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Fedor equipment failure: Friday the 13th jinx
May 13, 2005 17: 11 EST
It was Fedor’s ninth time crossing the equator, and he was about to celebrate the achievement with some champagne when he heard a loud crack. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the cork popping. A stay pin had broken and the staysail was hanging off the side of the boat.
This is over the top
According to Fedor: “I expected that sailing around the world would bring me some technical challenges (due to gear failure) but this is over the top. Why the pin broke – I have no idea. It is a new pin. The staysail is furled and I have a “sausage” 15 meters long and a 150 kg weight still attached to the mast flying around and damaging the deck and stanchions on the port side.”
Slamming across frontal waves
“While sailing downwind, the mast is ok, as she is supported by runners. But when the wind shifts to the north I will be slamming across the frontal waves and I’m not sure how we can negotiate this situation. I am thinking of stopping on an island in the Atlantic Ocean for quick repairs.”
No guarantees
Fedor’s weather router, Lee Bruce, offers his advice: “The entry into the North Atlantic generally involves sailing with the wind forward of the beam (in the NE trade winds). But it is unlikely that we can finish without having some period of upwind sailing. We might be able to make it to the Azores without heavy upwind, but I can't guarantee that. The route to the Lesser Antilles is downwind, of course, so that would be the safest.”
Rendezvous update
It was a near miss. Even though Fedor and Joe Fontes had given up hope trying to rendezvous near the equator, they still came within about 60 miles of each other. Not close enough for visual contact, but according to Capt. Phil, near enough for an unspoken bond to form between the two circumnavigators.
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. Fedor is also an artist and paints his expeditions. 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). The trip will take around 120 days.
Captain Phil lives onboard his Amazon Queen, down deep in the rain forests of Amazon jungles. He transmits his images over amateur radio.
Joe Fontes completed a double circumnavigation around the world about a year ago. He is now on his return to California by way of Brazil. Joe was born in the Azores, a group of islands that lies over 1,000 miles west of Portugal. He immigrated to USA with his family when he was 10. As he landed on the American shores, he earned his living as a tuna boat fisherman off the coast of San Diego, but never gave up the sea, nor his dream of one day sailing into port in the Azores - and home. Joe Fontes took off from Half Moon Bay in June of 2000 and October 25 2003, he returned to the Azores with Fiel the cat, on his 34-foot sail boat, the Imigrante. Currently, Joe coming back home to US, running south from Cape Verde to the tip of South America, then cutting over to Forteleza Brazil.
1. Image of Fedor courtesy of www.konyukhov.ru.
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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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