March 7, 2025
The night in the Indian Ocean was restless. From the west, the EMERALD DINGHAI cargo ship (MMSI 636021288) en route to Jakarta (Indonesia), was approaching, and by dawn, it passed AKROS at a distance of 10 miles.
Everything went smoothly without any incidents, but crossing courses with other vessels in the ocean is always a tense moment for Fedor. What if the ship doesn’t see the boat on the radar? There are cases in ocean rowing history, where commercial or fishing vessels have collided with rowing boats. This time there was no radio contact, but about twenty miles before passing the ship adjusted its course by 10 degrees and passed at a safe distance.
After diverging from the ship, Fedor called the expedition center. He reported that thunderstorms rumbled through the area at night, with lightning flashing across the sky. Weather reports confirm high thunderstorm activity, which is expected to peak on March 10–11. These weather systems are moving south from the coast of Africa. The region is already seeing pouring rain, and now there’s lightning as well. Fedor noted that in the open ocean, lightning discharges streak in all directions. It had been a long time since he last heard thunder. On the bright side, the rain washes salt off the solar panels.
Fedor has crossed 40 degrees east longitude. There are still 20 degrees left in a straight line to reach the midpoint of the Indian Ocean (60 degrees east longitude).
He has safely passed the Prince Edward Islands. Ahead lies the Crozet Archipelago (France), consisting of six islands.
According to Wikipedia: “The Crozet Archipelago consists of six volcanic islands. The climate is humid and windy. Annual precipitation is about 2000 mm, mainly in the form of rain. For more than 100 days a year, the average daily wind speed exceeds 100 km/h. Average monthly temperatures range from +2 °C to +11 °C.”
The islands are home to a large population of macaroni and king penguins. Besides penguins, seals inhabit the island, and petrels and albatrosses are the most common seabirds.
The Crozet Archipelago has been declared a nature reserve since 1938. The waters surrounding the islands are monitored by the French military and Greenpeace.
Fedor is observing a large number of albatrosses in the sky, a sign that land is nearby. He is in good spirits and asked about news from the mainland.
The coordinates of the AKROS boat are 44°01′ south latitude and 40°00′ east longitude.
The route map is here.