Masafumi Nagasaki is an 82 year old Japanese man who has lived
completely alone as a castaway for the last 29 years on Sotobanari
desert island (Iriomote Okinawa, Japan) This voluntary
Robinson Crusoe with his bright pink turban has spent all this time
living completely naked and surviving by himself. He has become the voluntary castaway who has lived the longest time on a desert island. The only wish of this survivor was to die on his desert island. But sadly the Japanese Authorities forced him to return to civilization last month :( Fortunately
we lived with him for 5 unforgettable days before he was kicked out,
and were able to share his life and carry out this fascinating
interview.
For nearly 30 years, Masafumi Nagasaki lived a life many of us extremely logged-on folks can only dream of.
Sotobanari island with the GeoGarage platform (NGA chart)
A life completely void of commuting, the internet, and screens.
He had the entire island of Sotobanari to himself—foraging, raking debris from the shore, and watching baby turtles hatch from their eggs and scurry to the ocean.
“Finding a place to die is an important thing to do,” Nagasaki told Reuters in 2012, “and I’ve decided here is the place for me.”
After abandoning conventional society (and clothing) in 1989, his only contact with civilization came during periodic trips to buy food and drinking water at a settlement an hour away by boat.
That is, until this April, when filmmaker Alvaro Cerezo says authorities forced Nagasaki “to go to a hospital with no hope of returning to his island.”
Cerezo, who spent five-days filming Nagasaki in 2014 for the above video, told news.com.au, “He was kicked out of the island, someone saw him on the island and it seems like he was weak.”
“They called the police and they took him back to civilisation and that’s it,” Cerezo continued.
“He couldn’t even fight back because he was weak. They won’t allow him to return.”
Nagaski told the filmmaker that decades ago he had often told his coworkers of his desire to escape, but he finally made the decision to go off the grid when he was flying from Fukuoka to Asake, and was disgusted by the pollution he saw spewing from the aircraft.
That’s when he realized he wanted to leave society behind.
He first moved to the island of Iriomote, but was disappointed by the presence of cars and tourists.
Then a fisherman suggested he try the deserted island of Sotobanari, and took him there.
Nagasaki fell in love and the fisherman left him on the island with a tent.
Nagasaki struggled at first, having no wilderness experience, but quickly learned survival skills. According to Cerezo’s blog, Nagasaki eventually “began to have empathy with the animals and to reject meat and fish.
That was when, for the first time in his life he felt the significance of happiness.”
Once a month, Nagasaki would go to a nearby island to buy food and water, using money that his sister sent him.
But he would only stay for a couple of hours.
According to Cerezo, Japanese authorities have been attempting to civilize Nagasaki for a while, offering to buy him a house and provide care.
“I don’t want to move from here. I will protect this island. I’d never be able to find a paradise like this,” Nagasaki told Cerezo in the documentary.
“Nothing sad can happen here. Once I saw a dead bird in the jungle. Then I felt pity—only that.”
On his island, Nagasaki was free of want.
He only had one desire.
“I’ve already told my family I will die here. My wish is to die here without bothering anyone,” he said in the film.
“I will die soon, probably in a few years. I want to be killed by a typhoon—so nobody can try to save me.”
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston was the only one to finish of 9 starters and completed the voyage in 312 days.
He was in his 32 foot ketch Suhali.
The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race was a non-stop, single-handed, round-the-worldyacht race,
held in 1968–1969, and was the first round-the-world yacht race.
The
race was controversial due to the failure of most competitors to finish
the race and because of the suicide of one entrant; however, it ultimately led to the founding of the BOC Challenge and Vendée Globe round-the-world races, both of which continue to be successful and popular.
The race was sponsored by the BritishSunday Times
newspaper and was designed to capitalise on a number of individual
round-the-world voyages which were already being planned by various
sailors; for this reason, there were no qualification requirements, and
competitors were offered the opportunity to join and permitted to start
at any time between 1 June and 31 October 1968.
