Kenichi Horie, Japan’s best-known ocean sailor, has been named winner of the 2022 Blue Water Medal by the Cruising Club of America (CCA) for a lifetime of ocean-crossing achievement. His most recent voyage began in March, 2022, when he sailed alone from San Francisco to Chiba, Japan, at age 83.

The Blue Water Medal has been awarded 95 times since 1923 and is the highest honour bestowed by the CCA. It celebrates “meritorious seamanship and adventure upon the sea, displayed by amateur sailors of all nationalities.” The Medal is intended to provide “an incentive for carrying on the spirit of adventure and the upholding of the best traditions of seafaring.”

Past recipients have included famous and less well-known ocean voyagers. Names such as Roderick Stephens, Jr., Harry Pidgeon, John Guzzwell, Jeanne Socrates, Carleton Mitchell, Bernard Moitessier, the Rev. R.L.M. Shepton and the British Yachtsmen at Dunkirk are cited in the rolls of awardees. Every awardee has distinguished themself in the adventurous use of the sea.

There are very few sailors who can genuinely be called a national hero, but Kenichi Horie of Japan is certainly one of them. For six decades, this intrepid sailor and environmentalist has travelled the world’s oceans, always in very small vessels and often single-handed. He has circumnavigated three times: once westabout, once eastabout, and once longitudinally. Two of these have been solo, non-stop voyages, and the westabout passage in 1973-1974 set a world record at the time of 275 days.

(Above and below) In March, 2022, Kenichi Horie set sail under the Golden Gate Bridge aboard Suntory Mermaid III, an 18-foot sloop, reversing the Japan to San Francisco voyage he made 60 years earlier (see 1962 San Francisco Examiner clipping below)  Photos: Latitude 38

Capt. Horie has challenged our thinking concerning boatbuilding materials with Transpacific voyages in yachts made of recycled beer cans, and beer and whisky barrels. He has fitted his yachts with spars of recycled aluminum and sails of recycled plastic bottles. He has explored novel propulsion modalities ranging from solar power to wave power to human paddle drive. The Pacific Ocean has been his frequent venue and voyages both ways between Japan and the American and South American west coasts have continued over six decades of sea roaming. His most recent transpacific voyage was in 2022, from San Francisco to Chiba, a passage accomplished alone by this remarkable octogenarian, in an 18-foot boat. In fact, he was the youngest non-stop solo sailor of the Pacific in 1962, at age 23, in his Mermaid and the oldest to repeat this feat last year, 60 years later in Suntory Mermaid lIl.

Kenichi Horie’s sailing exploits have not gone unnoticed. He has received numerous awards for his achievements including the Japanese Prime Minister’s Award, the Asahi Award from Asahi Shinbun Press, The Brave of the Sea Award from San Remo City, Italy, and The Key to the City of San Francisco. The Government of Ecuador has named an island and cape in the Galapagos Islands in Horie’s honour, and he has been inducted into the Single-Handed Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.

Kenichi Hori made the front page of the August 12, 1962 edition of the San Francisco Examiner at age 23 when he sailed from Japan to San Francisco

Horie is an author as well and wrote a book about his first voyage from Japan to San Francisco, titled Alone on the Pacific (Kodoku), which was made into a movie "Alone Across the Pacific" (also titled "My Enemy, The Sea") in 1963 by Kon Ichikawa. The movie was nominated for a Golden Globe award. The Mermaid is currently on display in the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Maritime Museum.

When informed of the award, Kenichi Horie said, “I was amazed to find out about your invitation to receive the Blue Water Medal. I feel as if I am dreaming. I would like to express my gratitude for such an honour.”

The CCA will present the 2022 Blue Water Medal to Kenichi Horie and all other 2022 award winners at its annual dinner, March 4, 2023, in New York City.

The Cruising Club of America couldn't hand out its 2020 awards in person, so the club made it a special event and gathered a pantheon of great sailors on Zoom.

In early March in a normal year, Cruising Club of America members visit the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan for a weekend of meetings featuring an Awards dinner to recognize more than half a dozen worthy sailors as recipients of the club’s major awards. The pomp and circumstance of that event had to be adapted to a virtual space this year, starting with an hour-long presentation, largely pre-recorded, followed by a longer breakout-room segment in which members conversed with the winners in real-time.

As it turned out, sailing royalty showed up from all over the globe, including six previous winners of the Blue Water Medal: Jean Luc Van Den Heede (2019), Skip Novak (2014), Jeanne Socrates (2013), Peter Passano (2007), Tony Gooch (2003), and Bob and Beth Lux (1996). They provided a great welcome reception for the 2020 winner Randall Reeves.

In accepting his award, Reeves said he had had a great deal of good luck, starting with marrying his wife Joanna, who buoyed him up despite “resounding failures.” He also credited his luck at finding the right vessel for the trip, his 45-foot aluminium cutter Moli, “a boat fast enough and big enough, simple enough that I could handle it and fix what broke, yet strong enough to handle divergent requisites of big seas in the south and ice in the north.” He also credited former owner and Blue Water Medal winner Tony Gooch: “He was my living and breathing owners manual.”

Six-time circumnavigator Van Den Heede, who was unable to receive the 2019 award in person due to health reasons, said, “I started sailing because I read books. The first book I had the pleasure to read was by Alain Gerbault, the first man to get this medal [in 1923].” Van Den Heede said he was honoured to follow Gerbault and all the others who received the medal, adding, “these people are legends and I'm surprised to join them.”

