The great adventure never ends for me and Riviera

- Congratulations on completing the Vendée Globe! We at Riviera were following Mr. Shiraishi's wake throughout the race. When the main sail was damaged in the storm, we held our breath as it was close to where we had retired due to a mast collapse last time, but we saw that a week later she was back on track. I was very excited.

Shiraishi: Thank you for your continued warm support. When I managed to repair the sail that was torn in two, I too thought, ``Maybe a miracle will happen this time,'' but it wasn't until 10 minutes before the finish that I had any hope of completing the race.

- 10 minutes before entering the port!?

Shiraishi: You don't know what's going to happen until the end. If you get hit by a whale in the ocean at night, the story ends. Since you can't see it, there's no way to avoid it. Once you get to the shore, it will be crowded with fishing boats and other boats, so there is a possibility of a shipwreck just before the finish line. That's what the Vendée Globe is all about.

- It's an ``adventure'' because you can't see what's ahead just 10 minutes. Mr. Shiraishi, who has been on such severe adventures for over 30 years, please tell us about your childhood.

Shiraishi: I think I was a very normal child. Although I was born in Tokyo, I moved to Kamakura when I was in kindergarten and grew up enjoying the sea and mountains of Kamakura. At Hase Kindergarten, which I attended, the children were made to seine.
The elementary and junior high schools are affiliated with Yokohama National University, located next to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. My classmates usually commute from far away by train or bus. Since we can't meet up and play after we get home, we play on the way home from school, but for example, when playing tag, some of the kids run off to Enoshima. It is roughly 10 kilometers from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine to Enoshima.

- The scale of it all has something to do with today!

Shiraishi: All of Kamakura was my playground. So, when I got home after dark, I found a plastic model. I was just making plastic models of warships. I'm currently building a yacht, but it's like building a full-scale plastic model that you can actually ride on.

- Is that the original experience of ocean adventurers around the world?

Shiraishi: That's right. My life is very simple. It hasn't changed since I was a child. I called out to everyone to gather, build my favorite boat, go far, and pursue fun... As I got older, the distance increased, and I ended up going around the world.
I started sailing because of my longing to go abroad. I watched Kaoru Kanetaka's World Journey (1960-1990, aired mainly on Sundays on TBS) every week on TV, and I wanted to travel around the world. However, since he did not come from a wealthy family, the only way to fulfill his dream of traveling around the world was to become a sailor. With that in mind, I decided to go to a fisheries high school.

- It is unusual for a student to go on to a fisheries high school from a national university affiliated school. Did your family object?

Shiraishi: My mother passed away when I was in the first grade of elementary school, and I was raised by my father and grandmother, who both always encouraged me to make my own decisions. At Prefectural Misaki Fisheries High School (currently Marine Science High School), where I enrolled, I progressed to the engineering department. There, he learned all about ships from the basics, and was exposed to the rigors of the sea and mechanical skills. Everything I learned at Fisheries High School was useful later in life.

- At a fisheries high school, you learned about ships that are powered by engines and propellers. So how did you first encounter yachting?

Shiraishi: Shortly after entering high school, I received the big news that a Japanese person had won the BOC Challenge, the first-ever solo yacht race around the world. I couldn't resist arrows and shields, so I applied to become his apprentice. Back then, unlike now, if you looked in the phone book, you could see the address, so I looked in the phone book at Tokyo Station.

- That is the legendary yachtsman Yuyuki Tada.

Shiraishi: Master Tada is literally a genius. His idea of ​​boat building was unique, or rather, he was free-spirited. He found a paulownia chest of drawers he had found from a garbage dump buried inside the boat.

- Building a ship from scrap wood is ahead of the ecology of the current era.

Shiraishi: No, it's unthinkable with today's race boats. Even back then, Yuyuki Tada was able to do it.

Mr. Tada was one of the world's best yacht racers, but he made a living as a private taxi driver. He took up such a job because it gave him freedom, but he was originally an elite member of the militaristic era, having graduated from Nagaoka Junior High School under the old system and entered preparatory training. One of his seniors was Isoroku Yamamoto, and one of his classmates was Kazutoshi Hando, a famous ``historical detective'' author. He has an artistic temperament and has been selected for a painting exhibition.
Mr. Tada was truly an artist as he built a boat from scratch using an unexpected idea.

