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Fedor - less than a week to go!
Jun 3, 2005 19: 27 EST
Mid May, Fedor managed to get the staysail back up before running into strong northeast winds. It was no simple task, though; Fedor called the repairs “a titanic job. The wind was 20-25 knots with 30 knots in gusts. The boat was sailing 6-7 knots shaking and rolling.”
Back on track, Fedor continued sailing north in the direction of the Azores Islands, passing through a desert-like area of the eastern Atlantic.
900 miles to finish
Latest report (yesterday), has Fedor now only 900 miles to finish, sailing in steady S-W wind toward Falmouth Bay (cape Manacle). Writes his hometeam: "It is still a serious distance and he must be very careful taking into account overall boat fatigue and skipper tiredness. It is very important for the skipper to stay focused and not lose attention. During 900 miles anything may happen and you should be concentrated."
Mixed feelings
Fedor Konyukhov: “Most of the operations I am doing automatically and this is not good. You should always think about the risk and danger. Before you do something on deck of the maxi-boat you must anticipate various scenarios."
"Looking at the water running behind the stern, I feel excitement of completion this round the world sailing but at the same time it is sad to realize that in 5-6 days it will be over."
Back to the complicated life
"The boat will be moored in yacht club and I will be walking on dry land. I am even scared of changing my routine. After so many days at sea where you have 3 components: Ocean, boat and yourself, soon I will be among people, houses, fast moving cars. I remember from my previous round the world sailing – it always takes time to recover and get use to the new life on shore."
"I am enjoying every moment of my sailing and my maxi-boat also feels good. She is like a dog – feels that home is not far away."
Fedor Konyukhov 53, gets the all around, all-star Explorers badge. Let's go through his expedition list: An unsupported South Pole ski, supported North Pole crossing (three NP trips all together), crossed the Atlantic 12 times (once in a rowboat!), climbed Everest and the rest of the seven summits, three circumnavigations of the world in a sailboat (once against the prevailing winds and once in a solo race around the world), traveled from Vladivostok to St Petersburg by bike, an Iditarod, and rode the Great Silk Path on a camel.
On November 24, 2004, Fedor started his round the world single-handed non-stop sail. He headed west to the Atlantic Ocean on a 85 ft Open maxi boat from Falmouth Bay (Cornwall, England).
"I am searching for an explanation for the sense of life through my journeys." In spite of the records, to Fedor, it's all a spiritual journey, and fairness is a part of that. In the beginning of this sail, Fedor faced a tough choice. His Argos beacon stopped transmitting during the first night at sea - he was offered replacements to be delivered to his boat by ORS. According to the rules from the World Speed Sailing Records, collecting replacement beacons would jeopardize Fedor’s "without assistance" status. He declined, taking a security risk in the Southern ocean. (If something happened, the home team would have had to track the boat (life raft) for weeks with an Argos).
Fedor Konyukhov was born December 12, 1951, into a family of fishermen in Priazovye, on the Azov Sea. He is a distance sailing captain and a yacht captain who has covered more than 150,000 nautical miles solo by sail. He is also an honorable resident of the city of Nakhodka (Primorsk Region, Russia), the city of Terni (Italy), and the village of Bergin (Kalmykia, Russia). Fedor is also an artist and paints his expeditions.
Image "Sea trials in North Atlantic. 64 knots of wind." (C) Yuri Masliaev, courtesy of expedition website.
http://www.konyukhov.ru/cgi-bin/cm/get_doc.fpl?s_id=1&lang_id=2
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| Fedor - less than a week to go! Jun 3, 2005 | | Saito San - closing in on home and record! Jun 2, 2005 | | Atlantic Four: And they are off! Jun 1, 2005 | | Ollie - is anybody out there? May 31, 2005 | | ExplorersWeb Week in Review May 30, 2005 | | And they are off! May 27, 2005 | | Ellen gives transatlantic record a second battle May 27, 2005 | | Vagabond update - Polar bears, 200 candles and ice melting in Inglefieldbukta May 26, 2005 | | ExWeb interview - Atlantic Four: "It was all about persuading our wives" May 25, 2005 | | Iridium: "Invalid battery - matches found, 0" May 24, 2005 |
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