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Russian voyager Konyukhov’s rowboat battered by severe storm, says his son

According to Oskar, the force-12 storm occurred in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, 1,300 miles off Cape Horn
Fyodor Konyukhov Vladimir Smirnov/TASS
Fyodor Konyukhov
© Vladimir Smirnov/TASS

MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/. The rowboat of Russian voyager and survivalist Fyodor Konyukhov, who is now performing a solo round-the-world rowboat journey, was battered by a severe storm in the Pacific Ocean on March 23, Konyukhov’s son Oskar, the organizer of the journey, told TASS on Sunday.

"Yes, Fyodor sailed through a storm. Currently, the wind has subsided to 25 knots, it is calmer now," he said.

According to Oskar, the force-12 storm occurred in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, 1,300 miles (2,300 kilometers) off Cape Horn. "The waves were as high as eight meters. They were moving at a speed of 90 kilometers per hour, feeling like a car that crashes into your boat at such a speed," he said, adding that the wind will gain strength on Monday once again, and a new storm could be expected.

"I think such storms will be repeating, as Fyodor is moving closer to Cape Horn, where the weather is always that adverse," he noted.

Konyukhov’s journey

The Russian voyager began his solo circumnavigation on board the Akros rowboat on December 6, leaving the New Zealand port of Dunedin. Since the start of the voyage, Konyukhov has spent more than 100 days in the ocean and covered over 8,000 km.

The circumnavigator’s route is divided into three stages: Dunedin (New Zealand) - Cape Horn (Chile), Cape Horn (Chile) - Cape Leeuwin (Austalia), and Cape Leeuwin (Austalia) - Dunedin. Konyukhov will have to row 27,000 km in total.

British boat designer Phil Morrison created Konyukhov’s AKROS vessel exclusively for the expedition. The nine-meter rowboat has watertight compartments capable of storing up food and three independent power generation systems, including solar, wind turbine and an innovative EFOY fuel cell power plant. The boat is also equipped with two satellite phones, a satellite tracker and several communication and navigation systems.

Konyukhov has already performed five round-the-world journeys, crossed the Atlantic 17 times and became the first Russian who reached the seven highest peaks in the six parts of the world, as well as the South and North Poles. In 2007, Konyukhov already went around the Southern Hemisphere onboard the sailing boat Alye Parusa (Crimson Sails) through the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.