STAGE 2 – The crossover on the rowing boat AKROS from Cape Horn (Chile) to Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia
In 2024-2025, Fedor Konyukhov will attempt to row from the legendary Cape Horn to Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia. This will be the second stage of the round the world route in the Southern Ocean.
From December 2018 to May 2019, Fedor Konyukhov made the first-ever crossing of the South Pacific Ocean on the rowing boat AKROS, following the route: New Zealand (Dunedin port) – Cape Horn (Chile).
Starting on December 6, 2018, from the Dunedin port, New Zealand, Fedor Konyukhov crossed the Southern Ocean and reached the Drake Passage in 154 days, covering a log distance of 11,525 kilometers or 6,400 nautical miles. According to the map, the route was 125 degrees long.
More details about the South Pacific Ocean crossing are here.
Cape Horn is located at 67 degrees west longitude, and Cape Leeuwin is located at 115 degrees east longitude. The start will be in the Western Hemisphere, the finish – in the Eastern. The finishing port is Albany, from which in 2009 Fyodor Konyukhov set off on a solo voyage around Antarctica on the maxi-yacht “Scarlet Sails” (102 days).
This time the traveller has to cover 185 degrees in the same direction from west to east, through the South Atlantic and the South Indian Ocean, which is 60 degrees more than at the first stage. The approximate travel time is 200 days.
One of the advantages is that Fedor Konyukhov will move from 56 degrees south latitude (the closest to Antarctica) north, towards Australia, and with each degree to the north, it should become warmer.
In 2023-2024, the AKROS boat underwent modernization at the shipyard of our partners “Trident Marine” in the UAE. In July, the boat was shipped in a container to the port of Ushuaia (Argentina). The project team will be based in the port during the launch preparation period and for several weeks after the launch to ensure that all systems on board are operating normally and Fedor Konyukhov is ready to cross two oceans.