Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov has ended his attempt to circumnavigate the Southern Hemisphere. The 73-year-old priest had to abandon his 27,000km rowing journey after several technical failures on his boat, AKROS.
Konyukhov was attempting a three-stage route around the southern hemisphere of our planet. Starting in 2019, he rowed 11,525km alone from New Zealand to Argentina, thereby becoming the first-known person to make a solo crossing of the Southern Pacific Ocean.
Photo: Fedor Konyukhov
The second stage started on Dec. 5, 2024. His plan was to row from southern Chile to the South Atlantic and then to continue across the South Indian Ocean to Australia. From here, the third and final stage would have taken him back to New Zealand.
Unfortunately, despite a relatively successful start to the second stage, several systems on Konyukhov’s boat failed at the end of March, which made continuing unsafe.
The route until rescue. Image: Fedor Konyukhov
Storm derails a promising start
Konyukhov had already navigated through the tricky waters around the Falkland Islands, Burdwood Bank, and South Georgia Island. In so doing, he traversed the South Atlantic — a first in solo ocean rowing. From here, he continued into the South Indian Ocean toward Australia’s Cape Leeuwin. Then, at the start of February, a Force 10 storm battered his small boat, damaging his navigation and communication systems.
The experienced rower pushed forward, but further disaster struck on March 26. The primary desalination pump failed, leaving Konyukhov with only a manual pump that couldn’t meet his daily water needs. A day later, his autopilot broke. This made navigation difficult and meant that in future storms, he might end up sideways to the waves.
His team believes that three months of “relentless wet and cold conditions” led to all these equipment failures.
Photo: Fedor Konyukhov
With a favorable forecast and the bulk carrier Ore Hong Kong within two days of his position, Konyukhov decided on March 29 to end his expedition. The freighter reached him on March 30 at sunset. Using a lifeline gun, the crew threw a tow line onto the little boat. They then drew AKROS close enough so that the Russian explorer could clamber up a 22-meter ladder and board the vessel despite ocean swells.
This is the first time in his long career that Konyukhov has abandoned his vessel, and the seasoned explorer was tearful as they left his little craft adrift and steamed away. However, its tracking devices are still working, so Konyukhov is hopeful that it will be possible to retrieve AKROS near Australia later this year.
Photo: Fedor Konyukhov
Now safely aboard Ore Hong Kong, Konyukhov is en route to Qingdao, China, where he expects to arrive around April 20–21. He has not said whether he plans to pick up the challenge again in the future.
