Japanese Solo Adventurer Sets Sail to Circumnavigate the Pacific Ocean
As the ultimate "datsu-sara" move, Naoki Uemura is about to embark on an epic 15,000+ nautical mile voyage around the Pacific Ocean on his 30-foot sailboat.
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What’s new: Weather permitting, on July 18, 2024, Naoki Uemura (上村直輝), 30, plans to set sail alone from Oita Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan, on an epic 15,000+ nautical mile voyage around the Pacific Ocean aboard his 30-foot sailboat. His next port of call will be San Francisco, following in the footsteps (or wake) of his childhood hero, solo sailor Kenichi Horie (堀江謙一), who in 1962 at the age of 23 became the first person to sail solo and non-stop across the Pacific Ocean. Uemura leaves next week and expects to pass under the Golden Gate Bridge in early to mid-September. After replenishing supplies and doing some sightseeing in the Bay Area, Uemura will head to French Polynesia for the next leg of his nearly year-long, clockwise voyage around the Pacific.
Why it matters: Uemura is the epitome of a rare adventurous breed in Japan, who not only has big dreams, but has planned extensively to make those dreams a reality, and is now about to take action to live his dream. He is an inspiration not only to the sailing community, but to his entire generation.
Though very modest and not one to draw attention to himself, Uemura has already taken the bold step of quitting corporate life, an act called datsu-sara (脱サラ) in Japanese, which literally means "to escape from the life of an employee." It is a compound word made up of the Kanji character datsu (脱), which means "to escape" or "to shed", and sara (サラ), a shortened form of sararīman (サラリーマン), which means "salaryman” or a white collar company employee. In English, datsu-sara is often translated as "to quit one's job" or "to leave corporate life.” It typically refers to the act of leaving a stable, traditional job to pursue a more entrepreneurial or independent path. This can include starting your own business, freelancing, or pursuing other creative projects. Uemura, however, is taking his lifelong passion for sailing to the extreme.
Tsubame off the northeast coast of Kyushu in the Inland Sea – before the custom hard dodger was installed (image sourced from author Mark Kennedy)
Catch up quick: Uemura first learned to sail two decades ago as a fourth-grade elementary school student in a club sailing program in his hometown of Okayama. He mastered the art of sailing on a Yamaha 11 Mini Hopper, a 3.43-meter one-handed, one-design dinghy similar to a Laser. His father, an avid boater, encouraged his son to share his love of the sea.
Inspiration
In middle school, Uemura was inspired by solo sailor Kenichi Horie (堀江謙一), who in 1962 at the age of 23 became the first person to sail solo and nonstop across the Pacific Ocean. Uemura read Horie's book Alone on the Pacific, which chronicled his journey from Japan to San Francisco aboard a 19-foot plywood sailboat. Although Horie arrived in San Francisco without a visa and was initially detained, the mayor arranged for a special short-term visa on his behalf. Uemura will not repeat this part of the journey, however, as he has already obtained a visa to visit the United States.
By the time Uemura reached college, where he studied marine engineering, he had become an accomplished sailboat racer.
Uemura continued to be inspired by fellow Japanese sailors, including the legendary Kojiro Shiraishi (白石康次郎), who in 1993 at the age of 26 became the youngest sailor to complete a non-stop, unassisted solo circumnavigation of the world. He was also the first Japanese participant in the 2016 Vendée Globe, and continues to represent his company in this global race.
Captain of His Own Vessel
Following in the footsteps (or wake) of his illustrious comrades, Uemura purchased his first sailboat, a used 26-foot (7.9-meter) sailboat from New Japan Yacht Shipyard, at the age of 23, and made a trip all the way to Okinawa, then circumnavigated Japan. So he is no stranger to long-distance sailing, although the upcoming trip across the Pacific will be Uemura's first time sailing so far from land.