Shiraishi: I am far behind my master in terms of my overly flexible imagination. I'm an engineer type person, as I love machines and learned about them at school. I think this is one of my strengths as a sailor. The truth is, I'm not very good at sailing a yacht. There are many people who are better than me. However, I am confident in my ability to respond if something happens to the ship.
At this Vendée Globe, we also had trouble with the main sail splitting in half in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, but we were able to repair it with the materials we had on hand and complete the race. Even among the world's top yachtsmen, I don't think there are many people who can do this.
The logical techniques I learned at school and the unbridled ability to apply that my master generously showed me up close are my two driving forces. The completion of this race was also the result of these two wheels.

- Studying at school is also important. It is also important to be able to think flexibly, learn from others, and be able to adapt to the situation. Acquire basic and applied skills. This is the truth I want to convey to my children.

- Mr. Shiraishi's name suddenly became known around the world when he set the record (at the time) for being the youngest person to sail solo around the world without calling at any port, which he set in March 1994. Was that voyage a challenge to become the “youngest”?

Shiraishi: At that time, my goal was to participate in the round-the-world race, and the record eventually came about.
After the first BOC in 82, Mr. Tada, who took me as his disciple, attempted to travel around the world again at the third BOC in 1, when he celebrated his 90th birthday. He said, ``I'm retiring now. I'll give you the ship, and I'll support you, so Yasushi-chan will go to BOC in 3.'' During the race, Tada capsized and damaged his boat in the Southern Ocean. He retired on arrival in Sydney. He managed to repair the boat his master had left behind in Sydney and sailed to his home port of Matsuzaki, Izu. After a thorough refurbishment in Matsuzaki, the boat was renamed the "Spirit of Yuko" and set out to sail around the world.

- It was three years after his mentor's death that he accomplished his long-awaited solo trip around the world without stopping at any ports. It was an amazing feat for a 3 year old.

Shiraishi: I knew from reading in a magazine that the youngest record at the time was 27 years old, but I wasn't particularly aware of it. I did think, ``If I succeed now, I'll break the record.''

Later, in 2002, he competed in BOC, which was renamed ``Around Alone,'' and won 40th place in Class II (4ft). This was also a ``around the world'' race, but since I didn't have the money, I had to travel from Japan to the starting point by myself. So, I was the only one who actually completed 1 laps around the world solo.

― That is a “big record that will never be recorded!”

- In 2007, he became the first Japanese to participate in the renamed "Five Oceans" Class I (60ft), finishing in 2nd place.
In addition, he has contributed to breaking the world record for crossing the Pacific Ocean as a crew member on a giant catamaran, and has participated in the ``Eco Challenge,'' an adventure race that encompasses various harsh tasks such as trekking, canoeing, and rock climbing. Build your reputation as an adventurer. At the same time, he is also passionately involved in educating and educating children. She has cooperated with Riviera's SDGs "Riviera Future Creation Project" and has also been appointed as "Riviera Kaiijuku Principal".

Shiraishi: The first time I heard about Riviera Kaiijuku was when I was unable to participate in any major races overseas due to the Great East Japan Earthquake. Taking this as a God-given "waiting time," I started doing things I had never done before, such as picking up and dropping off my daughter, who was in kindergarten at the time, and trying to play golf. At a time when I was feeling depressed, I received an opportunity from Riviera to enjoy the real pleasure of teaching children, and received energy and courage from them.

- The elementary school students who were "juku students" back then are now adults. ``It was important to keep going, because if you don't love what you do, you can't keep doing it,'' says Shiraishi-san.

Shiraishi: He really said, ``From now on, I'll teach you how to enjoy life!'' This Vendée Globe is also a model performance. I would be happy if people would think, ``If you keep doing what you love to the fullest, life will always be a ``summer vacation''!'' - It seems that the parents accompanying the children were also inspired by the marine school. ``Adult Marine School'' was also popular. Shiraishi: We had the adults try out a cutter boat. It must have been physically demanding, but everyone rowed the oars with all their heart and had a great time at the end. It is best for children to see adults having fun. I realized that things like this are important for adults as well. It's a "cram school," but rather than training your mind and body or honing your marine skills, wouldn't it be nice to simply relieve stress? The sea is the best for that!

