Fedor Konyukhov is returning to Chile. After 4 days of launching Tourgoyak on a trans-pacific rowing expedition, Fedor has been forced to turn the boat back.
On December 17th, the solar charging system failed. December 18th was spent consulting with the British builders of the Tourgoyak. The boat is located 40 miles from Valparaiso. The headquarters of the expedition decided to rent a sailing yacht to go out and tow the boat back to port. Both sets of batteries must be repaired or replaced in order to even consider Fedor’s return to the ocean.
We are leaving the port on December 18th, 20:00 Chilean time. By dawn we should be able to locate Tourgoyak and start towing. The weather is cooperating with a smooth ocean and 10 knots of wind. Fedor is keeping in touch via manual satellite phone Iridium and posts the location of the boat with the help of several hand-held GPS units. In addition, the team on land monitors Tourgoyak’s position through Yellow Brick buoys. Overall, the situation is under control. The coastal maritime services of Chile have been notified.
Project Manager Oscar Konyukhov
Concon, Chile
Translated by Tatiana Koreski