Today in Australia at 16:11 local time (11:11 Moscow time) the balloon "Morton" of the Russian traveler Fyodor Konyukhov landed after a round-the-world flight. Konyukhov covered 35 thousand kilometers, flying three oceans and three continents, and set four world records. In total, the journey lasted 11 days and 6 hours.

The previous record for the longest circumnavigation in a hot air balloon was held by Steve Fossett, who circumnavigated the Earth in 13 days and 8 hours in 2002. Konyukhov's second record is related to the distance of the circular route: the Russian traveler increased it by 1000 kilometers, thereby making his solo flight around the world the longest. In addition, unlike Fossett, Konyukhov started the first time, while his predecessor took six attempts.

Konyukhov set another record the day before yesterday, July 21, when he bypassed the cyclone. To do this, he had to climb a record 10,600 meters above the ground. The previous record was also held by Fossett, who reached 10,200 meters.

Fedor Konyukhov in his balloon

During the flight, Fedor Konyukhov had to overcome many difficulties. Equipment failed more than once: on July 17, in a zone of strong turbulence, the overpressure relief valve in a helium cylinder failed; On July 20, after a cyclone with hail and strong winds, a heater and three burners failed; On July 21, in the low pressure zone, the ball began to drift towards the South Pole. Fortunately, the traveler managed to overcome all the obstacles - largely thanks to six years of preparation for the flight.

At the end of the trip, Konyukhov feels well, he has the only abrasion on his face, which arose due to the fact that Fedor did not have time to buckle up before landing.

Fedor Konyukhov has a huge number of extreme voyages, personal records and regalia on his account. A writer, an artist, a free balloon pilot, a yacht captain, an archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, a member of the Russian Geographical Society - it's all he, one and the same person.

Konyukhov visited all continents and both poles, in the most inaccessible corners of the Earth; made the first solo round-the-world voyage in the history of Russia on a yacht without stops. Crossed the Atlantic 15 times on sailing yachts and alone, on a rowing boat, setting a world record - 46 days and 4 hours. A little more time - namely 159 days and 14 hours - it took Konyukhov to go through the Pacific Ocean alone on a 9-meter row boat, and this trip also brought him a world record. Another Konyukhov installed in the sky - according to the duration of the flight on a hot air balloon with a volume of 3950 cubic meters - 32 hours 20 minutes.

About two-thirds of the 5,500 nautical miles (or 9,000 kilometers) route in the ocean has already been covered by the brave Russian traveler in a single rowboat. He expects to sail to Cape Horn by the end of February.

BAD NEWS FOR ENVIRONMENTALISTS

Tests by storms, weather, physical fatigue - this is only one side of the hardships of circumnavigating the world. It is no less (or even more) difficult to pass the test of loneliness. During the first month and a half of the journey, dolphins swam to the boat only once:

"Big flock. I was very pleased and amused. They circled under the boat for a long time, studied. They must have wondered what the man was doing here.”, - describes Konyukhov. - In general, the ocean is empty, there are no whales, no dolphins, I rarely even see albatrosses. If you remove the daily satellite phone call to Moscow from my schedule, you might think that there is only Ocean and me. No one else. Where are the seven billion people?

Konyukhov has bad news for ecologists: this is his sixth campaign in the southern latitudes since 1990, and each time the traveler sees less and less representatives of the fauna. Worries: “Over these 30 years, we have devastated the ocean, eaten and exterminated all life. I think I have the right to say so. I have accurate observations. When you go on a yacht or rowing boat, you see all the details, you notice all the little things. You cannot make such an observation from aboard a research ship.”

Ahead is a huge ocean, the largest ocean on the planet - the Pacific. Let him give Fedor a warm welcome.
You can follow the traveler's route in real time.

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1990-91 - circumnavigation on the yacht "Karaana" (Sydney - Sydney, Australia)
1998-99 - round-the-world race "Around Alone" on the yacht "SGU" (USA - South Africa - New Zealand - Cape Horn - Uruguay - USA)
2005 - circumnavigation on the yacht "Scarlet Sails" England - Tasmania - Cape Horn - England.
2008 - sailing around Antarctica (Albany - Albany, Australia)
2009 - sailing of the yacht "Scarlet Sails" from New Zealand (Auckland) to the Falkland Islands.

Fedor Konyukhov biography briefly and interesting facts from the life of a Russian traveler - extreme, artist, journalist, yacht captain, priest are set out in this article.

