Week five

27 January 2014

It’s been five weeks since I left Concon. I’m still living by Chilean time but eventually I’ll need to switch to Greenwich time. I’m starting to count the days until I arrive in the waters of French Polynesia. It’s my main focus to get to and pass through the islands, or rather, away from the islands. I don’t want to get ahead of myself in predicting my passage between the Tuamotus and the Marquesas Islands. Everything depends on the ocean and weather. These two elements can change everything for me in an instant.  

At the moment the wind and the current are in my favor, although periodically, the wind gets me from the north and makes it difficult to hold course, which is 270° westward. The northern wind is temporary, and according to the weather reports it should change from the east soon. The waves have been large and I can only get a glimpse of the horizon when Tourgoyak is lifted by one them. There is a mere 30 centimeters between the surface of the ocean and my working area. I’m seeing some flying fish which means I’m entering the warm subtropical waters of the Pacific. They are constantly flying through the air a few feet above the surface, with their pectoral fins spread out like wings. Watching them fly is mesmerizing and surreal. They perhaps think the same about me and my carbon made wings which I am constantly dipping in and out of the water to propel the boat.

Today I decided to take a break from rowing and other work on board to do some reading. I only brought few books with me, and one of them, by the Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov) was particularly interesting and instructive. It felt right to indulge for a short period of time in a simple activity like reading without worrying too much about the mileage and what lies ahead. All that I have right now is my boat, the oars, the general course, and the Ocean which is absolutely in charge of it all. I know for a fact that time spent on the ocean changes a person dramatically. I wonder how it’s going to change me after spending month after month in ocean rowing solitude.

The map of the Tourgoyak’s course: http://yb.tl/konyukhov2

The detailed map of the course: www.oceanrowing.com/Konyukhov/Pacific2013/dist_map.htm

Translated by Tatiana Koreski

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