The Blind Sailor Takes the Stage at WEF: "HIRO’s CHOICE" Project to Set Sail

Audio By Carbonatix

FUJISAWA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 12, 2026--

“Blind Sailor Single-Handed Pacific Crossing Project 2027” is a world-first initiative in which Mitsuhiro Iwamoto, a completely blind Japanese yachtsman (blind sailor) based in San Diego, will attempt a solo, non-stop trans-Pacific crossing in the spring of 2027. Sailing a 28-foot yacht single-handedly, he aims to cross the Pacific Ocean from San Diego on the U.S. West Coast to Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, without making port.
Iwamoto will speak about this project at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026, to be held in January 2026.
Project URL: https://hiros-choice.com/ 　

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108087321/en/

Hiro Iwamoto / Global Keynote Speaker, First Totally Blind Sailor to Cross the Pacific

The message he most wishes to convey at the WEF is the power of choice.
He lost his sight at the age of sixteen—a moment when he nearly gave up on life itself. Nevertheless, he chose to live. In 2013, he made his first attempt to cross the Pacific with a partner, but the voyage ended in failure after a collision with a whale. The incident drew intense public criticism and plunged him once again into deep despair.

Six years later, in 2019, with a new partner, Iwamoto successfully completed a non-stop Pacific crossing of approximately 13,000 kilometers, sailing from San Diego to Fukushima, Japan. At that point, he made another choice—to move even further forward. That choice led to the launch of this new project.

At the WEF, Iwamoto is scheduled to deliver his speech on January 21, 2026 (Davos, Switzerland time).
How did he come to choose this extraordinary challenge? We invite you to listen closely to his words.
WEF URL: https://www.weforum.org/

This ambitious project depends on a wide range of support systems that will serve as “his eyes.”
These include continuous satellite communication via Starlink, high-sensitivity cameras, voice-based navigation systems that convey critical information, a shore-based support center monitoring the voyage, and—most importantly—the collective support of people around the world who will guide and assist him.

Together, these elements aim to create a new form of sailing, gradually transforming what has long been considered an “impossible adventure” for a blind sailor into a possible one.

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108087321/en/

CONTACT: Blind Sailor Single-Handed Pacific Crossing Project 2027

Email:[email protected]/[email protected]

Phone: +81-90-3100-3976 (Kaori Awamura)

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA SWITZERLAND UNITED STATES JAPAN NORTH AMERICA ASIA PACIFIC EUROPE

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY MOBILE/WIRELESS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES SAILING PHILANTHROPY SPORTS OTHER TECHNOLOGY INFLUENCER SOFTWARE FUND RAISING COMMUNICATIONS CROWDFUNDING SOCIAL ACTIVISM SATELLITE

SOURCE: Blind Sailor Single-Handed Pacific Crossing Project 2027

Copyright Business Wire 2026.

PUB: 01/12/2026 11:00 PM/DISC: 01/12/2026 11:02 PM

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108087321/en