Fedor Konyukhov short biography

Konyukhov Fedor Filippovich was born on December 12, 1951 in the village of Chkalovo, which is located on the shores of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. His father was a hereditary fisherman from the Arkhangelsk province.

Konyukhov studied at the Odessa Naval School and the Leningrad Polar School, the Bobruisk Art School, specializing in wood carving.

After that, in 1970 he studied at the Leningrad Seminary. He served in the army, staying in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Vietnam. Fedor also served as a sailor on the ships of the Baltic rescue fleet and on trawlers, fishing in the Pacific Ocean.

Ever since childhood, Konyukhov showed a love of travel. For 20 years he, as a tester of the ultimate capabilities of man, took part in expeditions to the South and North Poles.

Fedor describes all his vivid impressions from perfect travels in pictures and books. He is the author of more than 3,000 paintings, a participant in international and Russian art exhibitions. Many of his works are currently in private collections and museums. In 1983, Konyukhov was admitted to the Union of Artists of the USSR, and in 1996 he became a member of the Moscow Union of Artists in the sections "Graphics" and "Sculpture" (since 2001). In addition, Fedor Konyukhov has the titles of the winner of the Gold Medal of the Russian Academy of Arts, Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts.

He is the author of 9 books under the titles - "Fyodor Konyukhov's diaries about the sailboat race" Around Alone "," And I saw a new sky and a new earth "," My spirit on the deck of "Karaana", "Under scarlet sails", "Rower in the ocean ”, “Road without a bottom”, “All birds, all winged”, “The ocean is my abode”.

In 1998, the traveler headed the laboratory of distance learning in extreme conditions at the Humanitarian Academy. A year later, he was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports, the UN Global-500 Environmental Prize, the Order of Friendship of the Peoples of the USSR, and the UNESCO Prize for Fair Play.

In 2010, Fedor Konyukhov became a subdeacon, and on May 23 of the same year he was ordained a priest in St. Nicholas Church in Zaporozhye.

Today, Father Fyodor does not get tired of traveling, however, not as a scientist or athlete, but as a missionary.

As for his personal life, he is married for the second time. His first wife was Love, who now lives in the USA. And the second and last wife of Konyukhov was Irina, professor and doctor of law. They bring up two children from a previous marriage and one common child - sons Oscar, Nikolai and daughter Tatiana.

Fedor Konyukhov interesting facts

• He made his first expedition at the age of 15. Fedor crossed the Sea of ​​Azov in a rowboat. In total, he carried out more than 50 expeditions, participating in dog sled races and traveling around the world four times.
• He is the first Russian who completed the Grand Slam program (bypassing the South Pole, North Pole, Everest). And he was the first traveler to reach the 5 poles of the planet - the South Geographic, the North Geographic, the Pole of Relative Inaccessibility in the Arctic Ocean, the Pole of Height (Everest) and the Pole of Yachtsmen (Cape Horn).
• In addition to the fact that Konyukhov is engaged in writing, he also writes poetry and music for organ performance.
• He also draws well - his paintings are exhibited at home and abroad.
• In 1983 he was admitted to the Union of Artists. In this organization, he was the youngest member of this organization.
• In 2010, Fedor Konyukhov was ordained a priest in his homeland, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church awarded him an order for his labors for the good.

Famous Russian traveler, writer, artist, clergyman, pilot of a free balloon. Archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Fedor Konyukhov. Biography

Fyodor Filippovich Konyukhov was born on December 12, 1951 in the Zaporozhye village of Chkalovo (later Troitskoye) in Ukraine, on the shores of the Sea of ​​Azov, in a simple peasant family. In addition to Fedor, his parents - Philip Mikhailovich, a descendant of Arkhangelsk Pomor fishermen, and a native of Bessarabia Maria Efremovna There were also two sons and two daughters.

From childhood, Fedor was preparing to become a traveler: he learned to swim, dive, swam in cold water, went on a boat with a sail and oars, often Fedor was on a fishing trip in the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov with his father, who always told his offspring about the Great Patriotic War, urged to protect their native land and work honestly.

Realizing that the sea and travel are his life, Konyukhov studied in Belarusian Bobruisk at vocational school No. 15 (later Bobruisk State Vocational Art College), receiving a diploma as a carver-encruster. He graduated from the Odessa Naval School as a navigator. And then he received an education in the specialty "ship mechanic" at the Leningrad Arctic School. Along the way, he studied at the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary.

