"At many times, I just led a comfortable life, a life that is normally sought after by many ordinary people. However, I was not happy with that and I was plunged into a dilemma. I pondered whether a child could be proud of a father who has nothing but concerns about money, or instead a father who has no money but who has the guts to risk everything for his dream. I would pick the latter."


Kim's challenge began with a dream that required giving up a cozy and comfortable life.
A man in his 50s departed from the small port of Waemokhang on the west coast on October 18, 2014. He travelled around the world on his small yacht: a 9-ton vessel, 13-meters long, with a beam of 3.9 meters. He didn't make any landfall along the way, he received no outside support and he used no power engines while en route.

After over seven months at sea, some 210 days later, at 3 p.m. on May 16, 2015, he made an appearance back at his starting point. An overflow of questions and inquiries swamped him as soon as he landed back on terra firma.



You have successfully completed your round-the-world yacht trip. How do you feel?

Honestly, I didn't really feel it until I entered the port just now. From a distance, the people waiting onshore came into view only slowly, and I couldn't help but cry. I had to go through lots and lots of difficulties, but I wasn't able to think about giving up because those people supported me. Thanks to them, I made it.

What was the hardest part of your journey? How did you push yourself to go through with it all?

First of all, I had equipment troubles a number of times. These serious troubles dragged me down and stopped me from continuing to sail. The trouble began after only about 15 days, and the troubles broke out again and again. I worried that I might have to give up, but I couldn't, because the people who gave me heartfelt support crossed my mind. "I will get this done," I said to myself. One day, when the wind wasn't that strong, I climbed to the top of the mast and fixed everything. Fully equipped, I entered the Southern Ocean.

Secondly, I came across some gigantic waves and strong winds when I passed by Cape Horn at the tip of South America. The boat almost capsized twice and I was very scared and frightened.

You decided to begin your challenge in order to give a message of hope to people who were deeply scarred by the tragic Sewol ferry accident last year. What do you want to say to them?

Korea is a coastal country. Nearly 95 percent of us live within 100 kilometers of the coastline. However, many people are afraid of and are not familiar with water. If they were accustomed with water, there wouldn't have been an accident like the Sewol. It was such a shame and so sad. I hope that the news of my journey will give an opportunity for people to feel close with our oceans.

Please give some words to the bereaved families of the victims of the Sewol sinking.

They will probably remember me because I stayed at the port for some 45 days after the accident. I felt a great deal of heartache. Now is the time to pull up and move forward. Please help lay the foundation to make the nation a true coastal country, together with me.

During my seven-month journey, I realized that it's enormously fortunate for us to be born on the Earth. The Earth is a beautiful planet, comprised of water. I deeply sympathize with the heartache of the families of the Sewol victims, but I hope that we and all the people living on this Earth live better, happier and more meaningful lives. Your family members in heaven would hope that, too, don't you think?

You have made your dream come true. Do you have any words?

As soon as land came into sight, my eyes welled up. Saying so is quite embarrassing, as I am a man. I am very happy to return to land and to set my feet upon it. I would like to thank the people who supported me, and my daughter, mother and sister. I am happy to see them all. I am confident that the vibrant energy gathered here today will greatly contribute to the development of sailing and other marine sports here in Korea.




Solo-sailor Kim Seung-jin on board the Arapani crossed the equator twice, southward on November 27, 2014, and northward on his way back to Korea on April 13, 2015. He crossed every line of longitude and travelled some 41,900 kilometers in total. Using the power of the wind, Kim travelled eastward, crossing the Pacific, the Southern Ocean, the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. He said that he confronted many challenges in the early stages. Equipment failures continued for about a month. He kept fixing them, and the boat didn't balance properly until after about two months.

In February, when traversing Cape Horn between South America and the South Pole, he had to sail against strong winds at a maximum of 50 knots, about 93 kilometers per hour, and he hit large waves of about seven meters. Kim was terrified steering clear of drift ice when he passed South Georgia, a British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. Also, he felt a knot of tension in his stomach once when the Arapani narrowly scraped across some drift ice that was barely below the surface.

There were dangerous times, as well, when his yacht was swept by swell waves and was tossed about, with water coming through the ports. Also there were times when he was trapped in the doldrums, making no progress at all. One night when passing through the Sunda Strait between Sumatra and Java, known to be pirate-infested waters, he was pursued by an unidentified ferry-like vessel, leaving him somewhat panicked. Fortunately, nothing happened.




So far, five people from around the world have succeeded in solo, non-stop, sail-only round-the-world yacht trips. Robin Knox-Johnston, an English sailor, became the first man to perform a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation in 1969. Kenichi Horie, a Japanese sailor, successfully did it twice in 1974 and 2005. In 2010, Jessica Watson of Australia completed a solo circumnavigation at the age of 16. Later in 2013, Guo Chuan of China and Abhilash Tomy of India accomplished their dreams, too.

Upon Kim's successful return home, Johnston, the first person to succeed in such a round-the-world trip, sent a congratulatory message to him, saying that Kim's success will be an inspiration for future sailors in Korea, and that he hopes that Kim will now enjoy many more exciting sailing adventures in the years ahead.

By Wi Tack- whan, Lee Seung-ah
Photos: Wi Tack-whan
Korea.net Staff Writers
whan23@korea.kr

Who is skipper Kim Seung-jin?

Kim is an adventurer, freelance documentary producer and sailor. Exploring all over the world, Kim has produced a number of documentaries. He majored in Western painting and has long enjoyed scuba diving. High in adventurous spirit, in 1986 Kim swam across both the Hangang River and the Shinano River in Japan. He explored the Yangtze River in 1990, and has also climbed the Tanggula Pass in the southern Himalayas. Whatever it is, whether a river or a mountain, he keeps venturing out on new adventures. Since he started practicing sailing in 2001, Kim has challenged himself with sea adventures. He succeeded in solo-sailing some 20,000 kilometers from Croatia to Korea between 2010 and 2011, and some 26,000 kilometers, again, from the Caribbean to Korea in 2013. One of his lifetime goals is that he explores the world's longest four rivers: the Nile, the Amazon, the Yangtze and the Mississippi.