- During this Vendée Globe, you collaborated with the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) to collect seawater samples from the area during the race.

Shiraishi: This is a field survey of marine plastic pollution. Other athletes have dropped weather buoys near the equator. The Vendée Globe is said to be the ``world's toughest yacht race,'' as it takes place around the Southern Ocean, but the good thing about it is that it's not necessarily about competition. Each of the participating athletes approaches the race with a personal theme. This is a big difference from competitions such as the America's Cup, where works teams compete intensely for victory by investing cutting-edge technology and large amounts of capital. The Vendée Globe is a French style of extreme individualism.
Of course, there are some athletes whose theme is winning, but this time my theme was ``finishing the race that I couldn't do last time.'' I didn't have to worry about time loss, so JAMSTEC's request was very welcome. Many players cooperated in the research and observation.

- What was the water quality like in the world's oceans that you actually saw?

Shiraishi: Ocean water is said to be clearer these days, due in part to rising environmental awareness around the world. On this voyage, I also felt that the water quality itself had improved. However, there are small pieces of plastic mixed in with the clear water. It has no odor at all and is hard to see at first glance. That's how troublesome it is. It is a much stronger enemy than oil.

- That's right. Since the amount of large trash has decreased, we are now focusing on microplastics, and we are carrying out steady beach cleans with colanders instead of tongs. In addition to plastic bottles and plastic bags, which are often talked about, it is said that ocean plastic is caused by various floating objects in the ocean.

Shiraishi: I'm not a scientist, so I can't give you a solution. All I can do is tell you exactly what I saw in the middle of the ocean. However, this should lead to preserving the sea that we love for future generations. For everyone, the more beautiful the sea is, the better. I think so.

- Western experts sometimes say, ``It's strange that Japan is an underdeveloped country in yachting, even though it's surrounded by the ocean, and that its maritime culture is still immature.''

Shiraishi: In Japan, there is a prejudice that sailing is a leisure activity for the rich, but for the Europeans who conquered the world by boat during the Age of Exploration, it was a sport that was passed down from parents to children, and it was a national sport, so to speak. I guess it's sumo and jukendo for us. Regarding this point, this is how I explain it. The underlying reason for this is that Japan is in the path of typhoons, making it difficult to build ports. And Japan was isolated from the rest of the world. A rich food culture based on fishing grounds and eating fish and shellfish flourished before the Western sailing ship culture. There are good fishing grounds nearby. The origins of culture are different between Europe and Japan. Westerners don't know that. 150 years have passed since the end of national isolation. Marine sports began to become popular after the war. This is what Japanese yachts are all about. In that sense, it is a historical achievement that the Cinara, which is considered the essence of British traditional culture, was completely restored in faraway Japan. Europeans are well aware of and praise Chairman Watanabe for his courage in deciding to do it against all odds and for the romance of Chairman Watanabe in achieving this feat.
Shinara has truly been revived beautifully. Restoration is not familiar in Japan, but it is the Shikinen Sengu ceremony at Ise Grand Shrine.

- Watanabe also often talks about the symmetry with Shikinen Sengu. Synara is SDGs itself and is truly Riviera's flagship. Our current important mission is to further strengthen Riviera's SDGs "Riviera Future Creation Project", which is working on the three axes of environment, education, and health/medical care, in conjunction with each business.

Shiraishi: I also participated in the "6nd Riviera SDGs Festival", which was recorded online in June, and gave a talk session. It was important and meaningful time to talk about ourselves, the earth, and the future from each perspective. Being able to talk about various things with other speakers was in keeping with the festival's aim of creating a chain of SDGs. I hope you will watch it.
I'm in my mid-50s, and just before the Vendée Globe, I suffered an unexpected serious illness, but there are still so many things I want to do.
Riviera's challenges will continue. I won't lose either. Let's continue to take on the adventures we love!