Fyodor Konyukhov's grandfather, a lieutenant colonel in the tsarist army, once told his grandson about a colleague from his garrison - George Sedov, who, before a tragic trip to the Arctic, left him an Orthodox cross, asking him to hand over a memorable little thing to the strongest of his descendants, so that he could bring his idea to life. As a result, Fedor fulfilled the covenant - he visited the North Pole three times, including with the same cross.

Fedor Konyukhov. Career traveler and explorer

In 1966, being 15 years old, he first went on an expedition in a rowing boat and crossed the Sea of ​​Azov, and in 1977 he organized a yacht trip in the North Pacific Ocean - along the route Vitus Bering and other sailors. Traveling, Konyukhov learned how his compatriots discovered lands and bays several centuries ago and founded settlements there.

Research interest never leaves Fedor. He carried out scientific activities in campaigns to Kamchatka, Commanders, Sakhalin. Wherever Konyukhov appeared, he everywhere was curious about the life of people, learned about how they survive in difficult northern conditions.

Before the assault on the North Pole, Fedor, as part of D. Shparo's group, made a ski transition to the Pole of relative inaccessibility on a polar night, and also walked along Baffin Island with Canadian travelers. Behind the researcher were the trans-Arctic ski crossing (USSR - North Pole - Canada), and participation in the first autonomous expedition "Arktika" to the North Pole, led by V. Chukov.

In 1990, having gained experience of polar ski trips by that time, Fedor went on an independent voyage to the North Pole, which he reached after 72 days, thereby fulfilling his dream and fulfilling the covenant George Sedov.

In 1998, Fedor Konyukhov became the head of the Laboratory for Distance Learning in Extreme Conditions (LDOEL) at the Moscow Modern Academy for the Humanities.

In 1995, Konyukhov alone crosses the ice desert of Antarctica and on the 59th day of a very difficult journey reaches the South Pole, hoisting the Russian tricolor there for the first time. At the same time, as part of the trip, he fulfills the instructions of the Ministry of Atomic Energy, measuring the natural radiation field of Antarctica on the way to the Pole, and the request of doctors - assesses his physical and psychological state, and performs other observations.

Konyukhov makes many of the expeditions alone, but also participates in groups. So, in 1989, he himself organized a Soviet-American bike ride along the route Nakhodka - Leningrad, and in 1991 - a Soviet-Australian car rally - Nakhodka - Brest. However, the leitmotif of the yacht captain's travels is the sea and the ocean.

Konyukhov is the only one of the Russians who single-handedly completed three round-the-world trips. In 1990-1991: the sailor started from Sydney, where he returned after 224 days. In 1992: he sailed on a large two-masted yacht along the route Taiwan - Singapore - Indian Ocean - Red and Mediterranean Seas - Gibraltar - Atlantic - Hawaiian Islands - Taiwan, visiting all continents and managing in 508 days. The third round-the-world trip, which lasted from September to May 1999, covered the entire World Ocean (50 thousand km) and passed along the route: Port of Charleston - Cape Town - Auckland - Punta del Este - Charleston.

In May 2012, together with the Russian 7 Summits team, Konyukhov made his second ascent of Everest. In 2013, he had an expedition from Karelia to the southern point of Greenland via the North Pole. From December 2013 to May 2014, he traveled across the Pacific Ocean on the Turgoyak rowing boat and passed from the Chilean port of Concon to the Australian Brisbane in 160 days. It was the best result for such a single transition.

By 2016, the famous wanderer had made over fifty unique expeditions and ascents. Experts in the Russian Federation and abroad consider Fyodor Konyukhov the most versatile of professional travelers, who has dozens of diverse trips, including in the mountains. For example, in honor of the 850th anniversary of Moscow, he climbed the mountain peaks of all the continents of the Earth, spending five years of hard work on this.

On July 12, 2016, Konyukhov set off on his solo round-the-world flight in the Morton balloon, starting at the airfield in Northham, Australia. The route was the same as that of its predecessor Steve Fossett who made a record flight in 2002. But Fedor Filippovich beat this world achievement: his aircraft landed safely in the west of Australia on July 23, 2016, and the result of the circumnavigation was 11 days 4 hours and 20 minutes.

