TODAY'S UPDATE

To see Saito's present position, click here.

To see the extent of the distance he traveled from Hawaii to Auckland, click here.

For the complete log, scroll down.

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Presently Minoru Saito is sailing from Auckland, NZ after the refit of a 19-year-old, 56-foot steel-hulled sailboat designed and built in Honolulu. Following a partial refit, the newly named "Nicole BMW Shuten-dohji III" left Feb. 4 for the 3,825 nm voyage to Auckland. The often-stormy first 2,325 nm was with the assistance of one crew. After a brief layover in Pago Pago, Saito single-handed the remaining 1,500 nm to Auckland.

Following replacement of the mast, boom, rigging, sails, autopilot, and engine Saito left Auckland on June 4 and is single-handing the 4,800 nm to Japan to finish preparations for his next circumnavigation departing Yokohama in October 2008.

The Saito Challenge 8 Committee, an all-volunteer, international organization, welcomes you to this truly historic adventure as Saito prepares for a non-stop "wrong-way" voyage of 25,000 nautical miles. He already holds the Guinness Book world record as the oldest non-stop solo circumnavigator, at age 71 (Saito Challenge 7, 2004-5).

He is now 74, so his next record might well be written this way when he returns to Yokohama in May, 2009:

"Minoru Saito today crossed the finish line on his record 8th single-handed circumnavigation, making him the oldest sailor to complete a solo circumnavigation at age 75, the most number of times (8), the second time he has finished a non-stop circumnavigation, and the oldest solo sailor to complete a westward circumnavigation, going the "wrong way around."

We invite you to take a moment to visit the Saito 8 web page. We thank our sponsors for their generous support of Saito Challenge 8 (and, yes, sponsorship opportunities are still available!)

Finally, we thank YOU for your personal interest in this extraordinary man, who in 2006 became the only Asian to receive the Cruising Club of America's Blue Water Medal in the 86-year history of the world's top short-handed sailing award. Please drop by often to keep up with this record-making saga of one man with the sea.

Saito Challenge 8 Committee
Tokyo