KRASNODAR, March 26. /TASS/. Russian yachtsman Vitaly Yelagin, who sailed off for a round-the-globe voyage in October 2023, has not been heard from since March 19 when he was near the Chilean coast, his follower Alexey Chvanov told TASS.

"Many empathetic people have got together to search for his Daughter of the Wind yacht. The Rusarc Aurora yacht continues surveying the coastline near Cape Horn. The Russian embassy in Chile is helping. Satellite and radar imagery of the LKP (last known position - TASS) zone and planned route are being used. People are doing their best," he said.

According to the yachtsman’s Telegram channel Doch Vetra v Okeane (Daughter of the Wind in the Ocean), aerial searches have been suspended for several days because of strong winds and poor visibility. "The weather forecast is very unfavorable. At this point, there is no information about Vitaly’s whereabouts. Today, we hoped that a plane would be dispatched to survey the area but low clouds are covering the Pacific coast of Tierra del Fuego and visibility is poor. The plane is waiting for more favorable weather conditions," the post says.

Vitaly Yelagin, who is a Russian champion in yachting, sailed off on his circumnavigation voyage on October 1, 2023 aboard the Daughter of the Wind Yacht, which was designed by prominent Soviet yacht designer from the Krasnodar Region Viktor Yazykov. According to Yelagin, he wants to carry the Russian flag around the world.