Day 41

01 February 2014

“As it turned out, the weather report didn’t reflect that the wind could be much stronger. The expected 20 knot  wind by morning turned into squalls of 35 knots. The ocean is white, the waves are five meters high, the deck is completely drenched with each slamming of a wave. I’ve got a waterproof camera here, a friend’s gift. It’s impossible to capture the intensity of the weather conditions; nevertheless, there will be some fantastic photos from today. Needless to say, sleeping is very problematic here while the boat is pitching and rolling. I turned on an audio book trying to fall asleep under the monotony of a reader’s voice. The morning did not bring any relief. It’s been confirmed that this weather will continue its course and even get worse during the week-end. I have a couple of stressful days ahead. What makes me happy and confident is how well the  boat is facing this storm. The 9 meter hull size of Tourgoyak is the perfect length for ocean rowing. The boat sits well and feels sturdy. Despite the high waves and strong wind Tourgoyak keeps its course and doesn’t waver. Easter Island is 900 miles south. There are 1,800 nautical miles until the Marquesas Islands. I can’t help but be fixated on the numbers and miles and constantly find myself checking the map and chart plotter. I can’t allow Tourgoyak to jibe or wonder off course. If I were on a sailboat then 20 miles south or 10 miles north wouldn’t be big of a deal; with sails getting back on course is fairly easy. However, when rowing an ocean boat, every mile off course means an extra mile of working on the oars. 

Waiting for to the week-end to be over already. I’m with you. Fedor.”

The map of the Tourgoyak’s course: http://yb.tl/konyukhov2

The detailed map of the course: www.oceanrowing.com/Konyukhov/Pacific2013/dist_map.htm

Translated by Tatiana Koreski

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