February 2nd, 2025

Right now, all our attention is focused on the weather, the events unfolding in the South Atlantic and the coordinates of the rowboat AKROS. Since late January, Fedor Konyukhov has been in a zone of endless storms of varying intensity.

On the night of February 3 to 4, he will have to endure the most powerful storm since the beginning of his journey (which started on December 5). According to the forecast, winds will reach 45-50 knots, with waves of 8 – 10 meters.

Today, on top of the already tense ocean conditions, another challenge emerged. For several days now, a bulk carrier, YU HONG (MMSI 372854000) flying the Panamanian flag, has been catching up with the AKROS boat from the west, heading for Malaysia.

At the worst possible time – right at sunset – it will pass dangerously close to the boat. On February 1, the Expedition Center had already sent a notification to the shipping company in China, requesting the crew to be informed. This phenomenon always surprises us: the vastness of the ocean, yet somehow a ship appears on course to cross the exact coordinates of our small boat—not above, not below, but precisely at the point where the AKROS boat is.

Fedor spent the entire second half of the day maneuvering to avoid a close encounter with the ship. About 10 miles away, he started hailing it on radio-channel 16. At the same time, he called the Expedition Center in Moscow via satellite phone, putting the call on speaker so we could hear the exchange with the ship’s watch officer. (It does seem strange when a vessel follows a steady course toward you for days without changing its heading, only to end up exactly at your coordinates).

The watchman confirmed that he could hear Fedor, asked what was his the final destination. Upon hearing “Australia,” he fell silent for about 30 seconds, then wished Fedor luck.

The container ship passed just 1.5 miles (!) off the starboard side. This, of course, frustrated Fedor – he cursed the ship’s captain. In a stormy ocean, why come so close when altering course by just a couple of degrees could have resulted in a much safer 5-mile gap? Fedor had to go out on deck to keep visual contact with the vessel, despite the heavy seas – a risky and unnecessary manoeuvre in such conditions.

Coordinates of AKROS:

45°32′ south latitude, 08°20′ east longitude (12:00 UTC).

Today, the team also sent an official notification to the South African Maritime Safety Authority, informing them that a solo ocean rowing boat is currently in their jurisdiction in the South Atlantic. We provided details about the project, the rower, and his destination (Western Australia). This is a standard procedure.

The route map is here.