In the two months since the start, the Russian traveler has covered 5.4 km of the estimated 10.2 thousand km. On land, a similar distance separates, for example, Moscow and Lake Baikal.
« During this time, the Russian paddler set several intermediate records: the longest stay in the SouthernOcean on a rowboat - 62 days (the previous achievement was held by the Frenchman Joseph Le Guin - 59 days); the greatest distance covered; and also Fyodor Konyukhov is 67 years old in the ocean, and he is the oldest ocean rower as of today», - counted Konyukhov's team .
Despite the fact that the shell of the boat «AKROS» is only 12 mm thick, so far its armored «sandwich» with kevlar and carbon perfectly withstands the blows of the elements. Konyukhov constantly gets caught in storms, but fortunately, the first half of the voyage passed without any serious accidents.
« Thanks to designer Philip Morrison and the shipbuilders for building such a solid boat. I am separated from the ocean by 12 millimeters of hull plating and I can hear the roar of water overboard. And when you look at the map you realize that there's no one to help you here, you may only rely on God, on the boat and on your own forces»," Konyukhov wrote in his blog on February 1.
Another storm, which started back in January, ended just a few days ago, on February 3. To read the description of the conditions of the nine-meter boat these days is eerie, even if you sit in a warm house.
« The ocean is all pitted. Here the waves are not in a straight line, there are slides: one mountain on the right, another one on the left. The boat goes down a valley then climbs to the top, and you can look five or six miles ahead. Then I fall into the hole again, and you can't even see the sun»," said the traveler.
According to him, when «AKROS» finds itself on the crest of a wave, it seems as if you are standing on the captain's bridge of a large ship.
However, the boat is designed to recover on a straight keel in case of a rollover. At least during the tests the unloaded boat managed to do that.
«But it would be better for me to avoid capsizing in these latitudes»," Konyukhov observes.
The most to be feared in case of such an emergency is the antennas. Though, it is not important that travelers will not be able to dry soaked and saturated things until they return to land.
Konyukhov confesses he is as any man «terrified in such boundless space and so far from the civilization», but it is his way of life and he got used to everything.
At sea he somehow finds ways to make a little holiday. For example, he has a gastronomic feast. Konyukhov said that during the current trip he caught ten squids. And on January 29 the nature itself decided to cheer up the traveler: for the first time in 50 days a flock of dolphins came to the boat.
