Since our last ocean rowing roundup, one soloist has crossed into the Indian Ocean, another has made a pitstop in French Polynesia, and a canoeist has crossed the Atlantic.
Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Dash: The Atlantic Dash is a relatively small event that touts itself as an “ocean-rowing regatta.” Four teams are participating in the 5,000km row from the Canary Islands to Antigua this year. Gary Hutching is rowing solo. Row For It is a four of Neil Glover, Peter Ross, Darren Smith, and Nick Southwood. All-female crew Cruising Free comprises Sophie Pierce, Janine Williams, Polly Zipperlen, and Miyah Periam. Finally, Ruby Coates and Steffan Evans make up the pair Waves to Awareness.
By the beginning of March, all four crews had crossed the halfway mark, with the first three boats very close together. Though this is not a race, the positioning of the boats has been quite surprising. Soloist Gary Hutching has been in the lead for a chunk of time, while four-man crew Row For It brings up the rear.
At the end of February, Row For It discovered a couple of lockers on board their boat had filled with water. They pumped out nearly 100kg of water, perhaps explaining their slow start.
In the last few days, a tropical low-pressure system has caused chaos. Squalls, constantly changing winds, and strong currents have pushed all the crews off course.
75 days at sea
Gabor Rakconczay (HU): Hungarian extreme athlete Gabor Rakonczay has completed his solo transatlantic canoe expedition. After 75 days and 10 hours at sea, he arrived in Antigua on March 8. After departing from La Palma in the Canary Islands, he paddled 5,123km. He paddled for 15 hours a day, pausing every few hours to eat.
This is his second solo canoe crossing of the Atlantic. In 2012, he became the first person to canoe the route. For this year’s expedition, he custom-made his vessel, basing it on the design he used in 2012.
Gabor Rakonczay at the end of his canoe journey. Photo: Gabor Rakonczay
His journey wasn’t always smooth. Stormy weather led to a broken thumb, and the journey took longer than he had hoped; by the end, his food supplies were dwindling.
As he arrived in Antigua, family members took a small boat out to join him for the last section of his crossing, and over 15,000 followers watched the live stream of him completing the journey.
“With this, I consider my 18-year career in extreme sports to be closed, and with the experiences I have lived, my life will enter a new phase,” Rakonczay said.
Cyclist turned rower
Annasley Park (UK): A former professional cyclist, Park switched disciplines to take on the Atlantic. Starting in February, she set out from Spain toward Barbados.
It was a rough start. Within the first few days, huge waves led to a capsize, she couldn’t keep any food down because of seasickness, and dust in the air rendered her solar panels useless.
Fortunately, things have improved. On February 26, Park reached the halfway point and says she is now enjoying the row. The cross swell that had been slowing her down was almost gone and forecasts predict a stint of good conditions.
Even when conditions are near perfect, it is still physically draining. To keep herself going, Park has been listening to the Lord of the Rings audiobooks, and by happy coincidence, she recently rowed past Researcher Ridge. Ocean mappers have named this chain of seamounts after characters and locations from Tolkien’s world.
Indian Ocean
Fedor Konyukhov (RU): Konyukhov, the tireless 73-year-old priest and adventurer, is circumnavigating the southern hemisphere. He aims to row 27,000km over three stages. On May 9, 2019, he completed the first stage, rowing 11,525km from New Zealand to Argentina. This was the first recorded solo crossing of the Southern Pacific Ocean.
Konyukhov is now undertaking the second stage of his route. On Dec. 5, 2024, he set out from Chile into the Drake Passage. From there, he is heading across the South Atlantic and South Indian Oceans to Australia.
After 68 days, he approached South Africa. Passing the cape was a challenge, with three huge weather systems colliding (the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Southern Ocean) in this patch of water.
Several storms and capsizes later, he limped past with all his boat’s antennae down and a broken oar. Any hope that the situation would improve in early March was quickly quashed.
Fedor Konyukhov in his boat. Photo: Fedor Konyukhov
Now in the Indian Ocean, Konyukhov got stuck in an anticyclone. For days, he looped around the same bit of ocean, making no forward progress. After escaping, he battled headwinds.
His land team thinks that the tricky conditions cost him over 250km of progress. The storms, cyclones, and headwinds are making it nearly impossible to predict when Konyukhov will make it to Australia.
Pacific Ocean
Louis Margot (CH): Margot is rowing across the Pacific Ocean as part of a human-powered, round-the-world expedition. This is the fourth leg of his journey, having already completed two cycling stages and one rowing stage.
On November 12, he left Peru bound for Indonesia, planning to make a pitstop on the Marquesas Islands to restock and make repairs. After an exhausting row, Margot says this has been the most taxing stage of his entire expedition. He landed on Hiva Oa (the second largest island in the Marquesas Islands) on March 9.
Photo: Louis Margot
Margot barely slept for the last 48 hours of the row. Strong winds and currents, heavy rain, and thunderstorms made positioning the boat to land difficult.
Margot has not said how long he plans to stay on Hiva Oa before resuming his row to Indonesia.
