Yvan Bougnon's circumnavigation in a beach cat project

I'd never heard of that exploit Mr.E, thanks for mentioning it. I see that Yuichiro Miura who did this, used a large parachute as a brake. So then I understand how it was possible, and perhaps not quite as lunatic foolhardy as it sounds otherwise.

But Wikipedia also mentions that eight people died during the ascent of Everest in connection with that project (but it wasn't made clear in the film?). That is an aspect of extreme mountaineering which I don't have any taste for.

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In regard to Yvan Bourgnon, I suppose that he's in close touch all the time with his support boat, and that it is on station not many hours from him. If he's sailing a little slower on account of the lost rudder, that makes it easier for the support boat to stay close if he needs help. He is 42 years old and has two kids I think, so I assume that he has no unhealthy fatalist attitude towards injury or death.

That assumption could be wrong however?

So far he's had a couple of difficult solo capsizes and fallen out of the boat only to be saved by his tether. I don't like hearing of these dangerous scrapes and I hope there aren't any more. But it sells newspapers, as they used to say.

Just today Ivan's sailed past the half-way mark on this leg, and it seems he's getting 'enough' sleep, since he says he's in good shape in this facebook entry Corley quoted from.

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What will Bourgnon do, if he isn't able to raise the additional sponsorship he says is needed to keep the quote-unquote 'media' boat (notre «bateau-plateforme-médias») along for the rest of the trip?

Is he then going to keep going alone, with no escorting "bateau-platforme-medias" from French Polynesia to the Red Sea?

Doesn't that sound more hazardous, than what he's doing at the moment?

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Maybe Yvan and his four escorting Platformeurs should in that case find some temporary jobs in French Polynesia, until they have the money they need.

 

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Fedor Konyukhov in his project to row solo across the Pacific - he's 85 days out of Chile and near Tahiti now - is doing a much better job of reporting his progress, than Bourgnon and his 'bateau-platforme-medias'.

Here's Konyukhov's news page.

Here's a mapping page, you can scroll down and see where he is.


Here's an interesting quote from Konyukhov a few days ago about sheepskins (which you may recall Meade Gougeon used on his seat in his sailing canoe in the Everglades Challenge):

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Like Bourgnon, Konyukhov reports about a great deal of torrential drumming rain. But unlike Yvan, Fedor has an aft cabin in his 30 ft carbon rowing boat in which he can escape and get some sleep.

The umbrella that Yvan took with him from Panama sounds stupid in comparison?

Konyukhov is financially backed by a couple of businessmen in Chelyabinsk, so he's also not losing any sleep about finding more sponsors.

 

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Another digression about Konyukhov, in 2006 he took this ice boat to Greenland and there's mention of a film about it which I can't find. Must have been an inadequate boat for the conditions on the ice cap there?

On one Russian site it was written that the boat was built for Konyakhov in Exmouth. Anybody know who that might be, or how far Konyakhov got?




The first crossing of the Greenland ice cap was by Norwegian Fritjof Nansen going from East to West in 1888. There are katabatic winds there, blowing all the time downhill from the center. Nansen had sails on the sleds which his expedition used.
Since the mid 1990's there have been a number of people who have done something just as remarkable, sailing the much longer South-North, and then with skis, using parachutes or kites.

 

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I found a thread about this 2006 project on SA.



Among the 15 trivial/joking posts, there was one which was informative:

 

Always interesting Blackburn ;-)
Here's what I found out ...
The North American ‘Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club’ reported earlier this millennium:
“A top Russian explorer, Fedor Konyukhov, will attempt to become the first person to cross the South Pole in an ice boat during the winter of 2005-2006. The $91,400 ice boat trimaran has been designed by a marine contractor in Exmouth, England to sail across ice on three skis. The 4LIYC's esteemed boat builder Bill Mattison was consulted by the builders for this project”.
As I have a contact in Devonshire, I'll see what else I can find out.

This Konyukhov fellow has done EVERYTHING !
Crossed oceans, Poles, Capes, Everest … and more than once. See his small, very personal Moscow ‘museum’ here …
http://globaldiscussion.net/topic/1...s-the-fedor-konyukhov-anchor-museum/&langid=1

Not possible to say too much about this amazing adventurer and to my mind, there is much to learn from his experiences.
Here are notes about his circumnavigation of Antarctica.
Of special interest is this note:
“The Southern Ocean keeps testing my yacht and gives me some hard times … but this is all part of the game and I don’t feel that it does it intentionally. Kerguelen (Desolation) Island was here a million years ago, as well as the gale force winds. I have to adapt …. and live with that. It’s all in the power of Nature. I came here to witness this unique environment and learn something for [and of] myself”.
See also: http://yachtpals.com/boating/antarctica

 

Fedor Konyukhov

Re: his on-going crossing of the Pacific in a special row boat, he's clearly far better protected than Yvan can ever be. His rowboat would be self-righting for starters.
This may be of additional interest to readers though ...

