Day 110
A message from Fedor Konyukhov:
“Thank God, I am alive and well, it is my 110th day in the ocean. Every single day in the Southern Ocean should count for about three days, I feel like I’ve been here for a year. The ocean is still stormy, this is its usual state, no winds of 60 knots presently, but it’s been blowing at 40 knots for the last 24 hours. It’s night time here now (9 am Moscow time), the wind is beginning to subside, and calm is expected to last for 6-8 hours before a new cyclone will arrive with the average wind speed of 40 knots and gusts of 50.
My Raymarine wind indicator got damaged in the storm by a wave or hail. I replaced it with a spare one, but have no more spares left. It will be very bad, if this one breaks as well. For me, the wind indicator is an important device, it shows the direction and speed of the wind. Sitting in the cabin, I see on the dashboard everything that happens with the wind and I can control the boat accordingly. I keep the boat 150 degrees to the wind, yachties call it “broad reach”.
The current course is to the following waypoint: Diego Ramirez Island. This is the forerunner of Cape Horn. I cannot come close to the coast of South America, at any moment the wind can turn southerly and throw my boat on the cliffs of Tierra del Fuego. I must go further south, try to go to Diego Ramirez, and from that position attempt to enter the Drake Strait.
It is less than 2,900 km to the entrance to the strait. I rowed 8,715 kilometres in just under 110 days. It translates to 79 km or 43 nautical miles per day on average.
If you compare my previous ocean crossings on rowboats, – this expedition in the Southern Ocean is the slowest.
In 2002 I rowed across the Atlantic. The distance covered was 2,900 nautical miles in 46 days = 63 nautical miles per day.
In 2014 I crossed the Pacific Ocean. The distance covered was 9,380 nautical miles in 160 days = 58 miles per day. Route map.
In 2019 (according to data for 110 days) = 43 miles average daily distance rowed.
The Southern Ocean didn’t live up to my expectations, I was counting on westerly winds that would blow for weeks in one direction from west to east, and this expectation was in line with my observations during my previous sailing trips. Perhaps, this year’s weather is abnormal and instead of stable westerly winds, I regularly encounter headwinds. At least in some aspects, the Southern Ocean did live up to its reputation – the winds are certainly very strong here and the waves are gigantic and very cold.
Regards to all.”
51’38 south
103’18 west.