Fedor Konyukhov about the flight on the Morton: For me, the main record is the completion of the circumnavigation of the world on the first try. My predecessor, American pilot Steve Fossett, took six tries in 2002. The balloon flew around the world in record time - 11 days and 6 hours - on the first try. Finally, I was able to fly over Northam airfield and cross my starting line, which is unique! Imagine the balloon flew almost 35,000 kilometers and reached the starting point. Moreover, using only wind currents. For aeronauts, this is the highest class.

Konyukhov assures that there was no such moment when he would regret his idea, since such a flight was his dream for two decades:

I knew that it would be difficult, dangerous, but it could not be otherwise. More than five thousand people have climbed Everest, and only two have flown around the world alone in a balloon - Steve Fossett, and now here I am.

At the end of 2016, the Russian traveler was awarded the highest award in the field of aeronautics: the International Aeronautics Association FAI-Breitling named him "Pilot of the Year". This award was presented to a Russian for the first time in 110 years of its existence.

Fedor Konyukhov: This is a very big reward for me. But I am pleased that it belongs to our country, Russia, for which I always stand.

In December 2016, at the Shevlino airfield near Moscow, Konyukhov began to take his first steps in the field of gliding, because he set himself a new task: to gain experience and knowledge for subsequent preparation for setting a world glider height record.

Fedor Konyukhov: It's never too late to learn. I am 65 years old, and I am pleased to start mastering a new type of aircraft for me - a glider. I hope that with the support of the Russian Gliding Federation we will be able to implement several beautiful projects in this sport...

Fedor Konyukhov. Creativity and spiritual activity

The traveler, in addition to the main hobby of his life, also writes poetry and music for the organ, composes works of art. Being on expeditions, Konyukhov certainly expresses his vision of the world in notes and paintings, of which the author already has over three thousand.

In 1983 he was admitted to the Union of Artists of the USSR, and since 1996 became a member of the Moscow Union of Artists. Fedor Filippovich is a participant of Russian and international exhibitions. Since 2012, he received the status of an academician of the Russian Academy of Arts.

In 2010, on the day of the Holy Trinity, Fedor Konyukhov was ordained a deacon, and in December of the same year, on the day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, he was ordained a priest in his small homeland in St. Nicholas Church in Zaporozhye.

The traveler was awarded the Order of the Great Martyr George the Victorious of the 1st degree by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - for exemplary and diligent work for the benefit of the Holy Orthodox Church of God.

Fedor Konyukhov. Achievements and awards

Order of Friendship of Peoples - 1988. Order of the Great Martyr George the Victorious, 1st class, of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for exemplary and diligent work for the benefit of God's Holy Orthodox Church. Gold medal of the Russian Academy of Arts. N. N. Miklukho-Maklay Gold Medal of the Russian Geographical Society - 2014. UNEP Global 500 Award for Contribution to Environmental Protection. UNESCO Prize for Fair Play. Prize and Order of Friendship of Peoples "White Cranes of Russia" - 2015.

Fedor Konyukhov he was the first on the planet Earth to reach the five poles of the Earth (Northern geographic - three times; Southern geographic; pole of relative inaccessibility in the Arctic Ocean; height pole - Chomolungma; pole of yachtsmen - Cape Horn). In addition, he is the first Russian to complete the Grand Slam program and the first in the CIS to complete the Seven Summits program.

The traveler in 1990-1991 made alone the first in the history of Russia circumnavigation of the world on a yacht without stops. He alone crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the rowing boat "UralAZ", while setting a world record - 46 days and 4 hours, as well as the Pacific Ocean (world record - 159 days 14 hours 45 minutes).

Fedor Konyukhov - Honored Master of Sports of the USSR in sports tourism; honorary resident of Nakhodka (since 1996), the village of Bergin, the city of Miass, Terni (Italy).

Fedor Konyukhov. Personal life

The wife of a famous traveler - Irina Anatolyevna Konyukhova - Doctor of Law, Professor. The couple has two children: a son Oscar Fedorovich(b. 1975) and daughter Tatyana Fedorovna(born 1978).

In the fall of 2015, it became known that Konyukhov acquired 69 hectares of land in the Zaoksky district of the Tula region, on which he planned to build a whole village, nine chapels, the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, a children's travel school and a sports and tourist camp, as well as a travel history museum, a hotel complex, a library, etc. The site where it was decided to create the village of Fyodor Konyukhov is located three kilometers from the Oka River.

