Making waves?

Solo sailor will now navigate wave-powered boat to Japan
-by Sudhin Thanawala

AP: Honolulu, HI - "Kenichi Horie, who has sailed nonstop around the world and crossed the Pacific in a solar-powered boat made of recycled aluminum beer cans, is getting ready for his next solo adventure.

In less than two weeks, Horie is expected to begin what he says is the world's longest voyage in a wave-powered boat. He plans to travel more than 4,000 miles from Honolulu to Japan aboard a 3-ton catamaran called the Suntory Mermaid II at a speed of up to 5 knots.

The boat, made of recycled aluminum, relies on the energy of waves to move two fins at its bow and propel it forward..."

From Wikipedia, About Kenichi Horie:

In 1962 he crossed the Pacific Ocean in 94 days aboard a 19 foot sailboat (called the Mermaid) from Nishinomiya, Japan to San Francisco. He arrived at San Francisco with no passport or money and was promptly arrested. After learning of his voyage the mayor freed him and gave him a 30 day visa and was awarded the key to the city. He wrote a book about his voyage, titled "Kodoku" ("Alone on the Pacific"), which was made into a movie (also titled "My Enemy, The Sea") in 1963 by Kon Ichikawa, which was nominated for a Golden Globe.

In 1985 he sailed a solar boat from Hawaii to Chichijima.

In 1992 to 1993 he sailed from Hawaii to Okinawa in a pedal powered boat.

In 1996 he sailed from Salinas, Ecuador to Tokyo in a solar boat made of recycled aluminum. This crossing covered 10,000 miles in 148 days which earned the Guinness World Record for the fastest ever crossing of the Pacific in a solar-powered boat.

In 1999 he sailed from San Francisco to Japan aboard a boat made primarily from recycled materials. The boat, Malt's Mermaid II, designed by Kennosuke Hayashi, was a 32.8 foot long, 17.4 foot wide, catamaran constructed from 528 beer kegs welded end-to-end in 5 rows (Horie joked that 500 of them were empty) The rigging consisted of two side-by-side masts with junk rig sails made from recycled plastic bottles. This boat is on display Okura Beach, Akashi.

In 2002 he sailed from Nishinomiya to San Francisco aboard the Mermaid III, which was a replica of the original Mermaid constructed from a variety of recycled materials, including whiskey barrels for the hull, aluminum cans for the mast and plastic soda bottles for the sails.


With a maximum speed of five knots, the Suntory will take two to three months to complete a voyage that diesel-powered craft accomplish in just one. But speed is not the point. The voyage aims to prove that wave propulsion can work under real-world conditions, opening up the technology for commercial applications such as cargo shipping. "Oil is a limited power source," Horie says, "but there is no limit to waves."

I don't know about no limit, but it's a fascinating concept...