A few years ago, Uemura upgraded to a slightly larger 30-foot (9.1-meter) sailboat, also from New Japan Yacht. This boat, Tsubame, which means barn swallow in Japanese, is the sloop that will take Uemura to California. Tsubame was originally built in 1986, making it 7 years older than its captain, but Uemura has done extensive maintenance and renovations himself. Formerly with Yanmar Marine, a global manufacturer of marine engines and powerboats, it would be an understatement to say that Uemura knows a thing or two about engines and boat repair. He completely rebuilt Tsubame's engine, replacing the original shaft with a saildrive. He installed a self-steering wind vane on the stern and an arch with two solar panels to generate a total of 230 watts of electricity, which should be enough to charge a small refrigerator and other electronic equipment on board. Uemura reinforced the bow to ensure that Tsubame would be less susceptible to damage in the event of a collision with a submerged rock or floating object. He also designed, built, and installed a custom fiberglass hard dodger that will help protect Tsubame from the elements during the upcoming voyage.
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Motivation
You may be curious as to why Uemura loves the sea and is about to test his nautical skills on the biggest stage in the sailing world, the Pacific Ocean.
"Yatte minaito..." - Naoki Uemura, explaining "I have to try it (to see how much I can do)"
A big part of his motivation is also the desire to travel exclusively by sail, without relying on the engine. Because of time constraints and limited vacation time, Uemura has been forced to use his boat's engine for parts of previous long-distance trips just to stay on schedule. This time, however, relying on the engine for 99% of the trip will not be an option. He will simply have to harness the power of the wind and currents to make his way across the ocean.
What’s happening: Uemura is currently making final preparations for the first leg of his pan-Pacific journey as he counts down the days until departure.
The Planned Route
The overall plan is to depart from Tsubame's current homeport on the northeast coast of Kyushu next week, head out of the Bungo Channel, sail around the southwest tip of Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku, cross the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco, spend up to a month in the Bay Area, sail on to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, island hop westward to Fiji, head north to the Philippines (time permitting), and return to Japan sometime in the spring of 2025.
First Leg - Japan to San Francisco: Assuming an average speed of about 4 knots (4.6 mph), Uemura estimates that it should take about 53 days to reach San Francisco, which is nearly 5,000 nautical miles from where Tsubame is currently docked on the northeast coast of Kyushu. Assuming some variation in the weather, he has rounded up to 60 days to make port again. To take advantage of prevailing winds and currents while avoiding the typhoon season, Uemura had planned to leave a few weeks ago in June, but it took longer than expected to obtain a visa to enter the U.S. and complete the necessary remaining boat maintenance. Tsubame has a foresail that can be used as a storm jib in case of bad weather. Even if the boat were to be caught in a typhoon, there would be no need to buck the wind. The idea is that even if Tsubame is blown slightly off course, she can just "go with the flow" and let the typhoon push her toward North America. Let's hope that Uemura can somehow avoid any contact with a typhoon's fierce winds.
The Rest of the Journey: Since the distance is shorter, Uemura expects Leg 2 from San Francisco to the Marquesas Islands to take only about 1 month. So it will probably be mid-November before he reaches Papeete in French Polynesia. Details for the rest of the trip are still being worked out.
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Provisions
Food: Uemura stows enough packaged food to last about 80 days. Although he has no official sponsor, Uemura has received a large amount of rice as a gift from his home marina. The menu will consist mostly of pre-prepared foods that only need to be heated on a mini gas stove, such as curry rice. The plan, however, is to supplement this diet with fishing, as the Polynesians did during their trans-Pacific voyages on even smaller boats from ancient times. While scurvy, a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency that plagued sailors centuries ago, is unlikely to be a problem, Uemura expects to crave fresh fruits and vegetables when he finally lands in California. But just in case, he has also packed several vitamin supplements.
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Water: Uemura expects to use about 2 liters of fresh water per day. He has packed more than a hundred 500 ml (16.9 oz.) bottles of water and filled the boat's 100 liter (26 gallon) water tank. Uemura would have preferred to equip Tsubame with a water maker that uses hydrolysis to filter seawater into potable water, but he was unable to find a new or used machine. While he does not expect to have to resort to collecting rainwater during a downpour, it would always be an option in a pinch.