The Golden Globetrophy was offered to the first person to complete an unassisted, non-stop single-handed circumnavigation of the world via the great capes, and a separate £5,000 prize was offered for the fastest single-handed circumnavigation.
Nine sailors started the race; four retired before leaving the Atlantic Ocean.
Of the five remaining, Chay Blyth, who had set off with absolutely no sailing experience, sailed past the Cape of Good Hope before retiring;
Nigel Tetley sank with 1,100 nautical miles (2,000 km) to go while leading;
Donald Crowhurst,
who, in desperation, attempted to fake a round-the-world voyage to
avoid financial ruin, began to show signs of mental illness, and then
committed suicide;
and Bernard Moitessier,
who rejected the philosophy behind a commercialised competition,
abandoned the race while in a strong position to win and kept sailing
non-stop until he reached Tahiti after circling the globe one and a half times.
Robin Knox-Johnston
was the only entrant to complete the race, becoming the first person to
sail single-handed and non-stop around the world. He was awarded both
prizes, and later donated the £5,000 to a fund supporting Crowhurst's
family.
Kotug demonstrates the sailing of the first remote controlled tugboat over a long distance today. The RT Borkum was controlled from the International Tug, Salvage & OSV Convention and Exhibition (ITS) ITS in Marseille, while the RT Borkum was sailing in Rotterdam. Unmanned shipping does not yet comply with current rules and regulations. Therefore, rules need to be amended before tugs can actually start doing their tasks fully autonomous.
The RT Borkum was controlled remotely during the International Tug, Salvage & OSV Convention and Exhibition (ITS) ITS in Marseille, while sailing in Rotterdam.
The RT Borkum in her normal, manned configuration (file image courtesy Veth Propulsion)
A captain of Kotug took over the control of the tug via a remote secured internet line and camera images.
These cameras and controls of the tugboat were used on the demo consoles in Marseille.
At ITS (Kotug)
The joint-industry project’s stakeholders has received no external subsidy.
Stakeholders that contributed to this demo project :
Alphatron : Camera visualization and system integration in the consoles
Veth : Steering and engine control system to take over from local console to remote control and vice versa
OnBoard : conversion of the steering and engine control signal to internet protocol and vice versa
M2M Blue: Stable data connection with VPN tunnel (4G and LAN connection combined)
Kotug : Project management and supported MAROF student with Thesis “Remote controlled tug boat “
Aboard the RT Borkum (Kotug)
Kotug believes that unmanned remote controlled ships will be the first step to ultimately unmanned autonomous shipping.
Various
simple operations in remote locations can already be done from remote
controlled stations. Kotug uses its Rotterdam simulator for further
testing of unmanned operation tasks.
The real time sensor
technology makes it possible to give the remote control captain the
situational awareness that is needed for safe operation.
Kotug presents a pioneering invention - using a drone to connect the towline to an assisted vessel.
This will drastically improve the safety margin of tug operations as this will avoid the need for manoeuvring in the so-called danger zone.
Combined with the drone technology to connect the towline, unmanned shipping is commercially and technically getting closer.
The Borkum was purpose-built for training and demonstrations, and is a miniaturized version of larger Kotug vessels.
Like all Rotortugs, she has three Z-drive thrusters, two forward and one aft, which provide added maneuverability and operational flexibility in harbor towing / escort towing roles.
In a statement, Kotug said that it expects unmanned remote controlled ships to be the first step to unmanned, autonomous shipping.
Simple operations in remote locations can already be done from remote-controlled stations, and Kotug is using its Rotterdam simulator for further testing of unmanned operation.
If a remote control system could be combined with drone technology to connect the towline, then unmanned towage is "commercially and technically getting closer," Kotug suggests.
However, the firm notes that regulations do not currently permit unmanned shipping.
Rules would need to be altered before tugs could operate without a human crew onboard, or (eventually) without a remote "captain" in constant control.
IMO is currently reviewing the regulatory requirements surrounding unmanned vessels, and has agreed on a definition of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) as an initial step.
update based on original nautical raster charts material from UKHO 
