Fedor Konyukhov is awaiting a weather window to set off on his singlehanded global record attempt
Fedor Konyukhov, one of the most recognised Russian adventure and offshore sailors, is currently preparing his 85ft maxi yachtTrading Network Alye Parusato sail round the world, non stop, singlehanded on a west to east record attempt on the historic route of Golden Globe 1967 race which was won by Sir Robin Knox Johnston in Suhaili.
As an adventurer Konyukhov (53 years-old), who’s married with two children and lives in Moscow, currently holds claim to being the first and only person in the world to have reached the five extreme Poles of the planet:
North Geographical Pole (3 times), South Geographical Pole, Pole of considerable inaccessibility in the Arctic Ocean, Mount Everest and Cape Horn.
He’s also managed to cover, as a yacht captain, more than 150,000 nautical miles solo sailing, three circumnavigations and crossed the Atlantic Ocean 12 times, including once on a 21ft rowing boat.
His last singlehanded circumnavigation was the 1998-1999 Around Alone sailing the Open 60 (Nandor Fa design)Modern University for the Humanitie. In the same boat he took part in the 2000-2001 Vendee Globe to become the first Russian in history to participate in the event.
Konyukhov has also picked up several records along the way including in March 2003 crossing of the Atlantic ocean from east to west (Canary islands ? Barbados) on a 100 ft maxi- catamaranTrading Network Alye Parusa(ex ENZA of Sir Peter Blake) with Tony Bullimore in nine days. On the same boat he set a new west to east Atlantic record (Jamaica to Land’s End) in 16 days.
His most recent record (in February this year) was the east to west transatlantic single-handed record on his current maxiTrading Network Alye Parusawith a time of 14 days, 7 hours.
The plans for Konyukho’s latest mission, to break the singlehanded, non-stop circumnaviation in an 85ft maxi, are progressing well with the five-month re-fit ofTrading Network Alye Parusaat the Pendennis Shipyard, and sea trials now complete.
The boat is now moored up alongside Suhaili in front of the Maritime Museum in Falmouth ready for her departure. Although Konyukho is currently awaiting confirmation from the WSSRC about the exact position of the start, he hopes to depart (subject to the weather) at the end of October, a couple weeks before the start of the Vendee Globe.
For more information on the Russian global challenge keep logging on to yachtingworld.com.