Russian adventurer survives hurricane-force winds on a solo rowboat as he scrapes through Pacific

Russian explorer Fedor Konyukhov, who is traveling across the globe on a solo rowboat, has survived hurricane-force winds as he makes his way through the turbulent waters of the Southern Pacific.

Konyukhov set off for his round-the-globe trip in December from Dunedin, New Zealand and managed to cross half of the Southern Pacific in just 100 days.
The traveler’s recent Instagram post suggests he is approaching Cape Horn, the southernmost point of South America, which is notorious known for its violent storms.

Gusty winds and huge waves have accompanied Konyukhov all the way since the beginning as he rows through the especially turbulent area known as the Roaring Forties. The approach to Cape Horn is, however, going to take the survival race up to the next level.
Just before that, the adventurer survived the most epic storm of his long career as gusts of wind exceeded 73mph (117kph) and reached the maximum possible “hurricane” level, according to the universally accepted Beaufort wind-force scale.
In a text message sent to the expedition headquarters, Konyukhov described the surrounding waves as “devastating,” adding that they were on the verge of “breaking down the boat.”

He is set to face four more storms this week, Konyukhov’s son and head of the expedition told Russian media.

The adventurer himself compared his ordeal to conquering Mount Everest and admitted that he would have to “withstand the maximum mental and physical stress.”

Konyukhov is no stranger to climbing adventures, having conquered the highest peaks of all seven continents. He also made solo trips to both the North and South Poles, and sailed across the world three times. In 2016, he broke a world record by managing a non-stop balloon flight around the globe in just 11 days.

Konyukhov’s current round-the-world journey is expected to last until 2020.

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