SEIKO’S adviser, Shiraishi to set sail for Vendée Globe Race
On November 6, 29 sailors will cross the line at Les Sables d’Olonne in Western France at the start of the Vendée Globe, the solo, non-stop, round-the-world race. Among them will be Kojiro Shiraishi, the first ever sailor from Asia to try his hand in this, the world’s toughest ocean race. On his wrist will be the Seiko Prospex Marinemaster, a GPS Solar watch that Kojiro himself helped to design.
During his preparation for the race, Shiraishi said, “I think of this Prospex Marinemaster watch as my buddy and I was very happy to participate in its creation so that I would have my perfect watch for this very harsh race, the Vendée Globe. Throughout the race, we need to be in regular contact with race headquarters using UTC time. For this, the GPS Solar Dual Time function is perfect. I wanted UTC time only on the bezel so that it is easy to read. Also, the legibility of the time is of paramount importance so I wanted the 12 markers and hour and minute hands to be made as legible as possible. I made a particular request for the hour hand to be designed so that it is easy to read. I am very happy with the results and I especially like the trim in “emergency” fluorescent red.”
In 1994, Kojiro became the youngest person to complete a solo non-stop round-the-world trip. Since then, he has competed almost continuously in other yacht and adventure races. In 2006, he sailed in a class one (60 feet) round-the-world single-handed yacht race, 5 Oceans, and finished in second place. In 2008, he and his team lowered the world record between San Francisco and Yokohama when he participated as a crew member on a French Catamaran ‘Gitana13’. In the 2016 Transat New York-Vendée, known as the prelude to the Vendée Globe, held from May 29 to June 11, he finished seventh, which gave him the opportunity to take part in the Vendée Globe.
The Vendée Globe is a round-the-world single-handed yacht race in which the racers sail non-stop and without assistance. The race was founded in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years. The 2016–2017 race starts on Sunday, November 6. The race record is 78 days. Since its inception, 138 sailors have accepted the challenge. Just 71 have completed the course.
