Ocean Cruising Club Associate Member and Skipper Doug Smith and his good friend Hiro Iwamoto are scheduled to sail across the Pacific non-stop from San Diego to Fukushima, Japan with a departure date scheduled for February 24th in Dream Weaver, a 41 foot Island Packet. The interesting component here is that Doug is the novice sailor and Hiro is the experienced skipper, but one who happens to be completely blind. This will be Doug’s qualifying ocean voyage for Full Membership in the Ocean Cruising Club. This is not Hiro's first attempt.
Hiro Iwamoto on the dock next to Dream Weaver
Back in 2013, he and another crewmate sailed out of Japan-bound for San Diego, California. Unfortunately, six days into the voyage their 6-ton yacht was taking on water in really rough seas due to unscheduled tussle with a blue whale and an unexpected typhoon 700 nautical miles from land! After radioing in a distress call, the two crewmen were forced to abandon ship into their covered rubber raft where they endured 15 foot waves and 30 knot winds. Sea conditions were so fierce amphibious aircraft were unable to rescue them for eleven hours. Despite this experience, Hiro remains determined to inspire others to overcome adversity and work to achieve their dreams.
OCC Associate Member and Skipper Doug Smith
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