended Hayama Marina Yacht Club to represent them at this event. Sail Japan wishes the team from Hayama all the best, and hopes that the JSAF have turned a new leaf and recognize now that Japan could be a part of the Asian yachting circuit.

Japanese ship sails out of history to promote friendship.

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:50:00 -0200

photo: A replica of a ship that used to carry Japanese envoys to China passes by the Japan Pavilion at the Expo. Niu Yixin / China Daily

The China daily reports:
A replica of a ship that carried Japanese envoys to China during the 7th to 9th centuries makes its debut at the Expo garden in Shanghai after more than one month of sailing to highlight exchanges between China and Japan in ancient times.
The life-size replica of the vessel, with a golden phoenix design adorning its bow, is 33.6 m long and 9.2 m wide, featuring Japanese patterns and classic Japanese architecture. The original ship, also known as "Kentoshi" in Japan, sent more than 10 groups of envoys to China to learn about Chinese culture during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
The replica ship started its journey on May 8 from Osaka, the port from where envoys in ancient Japan started the journey to China. The cruise followed the same route, passing by seven ports in Japan including Hakata and Nagasaki before arriving in Shanghai on June 11.