East Coast Sailors: Watch out for Minoru Saito
Date: 10-Nov-2008 by: Vanessa H
74 year-old Minoru Saito, on his eighth circumnavigation, after 38 days from Yokohama has reached the coastline of Australia, and is travelling south roughly parallel with the coast. Sailors on the east coast of Australia, watch out for Saito-San, surely one of the most incredible sailors in all leisure sailing history.
Yesterday he was disabled and drifting owing to the failure of a hydraulic pump. After motoring to clear some reefs, he turned the engine off. The autopilot was not working as a result of the failure, so he tied the wheel off, and stayed adrift, taking advantage of the wind and current, while he installed successfully a new hydraulic pump.
So far, the veteran sailor has covered over 3500 miles, and knowing Minoru Saito's record, this was merely a small setback. Saito-san started his journey on 28th September, and is attempting a non-stop passage of over 26,000 miles, estimated to take around eight months, the 'wrong way round', against wind and current. He is sailing a 1989 56ft steel-hulled cutter-rigged sloop, newly refitted in Auckland, called Nicole BMW Shuten-Dohji III or 'Drunkard's Child'.
At the time of yesterday's report, the winds were rising, and he worked hard to finish the installing job before the arrival of foul weather, anticipated within the next 24 hours. The forecast is for 30-35 knots, so he is staying well reefed. His yesterday position of 23 09 S 154 42 E put him north east of Bundaberg on the Queensland coast, as shown in the Google chart.
If Minoru Saito follows his planned route, he will be sailing closer and closer to the mainland as he comes south. Please give him a big Australian welcome, but be sure to stay clear, as to achieve his goal of 'unassisted' he must not 'receive outside assistance' or be construed to have received it. Sail-World would like to hear about any sightings of Saito-san
See below for his planned route, but to learn more about Minoru Saito's incredible life and exploits, go to his WEBSITE
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