World's Oldest Circumnavigator Disabled and Adrift

8:33 AM Sun 9 Nov 2008 GMT

'Minoru Saito in earlier triumph'

74 year-old Minoru Saito, on his eighth circumnavigation after 38 days from Yokohama, has reached the coastline of Australia, and is disabled and drifting south. After motoring to clear some reefs, he has turned the engine off because a pump in his hydraulic system has failed. The autopilot is not working, the wheel is tied off, and he is adrift, taking advantage of the wind and current. So far, the veteran sailor has covered over 3500 miles, and knowing Minoru Saito's record, this is merely a small setback.

Saito-San's current position - .. .

Saito-san started his journey on 28th September, and is attempting a non-stop passage of over 26,000 miles, estimated to take around eight months, the 'wrong way round', against wind and current. He is sailing a 1989 56ft steel-hulled cutter-rigged sloop, newly refitted in Auckland, called Nicole BMW Shuten-Dohji III or 'Drunkard's Child'.

He has a spare pump, and will be fitting this before commencing sailing again. At the time of the report, the winds were rising, and he had hopes of having the refit complete in the next few hours before the arrival of foul weather. The forecast is for 30-35 knots, so he is staying well reefed. His current position of 23 09 S 154 42 E puts him north east of Bundaberg on the Queensland coast, as shown in the Google chart.

See below for his planned route, but to learn more about Minoru Saito's incredible life and exploits, go to his WEBSITE