Fedor Konyukhov: It is a pity, of course, that there is not a single free area along the Oka bank. If the village went to the water, we would arrange a children's sailing school or open a rowing section.

The goal of the project is, first of all, to create a unique and cozy place for like-minded people to live and communicate, including travelers, writers, artists who are tired of the “stone jungle”, people who appreciate an active lifestyle and love wildlife, etc. The village itself is conceived not only as a place of residence Fyodor Konyukhov but also as a museum of the great traveler.

Fedor Konyukhov. Books

"My spirit is on the deck of the Karaana"
"All birds, all winged"
"Rower in the Ocean"
"Road without bottom"
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth...
"How Admiral Ushakov made the Black Sea Russian"
"Antarctica"
"How I Became a Traveler"
"Sails knock down the stars from the sky"
"Alone with the Ocean"
"The ocean is my abode"
"Under scarlet sails"
"My travels"
"Pacific Ocean"
"The power of faith. 160 days and nights alone with the Pacific Ocean"
"My travels. Next 10 years"
"My Path to Truth"

Fedor Konyukhov. Expeditions

• 1977 - research expedition on a yacht along the route of Vitus Bering
• 1978 - research expedition on a yacht along the route of Vitus Bering; archaeological expedition
• 1979 - the second stage of a research expedition on a yacht along the route Vladivostok - Sakhalin - Kamchatka - Commander Islands; climbing Klyuchevskiy volcano
• 1980 - international regatta "Baltic Cup" as part of the crew
• 1981 - dog sled crossing Chukotka
• 1983 - scientific and sports skiing expedition in the Laptev Sea. The first polar expedition in the group of Dmitry Shparo.
• 1984 - international regatta for the Baltic Cup as part of the crew of the Far East Sea Medical School; rafting down the Lena river
• 1985 - expedition through the Ussuri taiga in the footsteps of Vladimir Arseniev and Dersu Uzala
• 1986 - skiing during the polar night to the Pole of relative inaccessibility in the Arctic Ocean as part of an expedition
• 1987 - ski trip to Baffin Island as part of a Soviet-Canadian expedition
• 1988 - transarctic ski expedition along the route of the USSR - the North Pole - Canada as part of an international group
• 1989 - the first Russian autonomous expedition "Arktika" led by Vladimir Chukov to the North Pole; Soviet-American transcontinental bike ride Nakhodka - Moscow - Leningrad
• 1990 - solo ski trip to the North Pole (the first in the history of Russia) in 72 days
• 1990-1991 - solo round-the-world voyage on a yacht without stops along the route Sydney - Cape Horn - Equator - Sydney in 224 days (the first in the history of Russia)
• 1991 - Russian-Australian rally along the route Nakhodka - Moscow
• 1992 - climbing Elbrus (Europe); climbing Everest (Asia)
• 1993-1994 - round-the-world expedition on a two-masted ketch along the route Taiwan - Hong Kong - Singapore - We Island (Indonesia) - Victoria Island (Seychelles) - Yemen (port of Aden) - Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) - Suez Canal - Alexandria (Egypt) - Gibraltar – Casablanca (Morocco) – Santa Lucia (Caribbean Islands) – Panama Canal – Honolulu (Hawaii Islands) – Mariana Islands – Taiwan
• 1995-1996 - autonomous solo trip to the South Pole (the first in the history of Russia; in 64 days)
• 1996 - January 19: climbing the Vinson Massif (Antarctica); March 9: Climbing Aconcagua (South America)
• 1997 - February 18: climbing Kilimanjaro (Africa); April 17: climbing Kosciuszko Peak (Australia); May 26: Climbing McKinley Peak (North America); European regattas Sardinia Cup (Italy), Gotland Race (Sweden), Cowes week (England) as part of the crew of the maxi-yacht Grand Mistral
• 1998-1999 - US Singles Round the World Race Around Alone on Open 60 yacht (third singles round the world)
• 2000 - World's longest Iditarod dog sled race through Alaska from Anchorage to Nome
• 2000-2001 - French single round-the-world sailing race (non-stop) Vendee Globe on a yacht (the first in the history of Russia)
• 2002 - camel caravan expedition "In the footsteps of the Great Silk Road (the first in the history of modern Russia); crossing the Atlantic Ocean on a rowboat (the first in the history of Russia; world record - 46 days 4 hours) along the route Canary Islands - Barbados
• 2003 - Russian-British transatlantic record crossing with a crew along the Canary Islands - Barbados route (world record for multihulls - 9 days); Russian-British transatlantic record passage with a crew on the route Jamaica - England (world record for multihulls - 16 days)
• 2004 - solo transatlantic record crossing from east to west on a maxi yacht on the route Canary Islands - Barbados (world record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean - 14 days and 7 hours)
• 2004-2005 - solo circumnavigation on a maxi-yacht on the route Falmouth - Hobart - Falmouth (the first solo circumnavigation in the history of world sailing on a maxi-class yacht through Cape Horn)
• 2005-2006 - project "Around the Atlantic Ocean". As part of the Russian crew, sailing on a yacht along the route England - Canary Islands - Barbados - Antigua - England
• 2006 - testing of an experimental polar buer on the east coast of Greenland
• 2007 Dog sled crossing Greenland from east to west coast (record 15 days 22 hours)
• 2007-2008 - Australian race around Antarctica along the route Albany - Cape Horn - Cape of Good Hope - Cape Luin - Albany (102 days; solo yachtsman, non-stop)
• 2009 - the second stage of the international expedition "Following the Great Silk Road" (Mongolia - Kalmykia)
• 2011 - expedition "Nine highest peaks of Ethiopia"
• 2012 - May 19: climbing to the top of Everest along the Northern Range (Konyukhov became the first ROC priest to climb Everest)
• 2013 - crossing the Arctic Ocean on a dog sled along the route: North Pole - Canada
• 2013-2014 - Pacific rowboat crossing without calling at ports in a record 160 days (Chile (Con Con) - Australia (Mululuba)
• 2015 - Russian record for the duration of the flight on a hot air balloon of the AX-9 class (19 hours 10 minutes)
• 2016 - world record for the duration of a hot air balloon flight (32 hours 20 minutes); dog sledding expedition "Onega Pomorie"; solo round-the-world flight in a balloon "Morton" (the fastest round-the-world flight for a balloon of any type: 11 days 4 hours 20 minutes - an absolute world record)

