After 55 days at sea, blind sailor Hiro Iwamoto and his sighted fellow crewman Doug Smith, friend of TSPS, made it to Sun Marina in Onahama, Fukushima, Japan on April 20, 2019. This was the second attempt by Hiro to sail across the Pacific, the first attempt having been cut short by a whale hitting and sinking his boat off of Japan. This time, he began from San Diego, California. 

Go here for more of the story and more photos.

Congratulations to Hiro and Doug on their great achievement. They can be very proud of themselves and what they accomplished.

We hope to see them at a TSPS event one day to tell us more of their voyage.

Come Enjoy Whitewater Rafting!     May 25, 2019

TSPS members and friends are invited to enjoy the thrills of whitewater rafting on the Tone River in beautiful Minakami.  Snow depths that exceeded 4 meters in the mountains surrounding the area, are feeding large quantities of water down the Tone River.   

Our hosts for the outing will be Canyons, the premier rafting company in Minakami (see link to their website as they also offer a wide range of other outdoor activities). Their trained, experienced guides will teach you everything you need to know to have a safe and exciting ride down the rapids, and of course they’ll be in the boat with you too, to navigate us down river.  All you need is a swimsuit and a towel, they’ll provide the gear.

Here is a brief description, direct from the Canyons’ website:

Minakami Onsen in Gunma Prefecture, is the source for the Tone River, Japan’sbiggest river. During the Spring melt, April – June, the river provides consistent grade 4 rapidsfor over 10 kms of whitewater rafting bliss. There are a number of different courses available to cater for all levels, from nervous beginners to experienced rafting junkies. Canyons’ internationalteam of professional guides will ensure you a safe and memorableday of rapid action. 

In 2000,the same section used for commercial rafting played host to therafting world cupqualifying tournament. Teams from around the world came to challenge the mighty Tone River. 

Make sure you get up in Spring for the best rafting in Japan. April – May is the Springmelt season (this year – usually longer, but we’ve had less snowfall this year), with the river flowing high to produce world class rapids. There are three canyons that are regularly run, Suwakyo, Minakamikyo and the infamous Momijikyo, the latter of the three being the most intense.   http://canyons.jp

We will raft Saturday morning May 25th beginning at 8:30 and have a BBQ lunch at Canyons afterward. In the afternoon you can enjoy a number of activities ranging from hiking to canyoning, bungee jumping, tennis, sightseeing in and around Minakami, and of course the famous hot springs. For those up for some more fun, there will be an afternoon champagne (hint àbring champagne!) and croquet tournament and late afternoon BBQ at Chez Olsen in Tsukiyono, near Jomo Kogen Station.   

It’s one of the best adventures available in Japan, and only 75 minutes by train from Tokyo Station.  Overnight accommodations are available at Canyons and at many pensions in the area.  If you’re interested in recommendations, please let Ernie know.  

Reservations are on a first come, first served basis.  Book now if you want to take advantage of the fun!Minakami is easily accessible by car (2 hours from central Tokyo via the Kanetsu Expressway) or train (1:16 via Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Jomokogen Station, or 2:30 via regular express train to Minakami Station).   Travel instructions will be provided at the time of your reservation.

The cost for rafting and BBQ lunch is ¥10,700/person.  If you’re going up by train, Canyons can provide transportation to and from the train station.

CANCELLATION DATE IS MAY 9^th.  IF YOU CANCEL A RESERVATION AFTER THAT DATE, YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FEE.  To make your reservation or make inquiries, please email Ernie Olsen at ernfredolsen@occ-japan.com

TSPS is not the formal organizer of the rafting and barbecue event and as such takes no responsibility for either. The contract is between the individual participant and the organizers Canyons. 

Sunday April 14 saw a hardy crew of TSPS members out on one of the Hayama Marina Yacht Club boats for a bracing sail in fresh gusty breezes. Rick Pawell, TSPS Executive Officer, took out four members–Leith, Alex, Svetlana, and Angela. Keith was looking to be certified as a skipper for these boats and passed with flying colors, as one would expect from a US Coast Guardsman. Alex and Svetlana are next up for certification.

If you know how to sail and want to take people out for a great day on the water off of Zushi/Kamakura (and we have a new boat in Yumenoshima, Tokyo, too)…get in touch and become a member of the sailing group. We’re also running classes to gain the skills necessary to do this…

Hiro Iwamoto, the blind sailor we posted about in February, is currently in the middle of the Pacific well on his way to crossing that vast ocean with his seeing friend Doug Smith. Take a look at that post is here, in case you missed it. We hope to have them as guests of TSPS when they have completed their voyage.

Click here for their current location

Click here for blog posts from Hiro san.

The Change of Watch for 2019 was held on March 19 at the Tableaux Lounge in Daikanyama. The new commander, David Edwards, and the new bridge officers were elected and sworn in. Afterwards, dinner was served followed by the raffle.

The new commander laid out the challenges for 2019 as achieving greater diversity and inclusiveness in the TSPS membership, meaning trying to bring in more women and young people, as well as providing more boating opportunities. Working more with Sailability Tokyo will be a big part of this effort.

A Friend of TSPS is about to embark on a unique voyage from San Diego to Fukushima.  He’s been preparing for this voyage for several years, and his sailing mate is on his second attempt to traverse the Pacific.  

Sail World Cruising wrote, “OCC Associate Member and Skipper Doug Smith and his good friend Hiro Iwamoto are scheduled to sail across the Pacific non-stop from San Diego to Fukushima, Japan with a departure date scheduled for February 24th in Dream Weaver, a 41 foot Island Packet. The interesting component here is that Doug is the novice sailor and Hiro is the experienced skipper, but one who happens to be completely blind. This will be Doug’s qualifying ocean voyage for Full Membership in the Ocean Cruising Club. This is not Hiro’s first attempt.”  

Click on the link to learn more about their journey, and how you can follow their progress if you’d like.  https://voyageofinspiration.com/home/intro/ 

They are also supporting several organizations to assist people with blindness and other handicaps.  https://voyageofinspiration.com/home/ organizations/   You can support these organizations and they will receive matching funds from Voyage of Inspiration up to the specified limit.  

We hope to host the crew upon their successful completion of the trip at one of our gatherings.  

Many TSPS members have to deal with the problem of seasickness, either for themselves or for friends and family that they want to take out sailing. This video gives some good tips for handling this problem. It is aimed at women, but, hey, guys get seasick, too, so it’s good info for all.