At the age of 16, darkness began to gather around me.

It did not come all at once. Day by day, the light slowly faded, until the world I knew slipped away. I could no longer go to school and spent my days shut away at home.

I truly believed that my life was over.

What changed me was a single message spoken by my beloved uncle in a dream:

“Your blindness has meaning. You are meant to give courage and hope to others.”

Believing those words became the first choice that led me back into society, and eventually, back to the sea.

I moved to the United States, learned English, found work, started a family, and carried in my heart a dream: to become the first person in history to cross the Pacific Ocean as a completely blind sailor.

In 2013, I attempted a Pacific crossing by yacht in a double-handed challenge with news anchor Jiro Shinbo. But amid severe storms, the boat collided with a whale, causing serious damage and flooding to the boat. We were forced to abandon the vessel and drifted at sea in a life raft.

“Why would a blind man dream of something so reckless?”

That merciless criticism shattered my heart.

That was not a reason to give up, but a reason to choose again.

“I have eyesight, but no sailing experience. You have sailing experience, but no eyesight. If we support each other, your dream can live again.”

These words from my friend and companion on this adventure, Doug, rekindled the hope that was fading within me and lit the fire of hope once again.

In 2019, I returned to the Pacific and successfully completed the world’s first trans-Pacific crossing by a blind sailor.

In 2027, I will set out to sea once again.

This time, alone, non-stop, across the Pacific Ocean. A challenge without precedent anywhere in the world.

It is not about setting records. It is a message for my daughter, Leena, and for her generation.

Limits are not decided by others. They can be overcome through belief and the choices we make.

This is not merely a solo journey. It is a shared voyage that shows how technology, determination, and human connection can transcend limits.