Fuel: Tsubame holds 100 liters of diesel fuel, which should be more than enough to get the boat out of Uemura's home port and to dock in San Francisco. Uemura plans to run the engine for about an hour each day to recharge the battery beyond what his two solar panels can provide. Even at that rate, he should end up with plenty of fuel left over.
Communications
Automatic Identification System (AIS): To avoid collisions, Tsubame transmits its position so that other vessels know where it is. There are several apps such as VesselFinder or MarineTraffic.com that make it possible to track Uemura's location throughout the voyage.
Starlink: Uemura should be able to stay in touch via SpaceX's Starlink internet service.
Instagram: Uemura intends to post regularly on Instagram (@ naoue123, https://www.instagram.com/naoue123/?hl=ja). We look forward to checking this page for daily (or at least weekly) updates from the middle of the Pacific Ocean and beyond.
Concerns
Potential Collisions: While Uemura isn't overly concerned about the possibility of colliding with a ship or floating object, he is aware of the 2013 action drama All Is Lost, in which the sole cast member, Robert Redford, played a sailor whose boat collided with a wayward shipping container that had fallen off a container ship during a storm. The collision resulted in a gaping hole in the hull, which ultimately caused Redford's sailboat to sink.
Tsubame's AIS is equipped with a collision alarm, and Uemura plans to be especially vigilant near the coast of Japan, where there is a lot of shipping traffic. He also has a personal locator beacon (PLB). While it is now possible to equip a sailboat with a device called SEA.AI at the top of the mast that detects and classifies objects such as floating hazards, buoys, logs, etc. on a 24/7 basis, such equipment is very expensive and did not fit into Uemura's budget. So he'll just have to keep an eye on things the old-fashioned way (and with some less expensive technology).
While still in Japan's coastal waters, Uemura plans to sleep in cycles of 20 minutes of sleep followed by 10 minutes of wakefulness. As he moves further offshore and away from ship traffic, the plan is to gradually shift to being able to sleep for 2 ~ 3 hours at a time. He may be able to increase the interval to as much as 6 hours of sleep at a time, but the limit will be determined by trial and error.
Repairs at Sea: Uemura is prepared to jury-rig a sail if, for example, Tsubame is dismasted in a storm. There is really no way to prepare for such an eventuality other than having plenty of tools and knowledge of how to fix things, both of which Uemura has in abundance.
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First Aid: Uemura has no specific medical training, but he does have a first aid kit, a small supply of antibiotics, and an emergency wound closure kit. Let's hope Uemura never has to open the packaging on any of these items.
Killer Whale Attacks: While Uemura is aware that killer whales sometimes attack the rudders of sailboats and is slightly concerned about this possibility, he understands that the likelihood of such a problem occurring is close to zero.
Pirates: While the possibility of crossing paths with pirates is not entirely out of the realm of possibility, at this point Uemura is not concerned enough to take any precautions other than using common sense to avoid putting himself in danger.
Enyasu: Perhaps a more real threat than killer whales or pirates is the effect of enyasu (円安), the devaluation of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar. Uemura has already invested his savings in Tsubame, and he plans to buy more supplies along the way. Some of the planned ports of call, such as San Francisco and French Polynesia, are not known as budget destinations. So Uemura will have to work hard to stretch his hard-earned yen once he gets ashore.
Other
Mental Preparedness: Uemura realizes that his upcoming voyage will test both his physical and mental endurance far beyond any of his previous trips around Japan. He does nothing special to prepare, expecting that the task of sailing non-stop across the ocean will keep him busy enough not to think about it. I guess you have to be hardwired that way to make such a trip.
Bathing: Tsubame cannot hold enough fresh water to take a shower. So, as he has done on previous long-distance sailing trips, the plan is to bathe with salt water and then rinse with a small amount of fresh water. Needless to say, Uemura will be in desperate need of a shower when he arrives in California!
