Fedor Konyukhov sailing across the Pacific Ocean. Fedor Konyukhov swam alone across the Pacific Ocean

What is our life filled with? Family, work, meetings with friends, unexpected problems, good news... While everyone is busy with ordinary affairs, somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean a small boat is thrown across the waves - a person rows in it for 24 hours a day, occasionally interrupting for an hour's sleep. This is the ordinary life of traveler Fyodor Konyukhov

On December 22, 2013, a single-seater boat departed from the pier in the city of Concon (Chile), with Fyodor Konyukhov planning to row 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km) across the Pacific Ocean. Every evening Fedor communicates via satellite phone with his son Oscar, who keeps a swimming diary on behalf of his father. “Around the World” publishes the most striking excerpts from the diary.

It’s the last day of 2013, preparations for the New Year are underway on the shore, but here everything is the same. I wanted to drink wine, but ten minutes before midnight the instruments detected a tanker heading towards me. It was necessary to postpone the celebration and begin maneuvers to “dodge” the ship, which eventually passed three miles (5.5 km) astern. But I'm glad that I meet you New Year on the way and can observe the majesty of the Pacific Ocean.

Everything is like on a solo trip around the world. Physically more difficult, but psychologically easier. Navigation on a rowing boat is simple: I look at the route map, course and speed... What worries me most is commercial and fishing vessels. They go very fast (relative to the speed of a rowing boat). Before the silhouette of the ship appears on the horizon, half an hour later he is already with the boat abeam (direction perpendicular to the course of the ship. - Note " Around the world» ).

I am waging a difficult struggle against the elements. I admit, I didn’t think it would be so hard. Continuous struggle with heavy winds and waves rushing over the side. The oars are knocked out of my hands. I'm constantly soaking wet. I haven't changed my clothes for over a week. The Humboldt Current and southwesterly winds are blowing me north. Every hour I pray to the Lord to soften the elements.

At night, three small squids were carried aboard by the waves, I cleaned them and poured boiling water over them. It turned out to be a good addition to the usual freeze-dried menu (frozen, then dried food products that preserved beneficial properties. They weigh less and are diluted with boiling water before eating. - Note " Around the world» ).

Today I caught tuna. I released the lure behind the stern and at a speed of 2.5–3 knots (4.6–5.5 km/h - Note " Around the world» ) started fishing. After a couple of hours the coil began to crackle. After some effort, I pulled out a small tuna, about 40 centimeters in length. Just what I need larger size not worth it, there is no refrigerator on board. It took more than an hour to cut, clean and cook the fish. The result is tuna fish soup and some kind of sashimi (thinly sliced ​​raw meat). So today I have a gourmet lunch with a great view of the ocean, but speed had to be sacrificed.

From the beginning of swimming, the stomach feels all the “charm” of freeze-dried foods. Every day I need to boil and eat several servings of this “special food”. I get a terrible amount of energy from such dinners. And the same terrible heartburn to boot.

Conducted a technical inspection of the boat. I coated all the deck hatches with sealant (they started leaking), and changed the wheels on the rowing seat. I put on a mask and dipped my head into the water - the bottom was covered with a layer of nasty green mucus. This is a harbinger that growing shellfish will soon appear - you will have to dive and clean them off with a special tool.

During the day I took a little rest and was able to read. I only have a couple of books on board. Today I read “Unholy Saints” by Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov). I got carried away, a useful book. So the daily transition will be less than usual.

It’s difficult to calculate how much longer I’ll be in the ocean, so I set a mode to save everything: food and gas. When I reach the halfway mark, it will be possible to make more accurate forecasts and adjust my diet. I keep hoping for fish. In the first days in bad weather I didn’t eat anything, I relied on internal reserves, but now I can’t, I want to eat 24 hours a day. Hungry all the time. I lost a lot of weight.

