VLADIVOSTOK, February 04. /ITAR-TASS/. The Pacific Ocean ‘refuses’ to feed Russian traveller Fyodor Konyukhov, who is rowing in the boat Turgoyak from Chile to Australia, with fish. “On Monday afternoon, a big school of flying fish has jumped out of water,” Captain Konyukhov said during the latest communication session. “I hoped that a couple of fish will get to me onboard all the same, but they see an obstacle quite well in the daytime and fly over the boat,” he said.

From his start on December 22, 2013, from the Chilean port of Concon, the traveller eats freeze-dried food. Only once he has caught a little tuna and the waves have brought three little calamaries in the boat. This is all additional food that the ocean had so far brought to the traveller for six weeks of Turgoyak solo rowing.

Helping winds

Tailwinds help the traveller. “Trade winds are blowing in full strength, but I have a feeling that the ocean has bent slightly, and I and the boat are drifting westwards in this flow,” he said. “Winds have been blowing from the east to the west for about a month, the Humboldt Current is also flowing in this direction,” Konyukhov said. Favorable direction of winds and currents helps him to pass no less than 60 nautical miles (111.1 kilometers) every day. He should row 5,370 nautical miles (9.95 kilometers) to Australia as of now.

Fyodor noted that he rowed 15-16 hours every day and keeps average speed of three knots (5.5 kilometers per hour). He is rowing for two hours and then has a one-hour rest. “My organism is attuned to this regime, I cannot sleep for more than an hour, even if I would like to relax, I wake up all the same,” the traveller said about his life in the ocean.

After the communication session Captain Konyukhov spoke about a rare natural phenomenon, “Last night I was watching a meteorite shower, as celestial bodies entered the atmosphere with big noise, even their whisper was heard.”

The Turgoyak is set on course to the Australian port of Brisbane. Fyodor is dreaming to row from Concon to Brisbane in 200 days.