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Russian traveller halfway through his solo rowing voyage across Pacific

Fyodor Konyukhov is much ahead of schedule so far

© ITAR-TASS/Valery Bushukhin

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Russian traveller Konyukhov aboard Turgoyak enters Pacific’s French Polynesia sector

VLADIVOSTOK, February 26. /ITAR-TASS/. For the first time from the start of solo rowing, the Pacific has provided ideal conditions for sailing to Fyodor Konyukhov, the Russian traveller said by satellite phone in a communications session with the Russian capital of Moscow.

“The ocean is calm, there are neither waves nor winds, the water is very warm,” Konyukhov said.

The traveller crossing the Pacific in a rowboat Turgoyak passed half way as of Wednesday. He left 4,075 nautical miles (7,546 kilometers) behind the aft and has 4,068 nautical miles (7,533 kilometers) ahead of him, the International Ocean Rowing Society said, monitoring the Turgoyak by satellite navigation system from the British capital of London.

On December 22, 2013, Konyukhov started from the Chilean port of Concon and plans to finish in the Australian city of Brisbane. The solo rowing voyage is designed for 200 days, but the oarsman is much ahead of schedule so far. He is to row around 90 nautical miles (166 kilometres) to the islands of French Polynesia.

Konyukhov also noted that “a bird looking like a dove” had been sitting on solar batteries of his boat all night and flew away with dawn.

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