This emptiness around cannot be expressed in words. I haven't thought about it too much these past few days as I've been battling the weather. But when the Japanese ship Onahama Maru appeared on the radar, everything changed. For the first time, I became deeply aware of loneliness. I myself didn’t see the ship and I don’t know if I showed up on their radar. In the places where my path lies, there is not a single soul around for hundreds of miles. It feels like you are in a place where there is nothing at all...

Today I dreamed that I was walking on the ground, on a green field. This is so great. When the alarm went off, I didn't want to wake up, trying to prolong these moments. On the boat I move on my knees, crawling from the cabin to the deck and back. IN full height I practically don’t get up, and there’s nowhere to walk here.

Lately the bones in my arms have been hurting, it feels like they are being twisted. When I row, the pain is not felt so much, but when I lie down to rest, it starts to pull and twist. I can't relax and rest. Because of this, I slept only three hours a day. Almost 50 days of rocking, the bumpiness does not stop for a minute. The boat is in motion, all the muscles of the body are tense, even when I am lying in the cabin.

Solo walking expeditions

1. March - May 1990, 72 days
Russia's first solo ski trip to North Pole. Start - Cape Lokot (Sredny Island)
2. Nov. 1995 - Jan 1996, 64 days
Russia's first solo trip to the South Pole. Start - Hercules Bay

Solo voyages

1. Oct. 1990 - June 1991, 224 days
The first circumnavigation in Russia on the yacht “Karaana”. Start and finish - Sydney (Australia)

2. March 1993 - Aug. 1994, 518 days
Around the world on the two-masted ketch Formosa. Start and finish - Taiwan

3. Nov. 1998 - Apr. 1999, ~224 days
American race Around Alone 1998/99 on the yacht Open 60 “SGU”. Start and finish - Charleston (USA)

4. Nov. 2000 - Feb. 2001, ~90 days
French round-the-world sailing race Vendee Globe on the yacht Open 60 “SGU”. Start and finish - Les Sables d'Olonne (France)

5. Oct. - Dec. 2002, 46 days and 4 hours
Intersection Atlantic Ocean on the URALAZ rowing boat. Start - oh. Gomera (Canary Islands), finish - o. Barbados

6. Feb. 2004, 14 days and 7 hours
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean on the yacht “Scarlet Sails”. Start - oh. Gomera (Canary Islands), finish - o. Barbados

7. Dec. 2004 - June 2005, 190 days
Around the world on the yacht “Scarlet Sails”. Start and finish - Falmouth (England)

8. Jan. 2007 - May 2008, 102 days
Australian Antarctica Cup race. Start and finish - Albany (Western Australia)

9. Dec. 2013 - June 2014, ~200 days
Crossing the Pacific Ocean on the rowing boat "Turgoyak". In progress. Start - Concon (Chile)

Photo: Fedor Konyukhov, Oscar Konyukhov

MOOLOOLABA /Australia/, May 31. /Special correspondent ITAR-TASS Pavel Vanichkin/. A Russian traveler has reached the coast of Australia. Thus, he managed to cross the Pacific Ocean alone on a rowing boat without visiting ports or outside help. The next project of the Russian traveler will be a hot air balloon flight around the Earth...

From the coast of Chile to Australia

Konyukhov started on December 22, 2013 from the port of Concon (Chile) at 09:15 am Chilean time, covered over 17 thousand km on a boat called "Turgoyak" and finished in the town of Mooloolaba (Queensland) at 13:13 Eastern time coast of Australia. "Turgoyak" has a length of 9 meters, a width of 1.8 meters, the weight of its body made of carbon fiber is 250 kg, and its weight when fully loaded is 850 kg.

As the International Society of Ocean Rowing reported from London, Konyukhov completed the journey in 160 days. According to the society, the former best achievement crossing the Pacific Ocean on a single rowing boat in its southern half was 273 days.

This result was shown by the 52-year-old English rower Jim Shekdar, who started on June 29, 2000 from the Peruvian port of Ilo. Jim also competed and finished on March 30, 2001 on North Stradbroke Island.

