Famous Voyager Konyukhov to Embark on 80-Day Circumnavigation - 29 April, 2003 - News

In the near future, the crew of the Alye Parusa (Scarlet Sails) catamaran may embark on a new circumnavigation, Fyodor Konyukhov, a famous Russian traveller, announced Tuesday at a press conference dedicated to a new world record achieved by the catamaran crew while crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

On April 25th, the Alye Parusa arrived in Bristol, England, from Jamaica, setting up a record of 17 days in crossing the Atlantic Ocean from the Old World to the New World, among sailing vessels.

The international crew that set the record under Konyukhov's command was composed mainly of amateur yachtsmen, namely businessmen and journalists.

The expedition consisted of four stages. First, the catamaran was led from Bristol to La Gomera /the Canary Islands/ as a starting point. The second stage meant to cross the Atlantic from La Gomera to Barbados /3,000 sea miles/. The third stage suggested a journey across the Caribbean Sea from Barbados to Jamaica. And ultimately, at the final stage the catamaran followed the 5,000-sea mile-route from Jamaica to Bristol. Totally, the crew covered some 10,000 sea miles.

"One must make voyages of this kind to disclose one's inner potential and understand the meaning of life," businessman Vyacheslav Leibman, who took part in the final stage of the voyage, pointed out.

In his turn, Konyukhov highly estimated his fellow travellers' actions during the difficult and often risky trip, saying that his crew was like him, they loved the ocean and hard work. "With their assistance, I felt easy no matter how severe the conditions were," the captain said.

Besides, Konyukhov mentioned that he was arranging in the near future a 80-day round-the-world voyage to mark great dreamer Jules Verne's jubilee, and some of the Alye Parusa crew would join him in one or several stages of the new journey.