Cruising the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

29 Oct Cruising the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

After spending five days in Chichi Jima waiting out Typhoons Halong and Nakri, Patrick and I decided to tackle a project that had been on the list for a while: the starboard stern swim step Freeman hatch, which had a broken chain drive.

When opening this hatch, a winch handle is inserted into the master dog. Turning that single dog drives an internal chain that operates all four hatch dogs simultaneously.

  Don opening up the freeman hatch with our handle

Once we had the hatch disassembled, it became clear we needed more chain and a few connecting links.

   The Freeman hatch pulled apart to find the chain linkage controlling the dogs

We had a good laugh scouring the small town, showing locals pictures of our problem and trying to track down matching parts. Every lead came up short. In the end, we settled on a temporary fix, reconnecting the chain using a length of Spectra line until we can find proper replacement parts.

                                                                              Our macguyver fix using spectra line to join the broken links together

After a couple of days, a weather window finally opened, and we made a 600nm, three-day run to Tosa Shimizu on the southeast corner of Shikoku. Tosa Shimizu is a lovely little seaport town known for its specialty, fermented blue mackerel, a nod to its deep-sea fishing roots. It was also our first real opportunity to visit a supermarket in a while, where we were faced with endless options of ramen, pre-made meals that would make anyone drool, and plenty of choices we could not quite identify but were excited to try.

                             The huge amount of choice just at a regular supermarket had us all drooling

When the next weather window arrived, we took off again. Our next hurdle was to clear fully into Japan at Hiroshima and obtain our Nikusenpaku, the equivalent of a cruising permit. The rules were strict. We were not allowed to stop or anchor en route and had to arrive at the dock at our appointed time, no earlier or later.

That alone made us a little nervous, as the Seto Inland Sea is one of the busiest waterways in Japan. Cargo ships, ferries, coast guard vessels, and fishing boats zip around at all hours, and because they are all local, they move like bats out of hell. Daytime traffic was stressful enough, and the thought of dodging ships in the dark was not exactly appealing nor safe.

You can see the sheer number of Ships just in the entrance to the Seto sea, it did not calm down!

The run to Hiroshima was about 120 nautical miles. Since Starr can cover roughly 200 nautical miles in 24 hours, our timing meant we would reach the port far too early. Because we were not allowed to dock or anchor before our appointed time, we found a quiet stretch of the inland sea near an island with no ferry traffic and spent the night doing 42 nautical miles of loops to stay in motion. By the end, all our heads were spinning.

Our carefully planned loops, over 100 Waypoints covering 42 nm and 2 nm across . We did this using our come-home system, its the first time we’ve used it in 15 years, it ran like a champ!!

We finally hit the dock in Hiroshima right on schedule. Our agent, Kirk Patterson, who had helped organize our Nikusenpaku, met us there and guided us through the final customs paperwork. Once everything was stamped and sealed, we were officially handed our cruising permit. There was a quiet but satisfying sense of victory as we settled down at the dock.

While tied up in Hiroshima Marina, we met a friendly Australian couple who had been cruising Japan for the past eight years aboard their own modern version of Spray, Joshua Slocum’s famous yacht. By chance, they turned out to be a great resource, sharing valuable local knowledge, recommending small ports to visit, and giving us contacts along the way. It was one of those lucky encounters that make cruising so enjoyable, meeting people who have truly made Japan their home on the water.

                                                     Bo, Don, Mark and Patrick standing in-front of Hiroshima peace park fountain.

The next day, Bo already had an itinerary planned. We spent the morning exploring the Hiroshima Peace Park, a sobering and powerful reminder of the past, followed by a visit to Hiroshima Castle. The castle grounds, completely rebuilt after the war, are a stunning mix of beauty and defense with a moat all around it.

                                              One of the few original standing buildings in Hiroshima

                                                                                   The entrance to Hiroshima castle grounds over the moat

Afterward, we made the ultimate cultural crossover, a trip to Costco. It had been almost eight months since we had seen those familiar Kirkland labels. While most of the items were similar to home, there were plenty of Japanese products sprinkled throughout, making it a fascinating mix of the familiar and the new.

                                                           The fabled Costco, a comforting sight to us!

After a few days in Hiroshima, the urge to move on struck again. Bo’s time aboard Starr had come to an end as he headed off to Tokyo before flying back to Hawaii. It had been fantastic having him onboard, a great friend to both us and Starr.

                                        Bo giving his farewell to us and Starr, is he bowing or tying his shoe?

With just Mark, Patrick, and me aboard, we turned our bow toward Miyajima, a short passage of eight nautical miles. We tied up to a floating dock run by a local hotel on the island. Patrick and I went ashore to confirm we could stay for a few days, armed with Google Translate and photos showing Starr had been there back in 2023. After some friendly back-and-forth, we paid the surprisingly reasonable price of 15,000 JPY for three nights, about 33 dollars per day including power. What a deal!

                 The stunning red Tori gate in Miyajima, with Starr in the background

After we moored and settled down, the three of us took a short walk through town. Its narrow streets and lively tourism scene were a charming contrast to the quiet port towns and sleepy marinas we had been in over the past couple of weeks. One of the main reasons we came to Miyajima was to meet up with our friend Sharon Jensen, who was traveling in Japan on her own trip. We met up with Sharon that evening, and the next morning set off together to hike Mount Misen.

                                                                                                   Lunch on Miyajima, Just shy of wriggling

The hike offers three routes to the top, and we chose the most commonly used one, which turned out to be both grueling and stunning. The trail climbs about 2,000 feet over just 3 kilometers, mostly up stone steps. Along the way are beautiful Buddhist shrines, statues, and temples tucked among the trees. After about two hours of steady climbing, we reached the summit, rewarded with a breathtaking 360-degree view of the Seto Inland Sea. Luckily, we had been graced with a perfectly clear, sunny day.

                                                                     A small Buddhist shrine under a boulder along the trail

                                         The protecting gate to Mt. Misen, these statues come from china and are imbued with sacred texts.

                                                   Patrick hiking up to become as ripped as this guy!

                                            Sharon and Don after hiking to the top of Mt. Misen, a 2,000 ft elevation gain in less then 2 miles!

                                                                                 The view from the second peak next to Mt. Misen

                                                                               The view from Mt. Misen a stunning look at the Seto Sea

After saying goodbye to our friends from Hawaii, we left Miyajima the following day and set course for the islands, planning to gunkhole around using the recommendations from our Australian cruiser friends. By this time, Mark was ready to head home to Hawaii, so we said our goodbyes and found a dock to drop him off, not marooned, of course!

             Mark giving his Hawaiian farewell to us and Starr, were already really missing this guy!

Now it’s just Patrick and me for the next couple of weeks. I have some friends arriving around November 17th, and until then, we plan to make our way toward Osaka, stopping at various recommended ports to scout the best spots to return to with friends.

Related posts:

1082nm from Los Cabos, 09d 55.00 N, 122d 54.00 W – Friday, 23nd March, 2001 Mainland Coast of Mexico: Puerto Vallerta to Barra de Navidad – December 17, 2000-January 18, 2001 Seattle to Mexico – November, 2000 Seattle, Washington – September, 2000