WaveRunner Touring Discovery Japan 2009 in Izu

May 23 - 24, 2009

At the pre-departure orientation, the cruising schedule, points to remember while cruising and flag rules were explained.
Two of the most important points to remember were:
Don't overlook instructions from the lead craft.
Don't pass the lead craft.

The convoy headed for our first goal just offshore of Mt. Fuji.

Mt. Fuji is the highest peak in Japan (3776m). Needless to say, it is a revered symbol of Japan. Although it is an inactive volcano, historically it does have a record of eruption. Its nearly perfect graceful symmetric profile gives a striking impression.

On the day of departure, the early morning fog made us worry whether we would be able to see Mt. Fuji, but later the sky started to clear and kept our hopes alive as we headed west.

Sadly, we couldn't see the whole panoramic view of Mt. Fuji but we could see the snowcapped summit. We all lined up for a commemorative photo, then we rode away into Suruga Bay with Mt. Fuji in the background and headed toward Kotoi harbor, our break area.

We stopped at the famous tourist spot Dogashima (Doga Island) on the way.
Since there were other tourist ships, we divided into groups of six and headed into the cave in the cliff. The sunlight streaming through the gaping hole of the cave's roof was truly fantastic.

We stopped again at Matsuzaki Marina for fueling and headed to Irou-zaki, the southernmost point of Izu Peninsula.

The waves were steep in Irou-zaki and the lead boat, as was to be expected, had to slow down. Participating boats headed to the day's last goal, Shimoda, while being tossed about by the 1.5m waves.

After arriving at Shimoda, we all finished refuel and mooring, and the grand feast, which is one of the great pleasures of a two-day tour, began. The weariness of a hard day of touring seemed to melt away as all the participants licked their lips over the splendid sea food.

The second day opened with cloudy weather.
But the wind had died down from the day before, giving us perfect conditions for sightseeing along the coastline.

This time we passed Irou-zaki, where we had difficulties with steep waves the day before, easily and headed to Hakachi-saki. Some of the caves here are intricately connected inside but it is impossible to go near when the waves are high.

The width of the narrow caves is less than 2m but it was possible for our WaveRunners to pass through. The lead boat which couldn't pass through waited outside.
After Hakachi-saki we headed toward Sengan-Mon. All the crafts including the lead boat could make it through here. The weather remained gray but we were overwhelmed by the beautiful water and scenery that nature had created.