Day 37
Message from Fedor Konyukhov via Iridium Go:
“It’s the morning of January 11th, the sky is covered with solid clouds, without any gaps. The night passed calmly, although at sunset a sudden squall hit, creating chaos on the water, tossing the boat from side to side. Later the wind settled and shifted to the northwest, blowing at comfortable 20-25 knots.
I plan with God’s help, to cross the 20th degree west longitude today, which means that half of the South Atlantic will be behind me, and I’ll enter the eastern sector of the Atlantic Ocean.
I guess I am the first human who is crossing Southern Atlantic Ocean on row boat.
In 2002 I crossed the Atlantic from east to west in the Trade Winds (from the Canary Islands to the island of Barbados) – that was a lovely song. Out of 46 days, only 3 days of unfavorable weather, the rest were nearly a month and a half of downwind and following seas. The boat was flying.
Here, in the “roaring forties” latitudes, the South Atlantic is a different story. The ocean is harsh and unforgiving, keeping you on edge all the time. Instead of steady Trade Winds you have here cyclonic whirlpools every week with winds 40 knots.
Since almost the start of the journey, I’ve been using a pilot helmet. The boat gets thrown by the waves so sharply and suddenly, that it’s easy to hit and injure my head. I tried using a plastic kayak helmet, but it’s bulky and stiff. The pilot helmet is comfortable – it keeps my head warm and protects against impacts. I used the similar helmet in 2019 on the passage from New Zealand to Cape Horn leg.
A couple of days ago, the weather allowed me to set Starlink Mini satellite phone antenna. I’m sending you a couple of photos and videos. It was the first time during several weeks the sun came out during the day, and good weather lasted until sunset. The batteries are fully charged and I can play with power consuming devices.
My position: 47°35′ south latitude and 20°48′ west longitude.”
The route map is here.