It is 3,000 nautical miles to Cape Horn

Day 41

It is 3,000 nautical miles to Cape Horn.

A conversation with Fedor Konyukhov on the Iridium satellite telephone system.

All is well with me.  The stormy weather has gone past me, into the East. I have a couple of days’ breather.  The ocean is calming, and I am no longer seeing those mountains of waves. Having gathered speed in this expanse, they rise to unbelievable heights. When I sailed on the “Alye Parusa” yacht, I could estimate wave height: the mast was 35 metres tall, and the waves rose to the first spreader, which was at 8 metres.  Now, in a rowboat, I don’t have anything to compare the wave heights with, but judging from experience and instinct, for the last two days the waves have been 7-8 metres tall.

Thank God, today I have had a relatively calm day.  I was able to do some housekeeping on the boat.  I dried out the cabin and prepared a hot lunch.  The good news is it is 3,000 nautical miles direct to Cape Horn, and I have logged a little bit more than 2,000 nautical miles from New Zealand.

The remaining distance is already close to the transatlantic crossing.  But that is only the direct distance, and I already know that here in the Southern Ocean in order to travel 1,000 miles towards your goal you have to cover the distance of 1,500 miles.

Today is the middle of Summer in the Southern Hemisphere.  There is a month and a half left in the season and I realise now that the most difficult stage – the approach to Cape Horn will have to take place in Autumn (March).

It would be good to maintain my current pace.  The boat withstands every onslaught from the ocean, as do I, for now, with God’s help.

Warm regards to all.

Fedor Konyukhov

47’16 South

152’15 West