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Mid-sea rendezvous aborted
May 10, 2005 17: 10 EST
On Monday, Captain Phil of the “Amazon Queen” had to acknowledge that the planned rendezvous between Fedor and Fontes was not to be.
4 degrees of separation
Fedor’s weather router, Lee Bruce, has advised him to cross the equator at 31 degrees west. According to Capt. Phil, “Because Joe's destination is Forteleza Brazil, he must continue south and not cross to the west too soon or he will be fighting the winds to get back up to Forteleza which is at latitude of 3 degrees south. He thought he could make it crossing at 27 degrees west on the equator, but a longitude of 31 degrees would be too far to the west.”
The two solo circumnavigators were hoping to cross paths near the equator on May 13th or 14th. Capt. Phil has been coordinating the rendezvous effort.
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.
Image of Joe in the doldrums near the equator, courtesy of Joe Fontes and Captain Phil.
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