Commentary: Sharing a mutual love of sailing, I have known Uemura for the past 5 years. I can attest to the fact that he is an accomplished sailor who can handle just about any situation, no matter how challenging. To say the least, he is very determined and has a wealth of knowledge about sailing, boat maintenance, and navigation. He embodies the type of sailor who not only enjoys the feeling of being out on the water and optimizing the wind, currents, and his own skills to move the boat forward, but Uemura also has a thorough understanding of how just about everything works on a sailboat. He has the skills and know-how to repair almost any component. So I have complete confidence that even in the event of a severe storm, Tsubame will be fine.
What really commands respect, however, is Uemura's combination of vision, meticulous planning, and the ability to put plans into action. As you can imagine, he has been preparing to leave the dock next week for several years. This didn't just happen. And while the main task, the actual voyage, is still ahead of him, Uemura has been doing all the preparations while working a full-time job that sometimes takes him overseas (e.g., extended business trips to Vietnam). It is not easy to stay motivated when you are pressed for time - especially when you are working on a limited budget.
While Uemura is not one to brag, he certainly reserves the right to do so! In pursuit of his dream, he defies the cultural expectations of a "salaryman" who would normally devote most of his time and effort to achieving success in the business world. Uemura seems completely comfortable with this approach to life, which is enviable. Although it is a cliché, I suspect that Uemura truly appreciates that "life is a journey, not a destination.” I look forward to living vicariously by following his Instagram account!
What’s next: If all goes well, Tsubame should pass under the Golden Gate Bridge sometime in early to mid-September. Uemura plans to stay in the Bay Area for a few weeks to get a taste of California and, if possible, buy a used inflatable dinghy. Jacques Cousteau famously referred to such boats as "a Zodiac," the brand name of Zodiac Nautic's best-selling dinghy. Uemura is open to procuring other brands of inflatable dinghies to make it possible to get to shore from anchorages in the South Pacific. He's checking Craig's List, but if anyone in the Bay Area can lend a hand, it would be greatly appreciated.
While Uemura has enough on his plate to keep him busy for the next 10 to 12 months, he is already thinking about his next voyages. Although he will have to work for a while when he returns to Japan next spring, Uemura plans to save up for another long-distance sailing adventure in the Indian Ocean and eventually a circumnavigation of the globe. If money were no object, Uemura would like to make these trips aboard his own Hallberg-Rassy 44 or 50. He better find a sponsor with deep pockets and/or start making entries in his ship's log for a possible book deal to make this dream come true! Seriously, as you can see, when Uemura sets his mind to something, the odds are good that he will make it happen. More power to him.
In the meantime, let's all follow Tsubame's progress online and get a glimpse of life at sea via Instagram.
#circumnavigation #sailboat #yacht #SailingAdventure #datsusara #sailing #PacificOcean #sararīman #KenichiHorie #KojiroShiraishi #NaokiUemura #sailinginstagram #sailingphotography #sailingdaily #sailinglife #sailinginjapan #yachting #脱サラ #ヨット #セーリング #太平洋 #セーリングアドベンチャー #堀江謙一 #白石康次郎 #上村直輝 #ヨットライフ #ヨットクルージング #ヨットたのしみ #ヨットバーバー #ヨット旅 #ヨット好き #海が好きな人と繋がりたい
How cool! I loved all the details. And the greater threat is not killer whales but the currency rate!
Wow! No matter how many sailing and marine engineering skills Uemura has, it takes a special kind of bravery and courage to embark on such an undertaking. Having said that, perhaps he's like me and prefers his own company to the team spirit of corporate life?
If he is successful, he should have no problem finding sponsors for future adventures. For this year's voyage, it is perhaps a little disappointing that New Japan Yacht Shipyard are not sponsoring - but perhaps they have their reasons, or perhaps they have not even been asked. In any event, perhaps a Go-Fund-Me or something similar would allow others inspired by Uemura to give him some support?
I wish this fine young man calm seas, happy landings and many more decades of following his dreams and inspiring others.