MOSCOW, April 1. /TASS/. The Akros rowing boat of iconic Russian traveler Fyodor Konyukhov that he had to abandon in the middle of the Indian Ocean due to equipment failures is unsuitable for further voyages, expedition center head Oskar Konyukhov told TASS.
"I cannot say anything so far as regards the return [of Fyodor Konyukhov] to the Indian Ocean. A new boat should be built because the Akros is now drifting in the ocean and no one knows what will happen with her. Certainly, no projects can be done with it anymore, it will only become a museum exhibit. Fyodor needs to return to Russia, talk to partners and the family and then decide whether he wants - this is his own decision only - to complete the stage from South Africa to Western Australia," Konyukhov-Jr. said.
The expected boat drift path in the South Indian Ocean has already been calculated but only oceanic currents are taken into account. Storms may strongly change its course. The automatic identification system of the boat failed after colliding with a bulk carrier while taking Konyukhov on board, but the Iridium satellite buoy is functioning and transmitting coordinates.
The oceanic voyage ended on the 115th day due to numerous malfunctions of his rowing boat, the Telegram channel of the expedition center said earlier. Konyukhov was taken on board a cargo ship sailing to China’s Qingdao, the center informed.
Despite the end of the voyage, Fyodor Konyukhov became the first person in history who managed to cross the South Atlantic in a rowing boat along the most challenging and dangerous route in the Howling Fifties and the Roaring Forties. He reached the Indian Ocean in 68 days while traveling from South America. The Ocean Rowing Society will register the new record.