Japanese adventurer Kenichi Horie makes history by crossing the Pacific alone at the age of 83

MADRID, 4 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Japanese sailor Kenichi Horie has become the oldest person in the world to make a solo, non-stop voyage of 8,500 kilometers across the Pacific on Saturday after more than two months of sailing.

Horie, 83, arrived at the Kii Channel, which separates Wakayama and Tokushima prefectures in western Japan, on the 'Suntory Mermaid III', her 20-foot-long, one-tonne ship, at 2:39 a.m. , after setting sail from San Francisco, California, on March 27.

"I am very happy that I was able to return home without major problems," he told the official Japanese news agency Kyodo. "I am grateful for the support I have received from all of you," he added.

The voyage traced a route similar to the one Horie took 60 years ago when he became the first sailor to cross the Pacific solo and non-port, but in the opposite direction.

Since that first trip, the navigator has crossed the Pacific in environmentally friendly boats, from one powered by solar panels to another made with aluminum cans and plastic bottles. In 1999, she sailed from San Francisco to Japan in a ship made from beer barrels.

"I didn't think I'd be sailing at 83, but I'm still healthy and I didn't want to miss out on this opportunity," he added to CNN. "The challenges are exciting, so I would like to keep trying."