Initially, Konyukhov planned to cross the Pacific Ocean in 200 days and nights. It was reported that in order to cross the ocean, a traveler had to make 4 million strokes.

Flight around the Earth

“The ground is not very hard yet,” said Konyukhov, who stepped onto the shore. ITAR-TASS. His very first steps were indeed slightly hesitant, but literally after a few moments he was already able to walk without assistance.

After the triumphant finish, answering a question about plans for the future, Konyukhov said that he planned to make a non-stop flight around the Earth in a hot air balloon. He intends to start in Australia, fly from west to east approximately along the 40th latitude and finish again in Australia. However, the traveler categorically refused to say when this might happen. “I’ve been traveling for more than 40 years,” recalled Konyukhov. “Previously, I did it mainly for scientific purposes and out of sporting interests, but now I’m thinking about the younger generation, whom I want to instill in the spirit of romance. I want people to dream more.”

Answering a question from corr. ITAR-TASS, about the difficulties during the journey, Konyukhov said: “At first it was difficult, and then even more difficult.” “The main difficulty of this kind of test is its monotony,” the traveler continued the story. “Every day I tried to row for 18 hours, slept for 20-25 minutes, but no more than two and a half hours a day.” “On the other hand, I I walked with God's help - all the biggest hurricanes passed me by, the boat never capsized, favorable currents helped me.

Happy ending

I sent a greeting to Konyukhov, which was read by the Russian Ambassador to Australia Vladimir Morozov, who took part in the meeting of the Russian traveler in the city of Mooloolaba. About five hundred people gathered to meet the famous Russian traveler on the city beach - his friends, local residents, visiting tourists, and journalists.

“I am glad to congratulate you on the successful completion of the expedition “On a rowing boat across the Pacific Ocean,” says the president’s greeting. “This unique voyage was closely followed by your colleagues, scientists and experts, members of the Russian Geographical Society, and maritime enthusiasts from many countries. Thanks “With courage and perseverance, extraordinary human and professional qualities, you withstood difficult tests and conquered the water element.”

“Today we can say with confidence that the first ever solo trip on a rowing boat from the coast of Chile to Australia was successful. And you continued the wonderful traditions of the great Russian explorers and travelers who made a great contribution to the study of the World Ocean. I wish you all the best and the fulfillment of new plans," the president said in his greeting.

63-year-old Russian priest Orthodox Church Fedor Konyukhov is the first person in the world who managed to reach the five poles of our planet: the North (three times), the South, the Pole of relative inaccessibility in the Arctic Ocean (the height pole) and Cape Horn (the yachtsman's pole). Konyukhov became the first Russian to complete the “Seven Summits of the World” program - to climb the highest peak of each continent. He managed to cross now two oceans on a rowing boat. In 2002, he single-handedly crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a URALAZ rowing boat, setting a world record of 3 thousand nautical miles in 46 days.

https://www.site/2017-06-09/kak_fedor_konyuhov_gotovitsya_k_krugosvetke_na_veselnoy_lodke_i_chto_meshaet_emu_pogruzitsya_v_maria

“I return from expeditions with debts”

How Fyodor Konyukhov is preparing for a circumnavigation of the world on a rowing boat, and what prevents him from plunging into the Mariana Trench

Famous traveler Fedor Konyukhov once again came to the Chelyabinsk region to congratulate the winners of the children's sailing regatta named in his honor. In addition, on Southern Urals The traveler's partners who sponsor his sea crossings live - businessmen Oleg Sirotin and Sergei Eremenko. And this time they are helping Konyukhov in preparing a new round-the-world expedition. The traveler plans to row a boat along Antarctica and cross one of the most stormy areas in the Cape Horn area.

“I plan to start on November 1, 2018 from Tasmania and return there after 220 days,” says Fedor Konyukhov. — Already running active preparation. There are drawings of the boat, they will start building it soon. You also need to prepare informationally. Know clearly what currents and winds will be at that moment. How to distribute strength, how much distance you need to walk per day.

