Solar-Powered Sailor Crosses Pacific Had 120 Cans Of Beer For Trip

Japanese adventurer Kenichi Horie completed the first solar-powered voyage across the Pacific Ocean on Monday, a bit thinner than 138 days earlier but still in good health.

Horie arrived at a Tokyo pier after traveling more than 10,000 miles from Ecuador in a 31-foot boat made from recycled aluminum and powered by 130 square feet of solar panels. His journey began March 20.

“I didn’t have any problems with the panels at all,” Horie said. “They don’t move, so they don’t break.”

The veteran 56-year-old explorer has sailed around the world twice. He set a Guinness world record in 1992 by completing a 111-day voyage from Hawaii to Okinawa, Japan, in a pedal boat.

Of his latest voyage, Horie said, “The official reason is to promote the proper use of natural resources, but really, I do it to have fun, to enjoy the trip.”

Horie read travel logs compiled by earlier explorers and ate instant foods heated on a two-burner propane gas stove.

He also brought along 120 cans of beer - one for each day of the trip’s projected length - and a tiny refrigerator to chill them two at a time. A beer company sponsored the trip; the 814-pound boat is made partly of recycled beer cans.

When it became clear that cloudy weather would extend the voyage, Horie began to abstain.

He had five or six cans remaining when he arrived in Tokyo.

Although he lost several pounds, Horie appeared vigorous at an evening reception in his honor.

Exchanging sailor’s togs for a blue blazer and tie, he posed for photographs and told supporters - beer can in hand - that he was delighted to be home.