Mitsuhiro Iwamoto, 52, sailed 8,700-miles across the Pacific non-stop, becoming the first visually impaired person to do so. He was assisted by his sighted navigator, Doug Smith.  The two left California in late February on a 12m (40 ft) sailboat and arrived in Fukushima on Saturday morning.

Fox News reports that when sailing, Iwamoto can still feel the wind direction and steer with sighted people’s help, but needs a guide like Smith to navigate around other boats, according to the Voice of San Diego. To work around his disability, he uses a vocalized GPS and audio compass. On the latest trip, Iwamoto steered the yacht and managed the sail, while Smith helped him with the equipment that shows wind direction.

Mitsuhiro Iwamoto first blind non-stop Pacific journey (Japan) – BBC News