AHODORI & Yoh’s circumnavigation
The ketch AHODORI 2 is a 21-foot plywood boat built by her skipper Yoh Aoki at his back yard taking 2 years.
When Yoh was 22 years old, he left Osaka in Japan for the circumnavigation the globe by himself.
He had no engine, no radio, no GPS, only a sextant and a compass.
Yoh was luckily sailed home on 1974 after 3 years and 2 months lonesome journey on the sea, calling at San Francisco, Acapulco, Galapagos islands, Easter island, Buenos Aires, Cape town and Sydney.
No such a small boats like a 21-foot has attempted to sail around the world via Cape Horn.
His 1972 Cape Horn passage was miraculous Yoh says.
“A wave he recalls as being about 100 feet high turned his vessel upside down before another wave somehow righted the craft. “The upside-down boat had started sinking because a lot of water came into the cabin” .
His boat is registered on the Guiness book of record as the smallest boat ever circumnavigated the world via Cape Horn. The record is also introduced to Captain Joshua Slocum Society’s book.
His boat AHODORI 2 has been now displayed at the Banpaku Museum Park in Osaka.
If you like to read more about the story, check “Yoh & Ahoudori” book in English. Also his recent books “Inner sailing 1“,”Inner sailing 2” and “Inner sailing 3” are best selling in Japan and Korea as sailing text books.
Aoki is also conducting a monthly Zen meeting at Zigenin temple in OSAKA. Feel free to join the meetings.
And now, Yoh is the principal of our Aoki yacht school.
Yoh’s circumnavigation route taking 3 years & 2 months
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- wood flames
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- plywood of 3/8 thick
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- friends helped building
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- backyard factory
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- people see me off homeport
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- leaving alone from Osaka
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- first time sailing the Pacific
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- enjoying busy days on the ocean
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- catching Mahi-mahi good
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- celestial navigation only
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- that’ might be Golden Gate
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- Yes, Golden Gate Bridge
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- Charlie & Ray see me off from SF
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- fixing leak at Acapulco
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- Galapagos along the Equator
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- Iguanas not to eat in the Galapagos
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- name board on the P.O. box
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- Estatues standing along the shoreline on the Easter Is.
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- staying with natives
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- friends in the Easter Is.
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- preparing a sea anchor
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- Roaring 40’s towing rope astern
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- real big wave capsized us
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- Cape Horn at last
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- seawater at Cape Horn
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- Land ho Buenos Aires
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- Commodore Yacht Club Argentina welcomed us
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- Suzanne & Charlie came to see us
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- Daniel Dupin helped us
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- repair work finished
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- Next stop Cape Town
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- leaving Cape Town to Australia
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- Fishing Tuna
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- storm at Bass straight
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- safe at Cruising club Australia
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- friends tow me off Sydney
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- Homeward but no wind
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- caught in the Doldrums
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- Catching tuna
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- sailing home to the Osaka
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- docked & people came to see us
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- Guiness book recorded as a smallest boat circumnavigated
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- now displayed at Banpaku museum park in Osaka
Yoh:
I want to send you your epic record shattering round the world trip letters to me from Accapulco, Cape Horn (upside down), Buenos Aires, Perth, but I have lost your address. Please resend it ASAP. I lost your last fine email when my computer crashed.
I hope you are well. Fair winds. Ray Prendergast
My last messge is all that I can supply to get a reply from Yoh. I lived in San Francisco with Charlie Greenfield. Yoh came to my house for dinner while he was remaking his mast broken on the trip from Japan to the US.
How else can I send an important message to Yoh???
Fair winds and good bye.
Ray Prendergast
Ray, my addreess in Japan is,
Yoh Aoki
Rinku-port Kita1,
Tajiri-tyo, Sennan-gun,
Osaka 5980093
Japan
telephone:+81 724 65 8192
Yoh,very cool!!!
Hi Alex, thank you for your comment! See you on the water somewhere!!
Hi, Yoh and Missy
Wonderful to be able to write to you again after so long. have just posted a letter to you, Jan. 17, which I trust will reach you. Briefly, I have moved to a new home since Nancy is on her way. I will be sending you my favored Zen book by Thich Nhat Hanh lest you may not have it. Fair winds in all your important contributions to civilization. Ray
Ray,
I received the book you sent me.
I’m trying to find a publishing company to print my book in English.
Take care of yourself.
Fair winds,
Yoh
Incredible!!! I am going to do what you did in the near future. It would be an honor to meet with you time permitting, sailor to sailor, just to have a drink with you and to celebrate the journey in your footsteps. I am Lalloo.
Hello,
I would like to buy an English version of ‘Yoh & Ahodori’ or ‘Ahoudori And Myself’ by Yoh Aoki. I’m assuming they are the same book with a different title?
I am in New Zealand.
Cheers