After the storm
Message from Fedor Konyukhov:
“Today is the Feast of Epiphany, I congratulate all Orthodox Christians on this holiday.
I am doing well. I survived the storm without major consequences. A couple of times, the boat was hit hard by waves and tilted on its side, but it held steady and recovered.
On the evening of January 17, the wind picked up to gusts of 40 knots and roared throughout the night. I was lying in the stern compartment, unable to stand up. My weight is important for balancing the boat. I was not worried that the wind and waves could damage the boat, it is strong, the biggest danger is to capsize on a big wave. In 2019, I capsized three times in this boat in the South Pacific, all three times on the final leg approaching Cape Horn.
The storm kept me on edge for 24 hours. By the evening of January 18, the wind began to subside, but the waves had grown to 5-6 meters with whitecaps of foam. Water mountains moved across the surface of the ocean at high speed. Like a train. The boat would be lifted, pushed forward, and then crashed down with a loud noise – over and over, thousands of times. This was the first serious test for the boat after its comprehensive repair and modifications in UAE at Trident Marine shipyard.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who prayed and worried for me. It means a lot to me, I can feel your prayers and thoughts.
Yesterday, in the storm, I received a message from friends in the city of Nakhodka (Primorsky Region), they said that yachtsman Viktor Bukhalsky had passed away. I was lying in the stern compartment listening to the raging ocean and remembering our adventures together. Viktor was my mentor, with him, I started sailing in 1976 in the Sea of Japan (Far East), and with him I survived the first typhoon on a yacht in the open sea.
Viktor participated in all the significant events of sailing in Primorsky Region. He organized international regattas and long-distance voyages to Japan, the USA and Australia. In October 1994, he welcomed me at the Antares Yacht Club in Nakhodka after my second round-the-world trip on the Formosa yacht. And yesterday, Victor embarked on his eternal journey. We will remember him fondly as a romantic and a true sailor.
Today, I will get the boat shipshape and try to row, though it is difficult. The ocean is still rough and unsettled after the storm. It takes time for the ocean to calm down, but I’m eager to move forward. There are just over 10 degrees left to the Greenwich Meridian and my transition into the Eastern Hemisphere.
Coordinates: 45°55′ south latitude and 11°22′ west longitude.”
The route map is here.