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Russian traveller gets in strong storm during solo voyage across Pacific

Northern winds with gusts reaching 55.5 kph make Fyodor Konyukhov's boat Turgoyak drift to the Tuamotu Islands

Russian traveller Fyodor Konyukhov ITAR-TASS/Alexander Saverkin

Russian traveller Fyodor Konyukhov

© ITAR-TASS/Alexander Saverkin

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VLADIVOSTOK, March 04. /ITAR-TASS/. A famous Russian traveller Fyodor Konyukhov, who is crossing the Pacific in solo rowing voyage, has got in a strong storm. Northern winds with gusts reaching 30 knots or 55.5 kph make his boat Turgoyak drift to the Tuamotu Islands, the press service of Captain Konyukhov reported.

This does not foretell anything good for the traveller as the Tuamotu Islands are surrounded by atolls that are seen only at a little distance. Many of these islands are discovered and described by outstanding Russian navigators and are named after them, including Kutuzov, Barclay de Tolly, Kruzenshtern, Lazarev, Rumyantsev, so, the Tuamotus are also called the islands of Russians.

On Monday, during a communication session Konyukhov said he was proud of Russian navigators, who discovered the islands in the central Pacific, but said, “It would be good to sail around one hundred nautical miles away from this land.” “I should resist the storm and try not to drift southwards, because if I drift to the islands, it will be very difficult for me to get in clear water,” he added.

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Russian traveller halfway through his solo rowing voyage across Pacific

According to forecasts of Australian weathermen, the storm with northern winds favorable for the captain will persist until Friday.

Fyodor Konyukhov started his solo rowing across the Pacific on December 22, 2013 from the Chilean port of Concon to Australia. For the past 70 days his boat Turgoyak has passed 4,379 nautical miles (7,047 kilometers), the Russian traveller is left to sail 3,774 nautical miles (6,073 kilometers) to the Australian city of Brisbane.

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