Smallest boat to cross the Pacific

The smallest wind-powered boat to cross the Pacific Ocean is Mermaid, a single-sail yacht which measured 2.8 metres (9 feet 2 inches) long – with a beam of 1.8 metres (6 feet) – and was captained by multi record holding veteran yachtsman Kenichi Horie (Japan). He sailed from San Francisco, California, USA, to Nishinomiya, Hyōgo, Japan, between 15 April and 30 August 1989, a journey duration of 136 days.

The smallest wind-powered boat to cross the Atlantic Ocean was even smaller: the 1.62-m (5-ft 4-in) Father's Day was helmed by Hugo Vihlen (USA) from Newfoundland, Canada, to Falmouth, Cornwall, UK, between 14 June and 27 September 1993.

This was not the first time that Horie has undertaken this epic voyage of some 8,700 km (5,400 mi); in fact, he was one of the first ever people to sail singlehanded across the Pacific from Nishinomiya, Japan, to San Francisco on board (a different) Mermaid between 12 May and 11 August 1962, at the age of 23.

In 2022, Horie (b. 8 September 1938) also became the oldest person to singlehandedly sail across the Pacific, travelling nonstop from San Francisco to Cape Hinomisaki, Wakayama, Japan, between 26 March and 4 June 2022 (JST); he set out aged 83 years 199 days and reached his destination aged 83 years 269 days. The vessel he sailed in, Suntory Mermaid III, was a 990-kg (2,180-lb), 19-ft-long (5.8-m) aluminium cutter – considerably larger, and more advanced, than the 2.8-m Mermaid of 1989.

Horie has long been an avid proponent of environmentally friendly adventure. He also made the crossing in 1996 in the solar-powered vessel Malt's Mermaid, which was fitted with 130 sq ft of solar panels. Travelling between Salinas, Ecuador, to Tokyo, Japan, in 148 days between 20 March and 5 August 1996, this represents the fastest Pacific crossing by solar power. Horie also holds the record for the longest pedal-boat journey, covering 7,500 km (4,660 mi) between Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, and Naha, Okinawa, Japan, from 30 October 1992 to 17 February 1993.