Mitsuhiro ‘Hiro’ Iwamoto, a blind Japanese sailor based in the USA, has confirmed he will launch a solo trans-Pacific voyage in 2027, sailing from San Diego to Fukushima, Japan.
Iwamoto, 59, previously completed a non-stop Pacific crossing with sighted navigator Doug Smith in 2019. However, the 2027 voyage aims to be the world’s first such trip completed entirely alone by a blind sailor – with Iwamoto aided only by technical assistance from a specially designed, voice-activated smartphone.
The phone will host a specially designed mobile app called “Leena,” named after his daughter.
The app is being developed by Japanese marine electronics firm Furuno. The app transforms key navigation data, including wind and boat speed, wind direction and heading, into real-time audio.
Furuno is also sponsoring his voyage – named ‘Hiro’s Choice’ – by providing navigation equipment, including Radar and GPS devices, which will be installed on his 28-foot yacht, the Bristol Channel Cutter.
Speaking at a press conference at Point Loma Marina to announce his latest crossing attempt, Iwamoto told media: “I wanted to make future success 100 times bigger,” adding he realises that success “will not come by itself.
“I decided I wanted to sail the Pacific again. Let the dream live again. And I need people to support me and be my collective eyes.”
Iwamoto became fully blind at the age of 16. In 2013, he attempted his first trans-Pacific sailing. The voyage failed when a whale struck his boat, sinking it and forcing him to be rescued.
“When I lost my sight, it was very dark and despairing,” Iwamoto said to media. “But I got a message from my late uncle who said, ‘There is meaning in your blindness, challenge things so that you will give courage to others.’ That message turned me around 180 degrees.”
Bob Babbitt, co-founder of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, a nonprofit providing funding, training support and community events for athletes with physical disabilities, introduced Iwamoto at the press conference, and presented him with a $5,000 cheque from the foundation, to help him with his 2027 venture.
“We’re here because we have a young man who has the best name for somebody who does what he does,” Babbitt said. “He’s a hero because this is a guy who lost his vision totally by the age of 16 and somehow [still] found sailing. In 2019, he went 8,700 miles on a sailboat from San Diego to Japan. Now, he plans to do this, on his own, totally solo, 8,700 miles.”
Malin Burnham – a 98-year-old San Diego resident who at 17 became the youngest skipper to win an International Star Class championship and later won nine international sailing titles – spoke at the press conference and helped present the cheque to Iwamoto.
“What this young man has done is almost unbelievable,” Burnham said. “[The challenge Iwamoto is taking upon himself is something] very few people in the world can do. This man here has a lot of gumption, which you have to have. You have to get up again – and go do it. What he’s doing, this really is an inspiration to a lot of people.”
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