Blue Water Medal Winner Jean-Luc Van Den Heede

2020 Cruising Club of America Award Winners

Randall Reeves—Blue Water Medal

Christian Charalambous—Rod Stephens Seamanship Trophy

Calypso Romero/Adrien Koller—Young Voyager Award

Stephen Brown—Far Horizons Medal

Salty Dawg Sailing Association—Special Recognition Award

Simon and Sally Currin—Royal Cruising Club Trophy

Alan K. Forsythe—Charles H. Vilas Literary Prize

Peter L. Chandler—Richard S. Nye Trophy

Randall Reeves has been named winner of the 2020 Blue Water Medal by the Cruising Club of America (CCA) for sailing his 45-foot aluminium cutter, Moli, alone around Antarctica and then through the Northwest Passage in a single season—departing and arriving from San Francisco.

Reeves, 57, is the first person to imagine and accomplish the 39,000-nautical-mile voyage, which creates a “Figure 8” track around the world, keeping the Americas to port and Antarctica to starboard.

The prestigious Blue Water Medal was first awarded in 1923. It will be formally presented to Reeves at the CCA Annual Awards ceremony, a virtual event this year on March 7. The ceremony will include recognition for winners of other CCA Awards, including 2019 Blue Water Medal winner Jean Luc Van Den Heede, who was unable to attend last year's ceremony.

Reeves was bitten by the offshore sailing bug as a teenager, voyaging with his father and later acquiring his own boats and sailing much of the Pacific Ocean and through the Northwest Passage. He bought Moli, a proven high-latitudes vessel whose owner, Anthony “Tony” Gooch, had sailed her around the world, singlehanded, nonstop, and also received the CCA’s Blue Water Medal (2003).

Cruising Club of America medal

A second Medal for the same boat is extraordinary. The only other yacht to achieve this distinction in the 97-year history of the Medal is Wanderer III, first with Eric and Susan Hiscock (1955), then with Thies Matzen and Kicki Ericson (2011).

Even aboard a boat with Moli’s pedigree, accomplishing the route Reeves had mapped out required extraordinary determination and perseverance. In 2017, during a first attempt, the South Pacific seas damaged Reeves’ autopilot and then his windvane, requiring a repairs stop in Ushuaia. He continued around Antarctica, trying to keep up with the seasons, when a South Indian Ocean storm caused multiple knockdowns. Though there was less wind than in the Pacific, Reeves described the seas as “tremendous, tall, steep and breaking continuously for 100 and 200 feet.” Moli was slammed down off a wave, shattering a pilothouse window and drowning all electronics. Reeves was able to stem the flooding, cover the window, and navigate another month to Tasmania for temporary repairs. With his “Figure 8” delayed, not abandoned, he sailed nonstop back to San Francisco.

After only three months of refit and repairs, Reeves was off on his second attempt in September of 2018, even better prepared. With new storm covers attached over windows, new welded railing, new electronics, and vast recent experience under his belt, around the continents and around the World he sailed. Keeping the Americas to port and Antarctica to starboard, passing beneath Cape Horn twice before poking Moli north through the Arctic ice, Reeves sailed the great loops for 301 days.

During the voyage, Reeves trailed along in his wake an armada of wannabe adventurers and admirers through his frequent blog entries and onboard videos shared on his website. Reeves has a way about him— gracious, caring, and humble with self-effacing humour. He has proven his ability to master the oceans without losing his appreciation for the help he has received and the wonders of the people he has met along the way. On October 19, 2019, 385 days after setting out, Reeves sailed Moli under the Golden Gate Bridge to complete the first singlehanded "Figure 8" around Antarctica and the Americas.

From across the globe, members of the Cruising Club of America (CCA) assembled at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan to recognise their outstanding sailors of 2015 during the international organisation’s Annual Awards Dinner earlier this month.

Representing a broad array of sailing achievements, the recipients of the 2015 Blue Water Medal and the Blue Water Medal “Without Date,” Far Horizons Award, Rod Stephens Trophy for Outstanding Seamanship and the Richard S. Nye Trophy were celebrated for their accomplishments.

2015 Blue Water Medal and Blue Water Medal “Without Date”

The Cruising Club of America presented British sailors Tom and Vicky Jackson its 2015 Blue Water Medal, established in 1923 to recognise examples of meritorious seamanship and adventure upon the seas. The Jacksons were rewarded for their extensive racing and cruising, over more than 34 years aboard their 40’ Sparkman & Stephens-designed Sunstone.

The Cruising Club of America presented Jon Sanders of Perth, Australia, its Blue Water Medal “Without Date.” The medal recognises examples of meritorious seamanship and adventure upon the seas and has only been awarded seven times to recognize a variety of achievements. Sanders has made nine circumnavigations – eight of them solo, including a single “three times around” voyage, and one crewed – and has made a lifetime of significant contributions to sailing.

Far Horizons Award

The 2015 Far Horizons Award was presented to Kaspar and Trisha Schibli, of Victoria, British Columbia, in recognition of their extensive offshore cruising, especially their current multi-ocean cruise. 

Richard S. Nye Trophy

The 2015 Richard S. Nye Trophy was presented to John E. Sanford of Tiburon, Calif., for meritorious service to the CCA and the San Francisco Station over a period of 34 years. 

Rod Stephens Trophy for Outstanding Seamanship

The 2015 Rod Stephens Trophy for Outstanding Seamanship was presented to Canadian cruisers George Juri and Grit Chiu for their lifesaving rescue in critical conditions of a man found floating offshore who had been in the water for four days following the sinking of a work barge off Phuket.