“Whether I can win is really up to God and that all I can do is everything to the best of my ability. I really never, ever feel alone or lonely at sea.

“For me, the sea is what I have been aspiring for since I was a kid; it’s something amazing and it shows you beautiful and very dynamic sceneries. The sea is my mother and my father, and to be able to learn from the sea is a blessing for me.”

Japanese sailor Kojiro Shiraishi expressed these unusual and beautiful beliefs today at a press conference before leaving Fremantle on the next leg of the Velux 5 Oceans. When you meet this amazing sailor, you can understand his deep sincerity and humility, and the cultural difference that marks his approach to sailing.

This very fitting portrait of him in traditional dress was taken prior to the start in Bilbao by Thierry Martinez.