There wasn’t much wind with just 200 miles left to Hawaii. Normally, there should be strong tradewinds blowing over the Hawaiian waters in the fall. I was so close and yet, the wind wasn’t cooperating. The sun was unbearably hot and I tried to stay cool by hiding in the shade down below. There was the sound of airplanes carrying tourists from all over the world. I finished my last Panamanian beer. It took me 58 days to consume 50 cans of beer, 5 liters of Peruvian wine, 3 liters of Bacardi, and 7 cartons of Marlboros. I never, though, got drunk enough to put my life in jeopardy.
The weather forecast from Hawaii predicted more light winds, so with just 40 miles to go, I ran the engine at full throttle. The engine quit immediately and my boat turned into a sitting duck. With no sleep, thanks to a futile attempt at fixing the boat, I saw the boat slowly drifting toward the rocks of Hawaii. So I called the coast guard. Is this an emergency, sir? came back an amiable female voice. Nope, not yet. But there probably would be one if the winds dont pick up soon. That prompted them to send out a cutter to tow me into Ala Wai Yacht Basin for the last l5 miles. There were two escort boats in sight, with familiar faces (Mr. Shin, Mr. Chang Jae-ku of The Korea Times and people from Dacom as well as SBS) onboard. They waved and cheered, and although I was exhausted from the sea, I did my best to wave as hard as I could.
The Hawaii Yacht Club was well aware of my arrival from my sponsors and Brian. Brian had arrived four days earlier and got a hero’s welcome as well as the coveted title: The youngest person to go around the world alone. He was aboard an escort boat and told me to get ready for the waiting crowd back at the dock. At the dock, my mom was there waiting, with tears in her eyes as usual. I was too exhausted to deal with reporters, well-wishers and friends. But I tried my best to show a big smile through it all.
On that evening of October l, l996, there was an official party with about l50 people, mostly Koreans, held at a local hotel. I hadn’t slept in three days, and through the two-hour party, tried not to fall asleep from the rounds of alcohol people were offering. The next day, I headed back to the Forerunner 2. People were pointing their fingers at me, whispering that they had seen me on the news. I went inside to avoid those staring eyes and it was once again, just me and the boat alone. She had done it, protecting me from the storms and the waves, and through it all, through my inattention, she was there, uncomplaining and silent and always faithful.
Brian stopped by and we sat inside, with stained plastic cups filled with champagne that I had received the previous day, and toasted to his boat Mai Miti and the Forerunner 2. For Brian, his trip ended here in Hawaii and he sold Mai Miti within a month. For me, even though the around the world voyage had ended here, I had made a promise to my sponsors that I would sail to Korea.
After three months of rest in Hawaii with good friends, it was time to go. The engine had been fixed and food replenished. It took 29 days of mostly pleasant sailing to Kosrae Island in Micronesia. This would be the last tropical stopover for me, so I stayed for three months-months filled with fishing, snorkeling with the locals and going out crabbing for huge mangrove crabs. A local family, the Sigrahs, took me in as a foster son (my Korean son) and they fed me for those three months. It was everything that a city person could hope for: clean air, clean water, living with nature. But after a while, I began to think about everything I was missing out : video games, MTV, and midnight snacks at a local eatery.
The trip from Kosrae to Okinawa took me straight throughout the heart of typhoon alley. In a way, I was playing Russian Roulette by taking a chance with the typhoons. Luckily, the two typhoons that generated in the area moved away from my boat. There were more ceremonies in Okinawa with the sponsors (eight of them had flown in). Again, I was overwhelmed with the generosity shown by the Koreans and Okinawans in Okinawa.
Okinawa was a big developed island compared to Kosrae. On June 8, l997, the Forerunner 2 finished her trip at Pusan. Well-wishers were there to welcome me and it was Hawaii all over again with important people. It was good to meet friends whom I hadn’t met in three years.
When I set out to go around the world, it was my personal desire to see the greater world, and to experience life, to feel alive. I had done that, but I wasnt prepared for the amount of press I had gotten since my arrival in Korea. Frankly, I was flattered that I got so much attention. But what if I had failed? For me, the last three and a half years were what mattered. People I had met, places I had been, and all those hardships I had endured would in the end, prepare me to deal with life ahead. And I would surely earn and lose money, but those precious memories will always be with me. As for the Forerunner 2, she will be given to the city of Pusan. As for me, The Korea Times had been kind enough to offer this space to keep me busy for the last few months; and I would be going back to the States to complete my bachelors at UCLA (Ill be 30 years old). If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. Except, maybe instead of three and a half years, I would prolong that to l0. As for the boat, I would keep her over my wife (don’t have one yet).

Editors note This article concludes the Forerunner’s Odyssey series.