MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. Russian explorer and adventurer Fyodor Konyukhov intends to become the first in the world to sail across the Pacific Ocean aboard a catamaran equipped with solar batteries produced in Russia, the adventurer’s press service reported Wednesday.
The expedition is scheduled to begin in December 2021 from Chile’s Valparaiso and end in Brisbane, Australia. Konyukhov will have to cover 9,000 nautical miles (more than 16,500 kilometers), the solo journey will take more than 100 days. "The Roaring Forties of the Southern Pacific Ocean require careful examination of weather forecasts and thorough selection of the window to begin [the expedition]," the press service quotes Konyukhov as saying. "We need to wait for a broad anticyclone with sunny weather and moderate wind. Such conditions will make it possible to set sail from the South American coast."
The explorer acknowledged that his expedition is being prepared at a tough time. "We are waiting for borders to open to leave for the United Kingdom where the catamaran is being built and take part in the works. I hope we will be able to do it as soon as the situation stabilizes," he said, admitting that he misses the vast of the ocean.
Fyodor Konyukhov is a Russian survivalist, voyager, aerial and marine explorer who has so far completed five solo circumnavigations. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean 17 times and became the first Russian to complete the Explorers Grand Slam: he climbed the highest mountains on all seven continents and visited the North Pole and the South Pole. Between 1992 and 1997, Konyukhov conquered Mount Elbrus, Mount Everest, Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro, Vinson Massif as well as Mount Kosciuszko and Denali (also known as Mount McKinley, its former official name). In 2007, Konyukhov circumnavigated the Southern Hemisphere aboard a sailing yacht dubbed the Scarlet Sails when he crossed the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.