According to him, preparations for crossing the Pacific Ocean were similar. Then the famous traveler and his team calculated: in order to swim across the ocean in six months, you need to walk 60 miles a day. To cover such a distance, it was necessary to make 24 thousand oar strokes per day, rowing for 15-18 hours, depending on the wind.

“That’s why all I did for almost the entire expedition was rowing. I almost didn’t catch fish because it was a waste of time and it wasn’t suitable for food. It has almost no calories. I then spent 6,000 kilocalories a day. In normal times, a person spends 1500-2000. And, of course, we need to prepare mentally. For me, this is fasting and prayer - the most difficult training,” continues Konyukhov.

Fyodor Konyukhov, flying in a hot air balloon, dropped a gas cylinder on the FSB training center

In the area of ​​Cape Horn, the traveler plans to meet with friends from Chelyabinsk. They will approach him on their yacht to provide moral support on his difficult journey.

“I don’t do this for fame, I don’t even notice it,” says Fedor Konyukhov. — I have goals, I have curiosity, to discover something new.

According to the navigator, he does not lose hope of one day diving into the Mariana Trench, but this is a complex project, so it has been “stalling” for several years. The first agreement on it was concluded back in 1997, but there is still no technology that would allow such a dive, the traveler complains.

“There are 7 billion of us on earth, and there is only one designer who can develop a diving capsule.” He lives in Australia, that's already old man and doesn't really want to take it on. We postponed the descent into the Mariana Trench to 2021, but I think that this date will have to be postponed to 2023,” said Fedor Konyukhov.

In any case, according to him, the project remains relevant, and if he still does not have to sink to the bottom of the depression himself, then someone else will definitely do it.

“I will prepare everything for this,” the traveler assured.

A children's sailing school will be opened in Miass at the Fyodor Konyukhov Center

The ocean is only three percent studied, there is always something new there, he reminds. Curiosity is the main motive of his campaigns. But many projects actually take years to prepare. If Konyukhov swam the Sea of ​​Azov at the age of 15, then he swam the Atlantic only at 50. All this time, preparations were underway, the lone sailor was gaining experience and waiting for technologies to appear that would allow the boat to cover such distances with oars.

At the same time, almost all of his expeditions are commercially unprofitable, which Fyodor Konyukhov says directly: he does not know what commerce is.

— I had more than 50 expeditions. And I already have a tradition of returning from an expedition with debts,” he shares. —Ask me, what do I live on? I am retired, and I also teach at a university. And then, I'm an artist. My paintings are in demand. It happens that I haven’t finished painting yet, but they already want to buy it. I am planning large exhibitions at the Tretyakov Gallery and in Dubai. I'm also a writer. When joining the Writers' Union, Viktor Astafiev gave me a recommendation.

But books don't bring much. And pensioner Konyukhov’s pension is only 6,300 rubles. When he was filling it out, he was asked to collect all the medals and certificates. But the famous traveler did not do any of this. Konyukhov shouldn’t, he says, beg for anything, that’s why they appointed the bare minimum.

- I have enough. The main thing is that I ride the metro for free,” jokes the traveler.

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Almost every week we bring you unusual stories about how people run away from normal life, try to outshine their existential melancholy, and learn in unusual ways. the world around us. But this story, perhaps, surpasses all previous materials in terms of madness.

It is better to simply write the source data separated by commas. Alexey Neugodov studied at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, dropped out of university, left home, took trains to Vladivostok, while earning money for food, got hold of a small single-seat dinghy (this is a kind of sailing boat with a retractable keel) and is planning to move across the ocean to America to get into a scientific environment of MIT and Harvard and study theoretical physics there.

We talked to Alexey about his crazy plans, journey and motivations.

The story of escape to America

ESTIMATED TRAVEL TIME

EQUIPMENT COST

150 thousand rubles

Describe in general outline plan your future trip.

