Since our last ocean roundup, another event has started in the Atlantic Ocean, soloists are just days away from land, and a legendary 73-year-old adventurer is taking on the South Atlantic Ocean.
South Atlantic Ocean
Fedor Konyukhov (RU): The 73-year-old priest and prolific adventurer Fedor Konyukhov is completing a circumnavigation of the southern hemisphere. The epic challenge comprises three stages and covers a staggering 27,000km of rowing. On May 9, 2019, he completed the first stage after 154 days at sea, rowing 11,525km from New Zealand to Argentina. In doing so, he did the first-known successful solo crossing of the Southern Pacific Ocean.
He had intended to begin the second stage in 2020, but the pandemic delayed him, as it did everyone else. Konyukhov finally started stage two on December 5, 2024, when he set out from Chile into the Drake Passage. He is heading across the South Atlantic and South Indian Oceans to Australia.
By the end of 2024, he had successfully maneuvered around the most difficult points on his route through the South Atlantic: Isla de los Estados, the Falkland Islands, Burdwood Bank, and South Georgia Island.
“Loneliness in the ocean is felt more on days like these when you reflect on the past year and mentally go over your whole life,” he wrote. “When I was young, I never thought I would be greeting 2025 in the South Atlantic aboard a rowing boat.”
Rowing through these notorious waters, the veteran has had to tackle every possible weather scenario. Winds raged from every direction, including strong headwinds and cyclones, which battered his boat to a worrying degree. His wind vane, active radar reflector, and one of his satellite phones all sustained damage.
At the start of February, a Force 10 storm hit Konyukhov, further damaging his navigation and communication systems. Noting a research vessel nearby, his land team asked the ship to pass near the little rowing boat to check on Konyukhov. On February 6, they found him waving cheerily at them and in excellent spirits.
On the final leg of his circumnavigation, he will row from Australia back to New Zealand.
North Atlantic Ocean
Mission Atlantic: This Atlantic event features two crews battling from Spain to Barbados. The organizers stress that this is not a race. Only open to active or retired military personnel, the two crews this year include one pair and one foursome.
British duo Chris Thrall and Louie Greenhalgh make up Oceans Elite. Meanwhile, Baudouin De La Rochefoucauld (Belgium), Juan Dumont De Chassart (Belgium), Jean-Pierre Boross De Levay (Costa Rica/Canada), and Joachim Megret De Serilly D’Etigny (Brazil/France) call themselves the Rowing Stones.
‘Oceans Elite’ crosses the finish line. Photo: Mission Atlantic
Both crews finished the 4,800km route after approximately seven weeks on the water. Although, yes, it was not a race, Oceans Elite beat the four-man crew to the finish line by a few days, landing on January 27. The Rowing Stones came in on January 31.
During their final few days, both crews experienced strong winds across the Sargasso Sea. Oceans Elite suffered a capsize, and the Rowing Stones had to deal with both knee and wrist injuries. The biggest worry for both was that strong winds would push them off-course as they neared Barbados.
Atlantic Dash: This month’s second Atlantic event bills itself as an “ocean-rowing regatta.” Crews start from the Canary Islands and row 5,000km to Antigua. Like Mission Atlantic, it is a relatively small event.
This year, four crews are competing. Gary Hutching is rowing solo, Row For It is a team of four consisting of Neil Glover, Peter Ross, Darren Smith, and Nick Southwood. The all-female Cruising Free includes Sophie Pierce, Janine Williams, Polly Zipperlen, and Miyah Periam. Finally, Ruby Coates and Steffan Evans make up the pair Waves to Awareness.
The event began on February 1. Cruising Free took an early lead, but just 40km separate the multi-person crews. As with any ocean row, everyone dealt with serious seasickness and adapting to the new routine over the first week.
Pierce, from Cruising Free, summed up the first few days: “The rowing is easy!!! Going to the toilet is a nightmare, moving around the boat is ridiculous, and getting in and out of foul weather gear at night is impossible…I have slept with mine on.”
A few boats have had problems with their power and autopilots and have had to manually steer while they fix them. Cruising Free went through a phase of using more power than it generated. Unlike other crews, they need a fridge for medication, so had to turn off their autopilot so that the fridge had enough power. They have now sorted through their electrical issues and remain in the lead.
Annasley Park (UK): This former professional racing cyclist has switched her bike for a rowing boat and taken to the Atlantic. After years of planning, she set off on February 1 to row alone from Spain to Barbados.
Her start has been particularly stressful. On the second night, as she pulled away from the Canary Islands, big waves flipped her boat as she rowed. She clambered back into the boat and deployed her para-anchor to give herself a moment to recover. She has also struggled with debilitating seasickness and was unable to eat for the first three days.
Now that she has her sea legs, Park has picked up speed. She has kept her spirits high by wearing a Hawaiian shirt every Friday. An unusual difficulty: For a while, dust clouds from the Sahara blew across the Atlantic and affected her solar panels. The haze has ended, and her solar panels are now at full power.
Pacific Ocean
Louis Margot (CH): Margot is rowing across the Pacific Ocean as part of a human-powered, round-the-world expedition. He has already completed two cycling stages and one rowing stage, but mentally, this has been his toughest section.
On November 12, he left Peru bound for French Polynesia. He has decided to stop at the Marquesas Islands to allow himself time to restock and make repairs. He hopes to land within the next two weeks. Today marked his 100th day at sea.
Photo: Louis Margot
Margot has spoken several times about the difficulty of being alone for so long and how the days all merge together. Milestones have kept him going over the last month. On February 7, he had covered 40% of the entire journey.
“It’s huge…[yet] it seems so small in comparison to all that is left to go,” he commented.
After his pit stop in the Marquesas, he will continue on to Indonesia.
Aurimas Mockus (LT): Mockus has now passed the 10,000km point of his row from San Diego to Brisbane, Australia. Since setting off on October 15, he has covered 93% of the way.
The last few weeks have not been easy. He had hoped to finish before the end of February, but light winds have hampered him. Most rowers hope for a tailwind of some kind.
Eventually, a tailwind did come along, but it was short-lived. Then strong easterlies pushed him almost 40km off course. He worked hard to get back on track, but then a hurricane hit briefly, and he spent a day on his para-anchor.
