VLADIVOSTOK, January 05, 9:18 /ITAR-TASS/. The Pacific Ocean has got calmer as world-famous Russian traveler Fyodor Konyukhov, who continues his solo rowboat voyage across the Pacific, is sailing off the Chilean city of Antofagasta.
The situation has improved: the waves are high but the wind is no stronger than 20 knots, the traveler told his headquarters in Moscow on Sunday. “The Ocean grants a respite, maybe on the occasion of my crossing into the tropic latitudes,” he said, adding that he had even managed to make hot meals: boil water and pour it into a package with freeze-dried food.
Pacific waves not only batter Konyukhov’s Turgoyak boat on his voyage from Chile to Australia, but also supply him with fresh seafood. Last night they once again, maybe for a hundredth time, overwhelmed the boat, leaving three small squids in it as the waves rushed back. “I gave the squids a scrape, poured boiling water on them and had a nice addition to my freeze-dried menu,” Konyukhov said.
January 4 was a remarkable day for the captain as his rowboat heading north crossed the tropic of Capricorn reaching tropic latitudes. If all goes in line with the schedule, the rowboat will spend in tropic altitudes the biggest part of the voyage - five to six months.
At the moment, the Chilean Antofagasta “is almost 500 nautical miles to the right of me,” he said. He also said he was still on the shipping lane, seeing now and then ships sailing towards Chile and back.
He sailed off from Chile on December 22, 2013. The London-based Ocean Rowing Society International said that if successful Konyukhov would be the ninth person in the world to row the Pacific solo and the second person to row the South Pacific solo. Konyukhov hopes to get from Chile to Australia in 200 days. In the past 24 hours, he has covered 74 nautical miles and has to cover another 6,500 to reach the Australian Brisbane.