Following the successful record completion in June 2005 of Minoru Saito’s seventh single-handed circumnavigation, Challenge 8 will this time entail a far more daunting westbound non-stop voyage against the prevailing winds, waves, and currents.

Minoru Saito has acquired his “new” boat for Saito Challenge 8, a 1989 56-foot steel-hulled cutter-rigged sloop designed and built in Hawaii.

Click to read the daily log of the vessel on its 4,800 nm repositioning voyage from Auckland to Yokohama. Click to read Boating New Zealand’s article on Saito-san and the major refit of Nicole BMW Shuten-dohji III.

NEWS FLASH!

Saito Gains Guinness World Record
as Oldest Solo Non-stop Circumnavigator

We received official word from Guinness World Records that Saito-san was included in the 2007 Guinness World Records book. It came as a welcome surprise, since we had never received the notification. This recognition joins the Blue Water Medal and Single-handed Sailing Hall of Fame honors he received in 2006.

Click here for the official Guinness World Records entry

Saito 8 Booths a Big Hit
at Japan Boat Shows

More than 20 volunteers help tell the Saito Challenge 8 story to visitors during annual 4-day marine event in Yokohama... Click for details

Our volunteers did it again... at the 3-day Yokohama “Floating Boat Show”... Click for photos

Minoru Saito's incredible life story is featured in Classic Yacht online magazine, in a two-part series.

Part 1 (begins p38) • Part 2 (begins p74)

Classic Yacht’s update on Saito’s “repositioning voyage” of Nicole BMW Shuten-dohji.

Current Issue:

See the movie trailer of the US-made TV series These Amazing People featuring Saito: A "7-episode series about the most outrageous, funny, inspirational people around the world." Thanks to TPI Ltd. for this tremendous tribute!

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Minoru Saito wins the Cruising Club of America’s Blue Water Medal, the highest international accolade for adventure sailors. Click to read more.