SAN DIEGANS WHO INSPIRED US
Blind ocean-crossing sailor, hidden figure in NASA space program among 7 who stood out
San Diego had more than its share of newsmakers in 2019. Here’s an update of stories of remarkable San Diegans who brought light, levity and inspiration into readers’ lives.
Mitsuhiro ‘Hiro’ Iwamoto
On April 20, blind yachtsman “Hiro” Iwamoto, 52, of San Diego accomplished his dream of sailing nonstop across the Pacific between San Diego and Japan. Sharing the tiller 24 hours a day with his sighted sailing partner Doug Smith, Iwamoto finished the exhausting voyage in 55 days. That is, 55 days plus six years of waiting and hoping for the opportunity.
In June 2013, Iwamoto and a different sailing partner attempted to sail from his native Japan to California. But just six days into the voyage, a 50foot blue whale struck their boat and it sank in minutes. The two men barely survived drowning. The Kearny Mesa holistic health practitioner vowed to try again someday but he lacked the money, boat and a sailing companion. Finally, he found it in Smith, 55, a businessman from Virginia who was inspired by Iwamoto’s quest. Smith, who speaks Japanese, also dreamed of crossing the Pacific but didn’t know how to sail. Smith bought a boat capable of making the journey in 2018 and took sailing lessons.
They set out Feb. 24 on their “Voyage of Inspiration.” Along the way they struggled with a lack of trade winds, lost and broken equipment and rough seas. When they pulled into Fukushima Harbor, they had sailed 8,700 nautical miles. Their journey was chronicled in two documentaries that aired internationally. They also raised $20,000 for four charities.
In the months since the voyage, Iwamoto has fulfilled another dream of becoming a motivational speaker. He has also launched a San Diego chapter of the Global Arigato Project, a nonprofit dedicated to finding inner peace through thankful meditation.
Iwamoto, who is married with a teenage daughter, practices healing gratitude. After a progressive illness left him blind at 16, he contemplated throwing himself off a bridge because he didn’t want to live a life dependent on others. Instead, he committed himself to living as independent and fearless a life as possible.
“I want to tell people who are facing difficulties, hardships, and trials that they are waiting for the excitement that can be experienced just by overcoming them,” he said in an interview this month with Japan’s Chichi magazine.
Theresa Sturkie
On the evening of Jan. 4, 55year-old John Sturkie of Oceanside had dinner with his wife and children, then drove off in his truck to spend
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