Jin Woo Nam is sailing across the Pacific Ocean from Marina del Rey to Incheon, South Korea, retracing in reverse the journey of the first Korean immigrants.
In the sailing yacht’s cramped living area, nearly 20 sticky notes reminded Jin Woo Nam and his crew of the tasks ahead — buffing and waxing, applying a special paint to prevent barnacles from sticking, fixing a leaky water heater.
Jin Woo Nam’s voyage has inspired other Korean immigrants in Los Angeles, many who donated to the journey. They were promised a mild climate, free schooling and work at $15 a month, with free lodging and medical care.Instead, they were scattered to sugar plantations, forced to do backbreaking work for at least three years to pay off their debts. Supervisors on horseback whipped them if they so much as paused to stretch, Chang said.
Jin Woo Nam has spent $50,000 fixing up the Ignatella and wishes he had tens of thousands more for new electric wiring, water pumps, a shelter against harsh weather and many other enhancements. Sailing yachts are slow, with a maximum speed of less than 10 miles an hour. They can’t power straight through headwinds, instead zigging and zagging across the water. But that’s how Nam, who now works as a professional sailing captain, wants to live his life.
Donald Kang was the first Korean American to sail solo across the Pacific. He accomplished the feat in 1990 while a student at UCLA. Jin Woo Nam loves the freedom of sailing the high seas. “When we’re driving on a road, there are certain rules. You need to keep to your lane, and you face trouble if you veer outside,” Nam said. “There are certain lanes in the ocean, but when you’re sailing, you’re making your own road ... There’s that freedom.”
Captain Jin Woo Nam, from left, with crewmen Sang Hee Park, Joseph Chang and Do Yoo as they ready to embark on their voyage. “It’s an unforgettable experience,” he said. “I hope the next two, three months will refresh my life.”
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