Sail along the coast of the Primorsky Territory to Sakhalin and at the same time learn to operate a ship. A little bit of excitement - immediately return to the shore. The boat can be pulled out because its keel is a centerboard. It is retractable, it is not heavy, and it can be completely dragged ashore. If I am suddenly caught by a storm, then I will have to go further out to sea - during a storm it is dangerous to approach the shore.

I hesitated for a long time whether to go north or straight across the ocean. Now I simply do not have the opportunity to go across the ocean, because I do not have enough supplies. Therefore, I will walk along the shore, study, ask for advice, maybe shoot some more equipment, maybe someone will take me in tow. After all, Primorye is not a completely lifeless area. There are villages on the coast. I will go to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk or Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky if there is a need to replenish supplies.

I read that you initially had a plan to travel to the USA along the fortieth latitude across the ocean.

When I sat in Moscow and thought about how to implement all this, I realized that the legal path would be too difficult. Then I started going through all the semi-legal ones. I chose Vladivostok. I aimed at it, because on the one hand, Chukotka, on the other, you can pick up a boat here. You can arrange to get someone on board. But in the end I decided that it would be better if there was a small boat, but under my personal control. I had no idea where I would live here or what I would do.

What did you do in Moscow?

I'm from the Moscow region. Studied at Bauman Moscow State Technical University. But at some point he abruptly left his parents and the institute. He lived on the roofs, was homeless, one might say, and at the same time earned a little money from tutoring so that he had time to attend MIPT, Moscow State University, and the Independent Moscow University. It was difficult for me to earn big money in Moscow in the summer; after college, I worked a lot - in electronics, as an engineer, and in construction. And in the summer without students, money was pretty bad.

In the USA you are also going to scientific knowledge get?

Getting a diploma is not important to me. It is important for me to get into the scientific environment. Moscow also has this environment, but it is quite provincial. And when someone has the opportunity to go to Europe or the USA, he leaves. There you can get acquainted with professors, free attendance of some classes is practiced, it is important to be interested, there is no bureaucracy here. The main thing I need is to get into this environment, to student campuses, communicate with people, watch stands, go to open lectures. Here I also learn English, pay the tutor 1,500 rubles, but by giving the same money to prepare the boat and my crazy plan, I do much more for my education.

Why didn’t you decide to move across the Atlantic Ocean?

First of all, the idea itself might help me because my plan seems so crazy. Secondly, there are much fewer border guards in Vladivostok compared to St. Petersburg. And it’s easier to make money here. My time is limited - if I had an endless life, there would be many options. But I need to both earn money and leave quickly. Here I will walk along Primorye. No one here expects any kind of escape.

Okay, how did you get to Vladivostok?

I decided to save on my air ticket. And he went absolutely wild. I found a suitcase under my house, took a sleeping bag, a guitar and a computer. And I went without any money. I learned one song at the Kursk station and went. This is completely unusual for me to play in public, and at first my knees were shaking, but they gave me money. I got to Vladimir, slept on the banks of the Klyazma, met with criminals in the forest. Let's move on.

In the Moscow region you can ride like a hare, but the further you go, the stronger the control. I earned money by playing the guitar on the previous train and paid for the ticket on the next one. This is how I drove through Yekaterinburg and Tyumen. He slept on the roofs of banks, in forests and fields. I chose relatively respectable buildings because it is much safer. You can’t spend the night at the station, because the homeless would quickly rob me. Although along the way I was once almost robbed by police in Siberia.

There is generally the most crime-prone situation there; I didn’t even think that there were places in Russia where poverty was so widespread. Here, in Vladivostok, and even more so in Moscow, this is difficult to imagine. But there are villages near Irkutsk where people live on water and potatoes for six months, and they don’t have the money to even leave there. They don't do any farming or anything at all. Only drugs and alcohol. These are villages of horror, the population is corrupted, lives on benefits and is completely drunk. This is the place I ended up in.


