Korean sails oceans for 7 months with yacht

Documentary filmmaker Kim Seung-jin pops open champagne to celebrate his safe return from a seven-month sailing trip on a yacht, at Waemok Port in South Chungcheong Province on May 16. / Yonhap

By Jhoo Dong-chan

Documentary filmmaker Kim Seung-jin has completed a seven-month sailing trip around the world in a yacht without an engine.

Kim, 53, arrived in Waemok Port in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, on May 16 after the 41,900-kilometer trip. He became the sixth person to complete such a solo, non-stop, non-assisted and non-powered yacht trip around the globe.

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Yoo Ki-june, South Chungcheong Province Governor Ahn Hee-jung and Rep. Kim Dong-wan of the ruling Saenuri Party participated in a ceremony to congratulate Kim on his safe return.

“I still can't believe that I have completed my journey in one piece,” said Kim during the ceremony.

“It was a life-risking adventure. I thought I was even prepared to die. But tears are covering my eyes now as I see my family.”

Kim embarked on his ambitious but somewhat reckless journey with his 13-meter yacht Arapani from Waemok Port on Oct 18.

He decided on the journey in hope of sharing the pain of the Sewol ferry incident, in which 304 people were killed when the vessel sank off the country’s west coast.

His bold trip took 210 days, sailing around Saipan, Fiji, New Zealand, across the southern Pacific, around Cape Horn in southern Chile, then to Cape Town in South Africa, across the Indian Ocean and finally through the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra and back north to Korea.

The trip was not without its drama and the first crisis came early.

Arapani’s sailing gear broke after only 10 days, followed by the refrigerator and stove soon thereafter.

Kim had to do his own repairs and because of a water shortage, he had to shower with seawater during the journey’s last stage.

Facing waves of about seven meters at South America’s Cape Horn, his yacht nearly capsized twice.

“But the scariest were pirates,” said Kim.

“In 174th day, on April 11, three unidentified ships followed my yacht at night in the Sunda Strait. I knew in my bones that they were pirates.”

Kim turned off every light to avoid contact with them. The pirates even used searchlights to search for the yacht.

“I’ve been on a tightrope between life and death, but I will continue my challenge,” said Kim.“In the future, I want to organize a yacht sailing team and participate in international world-voyage yacht competitions.”