Hiroshima, Japan, Aug. 1 (UPI)—Dr. Earle L. Reynolds, an American anthropologist, who left here six years ago on a round-the-world yacht cruise....
BIG EVENT
The yacht returned Saturday with Dr. Reynolds and the same crew that left Hiroshima’s Ujina port six years ago. His return was a big event here.
To welcome the “homecoming” of the American, more than 30 yachts of the Hiroshima University and a score of motorboats sailed out of the harbor to meet the Phoenix and escorted it to the pier.
To add color to the welcome there was a display of fireworks and multicolored balloons.
On the pier Dr. Reynolds was greeted by a crowd of Hiroshima citizens. Later he was honored at a welcome back party at the Hiroshima Maritime Safety Board.
I don’t recall any score of motorboats, and you know about the crew situation—but there really was quite a bustle, and we couldn’t have asked for a happier homecoming because that’s what it was to us—we had come home to Hiroshima.
The next day there was a formal welcoming banquet, with Governor Ohara, the honorary president of the Phoenix Supporters’ Association, as toastmaster. We were given a very beautiful cup—a mounted replica of the world, in gleaming black, with our track picked out in golden thread and the details of our voyage inscribed in Japanese on the base.
For those who like figures, here they are: we visited 122 ports, spent 649 days at sea, and sailed 54,359 sea miles (about 62,500 land miles) to make good a direct track of 45,516 sea miles (about 52,300 land miles). We had been away for 5 years, 9 months, and 26 days.
One might think that was enough, but soon after that we sailed to Russia ... but that’s still another story!