Article of the Month - February 2015

LITTLE ORCA’S 5000 MILE ODYSSEY

Please join us in this very different and unusual article of the month - a Manga graphic comic book, which we hope that you will enjoy as much as we do.

John Hohol, President of FIG Foundation, explains:

"This is the amazing and true story of a Japanese survey marker uprooted by Typhoon Talas in September 2011 and travelling for 6 months 8000 km (5000 miles) across the Pacific Ocean being discovered by a boat charter captain along his dock at Orcas Island, Washington, USA. The manufacturer of the survey marker, Ripro Corporation, has turned this incredible story into a traditional Japanese Manga graphic comic book (a timeline outlining the story is shown on page 32). Enjoy!"

John Hohol got involved because the story made national news in the US and caught his attention and he recognised the stake as belonging to the RIPRO Corporation in Japan, a company that he has worked with. He contacted Kengo Okada, the president of the Ripro Corporation. Kengo Okada and John Hohol each booked a flight to Orcas to meet Tom Averna, who found the survey stake, and retrieve the item.

The story begins: My name is Little Orca and I would like to tell you how I got my name and my adventure... LITTLE ORCA’S 5000 MILE ODYSSEY, pdf (3.6 MB) After you have read the Manga, you can read an article about this amazing adventure: http://www.islandssounder.com/news/290685301.html?mobile=true

Ripro Corporation, Japan became member of FIG in November 2014.