Today marks exactly 100 days since Fedor Konyukhov embarked on his unique solo voyage across the Southern Ocean in the rowing boat AKROS
Today marks exactly 100 days since Fedor Konyukhov embarked on his unique solo voyage across the Southern Ocean in the rowing boat AKROS, traveling from South America to Australia. No one has ever completed this route before.
To reach the shores of Western Australia, Fedor Konyukhov will have to cross the South Atlantic and the Southern Indian Ocean. Without stopping at ports, without support, two oceans in one season, covering 180 degrees of longitude (half of the globe). Approximately 200 days on the route.
Departing from the Drake Passage (South America) on December 5, 2024, Fedor Konyukhov reached the longitude of Cape Agulhas (South Africa) in 68 days, setting a world record as the first person to row across the South Atlantic.
He also celebrated his 73rd birthday in the South Atlantic on December 12.
On February 6, at the border between the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans, a historic meeting of the scientific research vessel Akademik Fedorov and the AKROS boat took place. More details: https://konyukhov.ru/vstrecha-dvuh-legend/
From the very beginning, Fedor Konyukhov had no plans to stop at the port of South Africa. Rowing to the shores of South Africa is nearly impossible due to stormy weather, powerful ocean currents, and heavy marine traffic (hundreds of ships round the Cape of Good Hope daily). The route is set directly to the shores of Western Australia.
100 days – we can sum up the interim results.
The South Atlantic turned out to be more hospitable than the Indian Ocean. If we compare the speed of movement of the AKROS boat along the course, in the Atlantic it was nearly twice as high as in the Indian Ocean.
There is a number of factors for this: the weather in the Atlantic has been relatively good, without destructive storms, for a month and a half. The boat was freshly painted, and now, according to Fedor, the boat is heavily covered with marine growth, especially on the stern, where it can’t be reached with brushes, which also slows down the boat. In the Southern Indian Ocean, in February there were two storms exceeding Force 10, leading to multiple capsizes and damage to communication and navigation systems. There is also a lot of headwind in the Indian Ocean. Over a week has been lost, as the boat was pushed backward by the wind instead of advancing eastward.
Statistics: On February 11, the AKROS crossed the longitude of Cape Agulhas (South Africa) – 20 degrees east longitude, and today, on March 15, the boat is at 46 degrees east. Only 26 degrees of eastward progress in 33 days…
In the South Atlantic, daily progress consistently exceeded 1 degree of longitude. In the South Indian Ocean, it has been consistently less than 1 degree per day.
Fedor Konyukhov’s rowing achievements so far:
– 2002: Rowed across the Atlantic Ocean westward from La Gomera (Canary Islands) to Barbados. Boat URALAZ, 46 days.
– 2014: Rowed across the Pacific Ocean westward from Chile (South America) to Mooloolaba (Australia, north of Brisbane). Boat TURGOYAK, 160 days.
– 2019: Rowed across the Pacific Ocean eastward from Dunedin (New Zealand) to Cape Horn. Boat AKROS – 154 days.
– 2025: Rowed across the Atlantic Ocean eastward from the Drake Passage to the longitude of Cape Agulhas (South Africa). Boat AKROS, 68 days (ongoing journey).
Total: 46 + 160 + 154 + 100 = 460 days in the oceans on rowing boats URALAZ, TURGOYAK and AKROS.
The estimated finish point in Western Australia is 3,270 miles away (6,100 km).
March 15, 2025. The coordinates of the boat are 43’08 south latitude and 46’05 east longitude