As always, I walked along the carriage with a guitar and met policemen. This, in general, was an operation familiar to me; they checked it on almost every train. Because if you drive in such remote places, everyone knows each other, but a stranger stands out and is immediately checked. And so they started checking me too; there was no one on the train except me and some old woman. They said that I simply wouldn't get to the next station unless I paid them. They did not go into any details. They offered to pay me five thousand in exchange for all my property. I managed to go to the toilet, and then I just jumped off the train at the stop. I had a ticket to another station, so they didn’t expect me to jump out into some bushes without a platform. Local police picked me up and interrogated me for two hours, but eventually released me with my property. Then I walked 25 kilometers from this village to the highway, because I could no longer get on the train. I chopped wood from nine in the morning until nine in the evening for 100 rubles, which I spent on food. There wasn't even enough money for a bus.

In Russia, in general, everything is very unpredictable. Electric trains are sometimes canceled in entire regions without warning. That is, I was sitting in Moscow, planning a trip, and it’s right that I didn’t delve too deeply into the theory - where and where I would leave, at what time. It’s impossible to think through everything thoroughly; everything is canceled in two days. In Khakassia last year, electric trains were completely canceled in the entire region - there was no service at all. I made my final journey in a Porsche on the roof of a car carrier. Many people drive cars to Vladivostok. That is, the truck driver was driving the car, and I was sleeping in it.

As a result, I got to Vladik in 25 days and saved on air tickets. On the other hand, the path itself provides me with new opportunities. The way I got to Vladik provided me with a completely different attitude from the locals.

And what did you do after your arrival?

First I started making money. I arrived hungry and weak. While I was traveling, I ate mostly dry buckwheat, cut my hand with a guitar, and was exhausted. In the first days I just needed to raise 500 rubles on my phone. I tried to make money on it with all my might. Streeted and collected aluminum cans. I collected them for two days, collected two bags, received 100 rubles, but while collecting them, I found three phones. And I made 150 thousand on it (I still do all my work by phone, not even on a laptop), because I called my students on the phone - everything is the old fashioned way. There, in Vladik, I met a man who helped me and provided the premises in which I lived and conducted classes. But now, as unnecessary, I moved to the garage and live only in it. And in general, now I have stopped earning money. I need to meet with the people who make my boat cover, be in the garage all the time, preparing the boat.

What kind of boat do you have?

On the Internet it was sold for 130 thousand. But they sold it to me for 100 thousand, because I bought it on January 30, out of season. At the same time, the owner of the boat agreed to keep it in his garage. It is made of composite and is quite durable despite its appearance. Assembled according to an American design by Dudley Dix at the Vladivostok shipyard. I also bought a cover for it for 25 thousand, which is reinforced with transverse ropes. It will be possible to climb under this cover. It reduces mechanical stress on the boat.

On December 22, 2013, a single-seater rowing boat set out from the Chilean port of Concon into the open ocean. The final point of the route was the Australian city of Mooloolaba. There was only one crew member on board the boat - Fedor Konyukhov.

On December 12, 2012, his birthday - he is now 62 - the traveler announced his intention to cross the Pacific Ocean by rowboat without entering ports and without escort. This happened in England, where Konyukhov flew to approve the final version of the boat under the working name “K9”. According to Konyukhov’s decision, this boat retained the classic design and shape of his previous boat, the URALAZ, on which he crossed the Atlantic in 46 days in 2002.

The boat was made of carbon fiber. The hull is 9 meters long and 1.6 meters wide, divided into 5 waterproof bulkheads. It is significant that all the builders of the K9, and professional sailors themselves, have experience in single sea crossings with oars. In particular, the chief construction manager, Englishman Charlie Pitcher, crossed the Atlantic Ocean twice alone in a rowing boat. Among the creators are rowers who rowed across the Indian Ocean.

