Kiyoshi Mizuuchi decided to give his new 42-foot yacht a name with a secret meaning when he bought it in 2004.
“Ahoodori” means albatross in Japanese, a fairly conventional name for a boat. But the name also translates to “dancing fool,” which Mizuuchi sees as an apt metaphor for his sport.
“Sailing is like a foolish dance — having that temporary joy of sailing across the water,” he said.
The 64-year-old Rockville resident originally hails from Japan, but emigrated to the U.S. in 1972 as a post-doctoral student in molecular biology. Since his boyhood, Mizuuchi has been fascinated by the water, but could not afford to start sailing until adulthood. He dabbled in sailing in Japan, and then bought a small boat and practiced on the Chesapeake Bay.
Mizuuchi, who is a research biologist with the National Institutes of Health, co-skippered the Ahoodori in St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s 2008 Governor’s Cup Yacht Race Aug. 1-2. He placed fourth in his nine-boat class. More than 150 yachts in eight classes participated in the race.
He sails between seven and 12 regattas per year to stay active in the sport, he said.
“I hate going out in bad weather,” Mizuuchi admitted. “If you get involved in racing, the schedule is there and you have the people committed so it’s a little more incentive or encouragement to make sure you go out.”
This year’s Governor’s Cup was particularly tough because of weather conditions. “It was upwind sailing all the way,” Mizuuchi said. “Every time we turned a corner, the wind turned also, so it was upwind all the way to the finish.”
The Governor’s Cup is also a challenge because the race runs overnight. Though staying on course in the dark is easier these days with advanced GPS systems on every yacht, sailors must be careful not to blind themselves with bright lights, and all crew members keep themselves awake throughout the night.
Mizuuchi was unfazed by the difficulties, though. “Night sailing has also a nice point — it’s quiet and you’re on your own,” he said.
But Mizuuchi confessed that when his crew crossed the finish line, “We just crashed.”
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Time out with … Kiyoshi Mizuuchi
How do you balance sailing with work?
I’m a research scientist and if I keep thinking about my work all the time, I’ll keep thinking on the weekends, at night … I need something else. Sailing requires relatively intensive concentration, so it really takes your mind off other things.
What does your family think about sailing?
My wife doesn’t come out sailing with me. She’s a little bit afraid of water, so she has her own hobbies.
What are your goals when you race?
First is to make sure we don’t get into a seriously dangerous situation and avoid any big mistakes, though occasionally we make them and then we recover … I always try to do better next time although it doesn’t always happen this way. That’s the constant learning process.
How can novice sailors get involved in the sport?
These days there are so many great schools. Another way is getting involved with somebody who has a boat and crew for it. In the spring there are lots of boat owners and skippers looking for crews. You can find them in “SpinSheet Magazine”…which is a free giveaway that many of the boat shops have as a handout.
-Sarah Raymond