Quote:
“On December 12, 2012, Feodor Konyukhov announced that his new project of solo rowing across the Pacific Ocean is scheduled to start in December of 2013. In early December 2013, Fedor flew to England to visit the famous naval architect Phil Morrison to finalize the design of his new ocean row boat. The boat (working title “K9”) will be constructed in Demon Yachts in Ipswich, East Coast of England. In 2002, Fedor asked Phil Morrison to design him a light/fast one off ocean rowboat that was to become the famous Uralaz. On that rowboat Fedor set out across the Atlantic Ocean leaving La Gomera and reaching Barbados in just 46 days. That became a new world record for a solo row across the Atlantic. The design of the boat was so successful that it was used to build more than 20 ocean rowboats.
The person in charge of building and equipping the boat is Charlie Pitcher. In February 2010, Charlie completed a solo rowboat crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in just 54 days, beating both the race and UK solo records. In January 2013, he will be starting another solo across the Atlantic to set a new world record of 40 days ……. “
See more here .. with photos
http://www.konyukhov.ru/eng/newproject/document42190.shtml

So how is Yvan making out with one rudder ?

 

Re the Ice yacht Trimaran

Your QUOTE: “On one Russian site it was written that the boat was built for Konyakhov in Exmouth. Anybody know who that might be, or how far Konyakhov got? UNQUOTE

My contact came through for part of this ;-) As for his rowboat that crossed the Atlantic, it was also built by Rowsell and Morrison in Exmouth, Devonshire, UK. Still no news on how the adventure ended.

Here’s a link for a sketch of 'the yacht'.
http://www.rowsellsails.co.uk/?page=projects

 

^^^

I'm very glad to hear of your interest, Mike!



It has been a modern tradition with explorers and adventurers, that many of the most successful and remembered were those who were able to write really good books about their experiences.

Now the immediate focus is not foremost on books, but whether they can feed websites with good up-to-date material.

Sail around the world in less than 46 days now, and rather than a book there is a short video on the net.

It would have been impossible for Fritjof Nansen, Thor Heyerdahl, or Bernhard Moitessier if they'd been active now. They became famous and rich on account of their marvelous books; and all the others, I have a copy of 'ICE' which Tristan Jones was kind enough to autograph, which I spent many hours delightedly reading.

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Fyodor Konyukhov is quite the adventurous oddball, isn't he.

Here's a brief bio I came across on the Russian news site RT describing him basically as an aesthete with better than average ability to punish himself - something the Russians have long viewed as magnificently virtuous:

Konyukhov speaks and writes well, and he's well-translated into English. I guess that his ability to convey some philosophical depth to his projects is important for the sponsors he has.

Francis Joyon is something of a similar person, but he hasn't got the extemporaneous ability to elaborate and be interesting, which Konyukhov appears to have, from my brief reading.

 

I've found plenty of info about the 'ski-sailer'.

Since there is no news from Yvan the last 2 days, we might as well digress a little more:


At the bottom right corner of Konyukhov's site there's an ad for his Russian-language magazine. Applying Google translate to the magazine, I found this 2006 article covers the expedition plan, their tests, their efforts. Otherwise there was only brief mention of the ski-sailer in another 2007 article, when the team was again on Greenland, but then using sled dogs instead of the ski-sailer.

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If you read that Google translate, it incorrectly says 'snowmobile' where the proper translation is 'ice boat', and any mention of 'sand' is supposed to be snow or ice.

I won't spoil what suspence there may be, about how the 'Ski-sailer' performed!
Or what perils they met with!



We can do a little summary later.

 

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Here's an update from Yvan on day 11 (which was perhaps posted closer to day 13, which he's in now):

The weather function on the tracker forecasts the wind weakening during the next few days. He has 730 miles left to go now and will get ashore in 4 or 5 days at the most?

Konyukhov the rower noted that when he approached the Marquesas, he was visited by sharks under his boat.

Take care not to fall overboard, Yvan!

 

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Yvan has done a tack north up towards his rhumb line today, in NE winds, and although he sails without forecasts, that may be a good choice because the wind is supposed to lighten the next few days especially to the south of his rhumbline. He has 600 miles remaining to Nuku Hiva.

About 1000 nm beyond Nuku Hiva, halfway between French Polynesia and the Cook Islands, rower Fyodor Konyukhov is in different circumstances:

Konyukhov worries that he'll have trouble avoiding the islands, because his record attempt is not supposed to stop anywhere until he gets to Brisbane. He's ahead of his schedule on account of very favourable conditions after departing from Chile.

 

Duo

Have to say, it's exciting to have two intrepid adventurers in the central Pacific at the same time! Thanks for all the news 'Blackburn'.
Not been able to update my own website follow-up of late as I've lost my capable webmaster. If anyone with good HTML knowledge can give me a couple of hours a month, please drop me a line at http://www.smalltridesign.com/write_mike.html

 

^^^

Intrepid adventurer #2 is working on his tan, doing 2kts according to the tracker, complaining of no wind, that life onboard is "like a giant rotisserie", and has only done 20nm since we last checked. Has he got enough water? There's 480nm remaining.

Occasionally we've noticed you can't believe everything you see on these trackers... his speed is given as 2 knots while the weather feature is showing 10 knots wind. It is forecasting increasing wind, so he'll be arriving on the cannibal island about the same time he's cooked?

lol

 

Fried chicken

Love the humor buddy

 

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