However, it is incorrect to compare the Pacific Ocean with others. “The Atlantic is a route of 3 thousand miles, which can be covered in one season,” explains Konyukhov. “The Pacific Ocean on the section Chile - the east coast of Australia has a route length of 9 thousand nautical miles. It’s clear that I won’t be able to do it in one season.” I plan to start in the summer (December in the Southern Hemisphere), and finish in the late autumn, I cannot avoid storms on the way to Australia. The boat must withstand enormous loads, and I will need the most modern technologies, the latest developments in the field of ocean rowing projects. project of active ocean rowers."

Later, instead of the faceless "K9", the boat was named "Turgoyak".

Turgoyak is a large freshwater lake in the Chelyabinsk region near the city of Miass. Very picturesque. In addition to its beauty, it is famous for the fact that in the summer it hosts all-Russian regattas for the Konyukhov Cup. There is also a traveler's house-museum here. As the regatta organizers remind, it is on this lake that he recovers from difficult expeditions and draws inspiration for his new projects.

But the most meticulous admirers of the traveler’s exploits who try to figure out the etymology of the name of the boat, I’m afraid, will have to abandon the idea. Mission impossible. The fact is that the origin of the term Turgoyak is not entirely obvious even to local historians. Presumably, the word is from the Bashkir language, but there is no convincing interpretation of the toponym. There are many translation options, one more ridiculous than the other: from “Stop the leg” to “Big chicken”. There is also a romantic version: the lake got its name from an ancient legend about the love of the young man Tur and the girl Goyak.

Whatever it was, “Turgoyak” has already gone down in the history of the most incredible journeys. “The first solo trip in history on a rowing boat from the coast of Chile to Australia was successful,” President Putin stated in a congratulatory telegram to Konyukhov. “You continued the wonderful traditions of the great Russian explorers and travelers who made a great contribution to the study of the World Ocean.”

Conquering the elements, as always, was difficult. The route across the Pacific Ocean ran in the corridor of 30-35 degrees South latitude, and in these latitudes Fedor had to go around the islands of Robinson Crusoe, Easter, Pitcairn and others. Having covered the first half of the journey (4000 miles), the boat entered the area of ​​atolls, many of which are still not marked on the map. There is little shipping in this part of the ocean and in case emergency situation You can wait a week or more for help, unlike the Atlantic Ocean, where, according to statistics, help for yachtsmen comes within 24 hours. “The main difficulty of this kind of test is its monotony,” admitted Konyukhov. “Every day I tried to row for 18 hours, slept for 20-25 minutes, but no more than 2.5 hours a day. I was not washed up on islands or reefs, I avoided collisions with ships, did not receive any injuries, and, of course, my approach to the shores of Australia in perfect weather and safe disembarkation was all thanks to prayers."

The motive for record swimming is not so much science and sporting interest. In any case, this is what Konyukhov himself claims. Record - for the sake of younger generation, to whom he wants to instill a spirit of romance.

“I travel to make people dream more,” says the traveler. Adding that his next goal is to fly around the Earth in a hot air balloon.

Konyukhov crossed the Pacific Ocean on a single rowing boat in 160 days with a plan of 200 days. The previous best achievement was 273 days. This result was shown by 52-year-old Englishman Jim Shekdar.

Dossier "RG"

Fedor Konyukhov was born in 1951 in Ukraine, on the shores of the Azov Sea, in the village of Chkalovo. By profession, he is a navigator (Odessa Naval School and Leningrad Arctic School), artist and sculptor (Bobruisk Art School), honorary academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, author of 3 thousand paintings. Member of the Writers' Union of the Russian Federation, author of 12 books.

Completed 4 circumnavigation of the world. The first person in the world to reach 5 poles: the Northern Geographical pole (three times), the Southern Geographical pole, the Pole of relative inaccessibility in the Arctic Ocean, Everest (the height pole) and the Cape Horn yachtsmen's pole. The first Russian citizen to climb the "7 Summits of the World".

In 2010 he was ordained as a deacon and received the priesthood at St. Nicholas Church in Zaporozhye.

He has a large family: a wife, two sons and a daughter, four grandchildren and two granddaughters.