Domestic and foreign experts consider Fedor Konyukhov the most versatile professional traveler. He has about forty diverse campaigns, including those in the mountains. Having no special mountaineering training, but possessing great physical endurance and perseverance in achieving the intended goal, he decided in honor of the 850th anniversary of Moscow to climb the mountain peaks of all the continents of the Earth. It took five years of hard work. As a training, I ran to Klyuchevskaya Sopka 4750 meters high and believed in myself. Then there were the Caucasian peak Elbrus (5642 m), the Asian Everest (8848 m), the Australian mountain Kosciuszko (2230 m), the South American Aconcagua (6960 m). Of course, Everest was the most difficult to climb, but the three peaks were interesting, mysterious and difficult in their own way. The long-extinct African volcano Kilimanjaro (5895 m), sung by Ernest Hemingway, especially attracted the attention of the Russian traveler. Rising up from the tropical zone, he gradually experienced a change in climatic and weather conditions. If at the foot there was vegetation scorched in the sun, then from 3-4 kilometers an evergreen tropical forest begins, even higher - alpine meadows, then rocks and, finally, the kingdom of ice and snow. As an artist, he could not stop admiring the beauties of nature, made sketches, took a lot of photographs. But the ice-rocky mountains turned out to be the most difficult and dangerous for the climber: the North American McKinley (6193 m) and the Antarctic - the Vinson massif (5140 m). Here and deep snow, and insidious cracks in the ice, and breath-holding fierce cold wind. And having safely descended (in some places I had to crawl) from the massif, he almost died from cold and hunger - for more than three days the plane could not fly for him because of a strong blizzard.

The traveler makes most trips alone, but he willingly takes part in collective expeditions. And he himself organized and led two interesting transcontinental runs: the Soviet-American bicycle race along the route Nakhodka - Leningrad (1989) and the Soviet-Australian automobile race - Nakhodka - Brest (1991). On a long journey through the Russian expanses, Fedor showed his foreign travel colleagues many natural attractions: cedar forests, Lake Baikal, mighty Siberian rivers, the Ural Mountains, and new cities. The result of these runs were reports, documentaries, photo albums, released in our country and abroad.

And yet the main line of travel of the yacht captain is the sea and the ocean. And he, the only Russian, single-handedly completed three round-the-world voyages. The first of them - in 1990 - 1991 on the yacht "Karaana". It started from the Australian port of Sydney and returned there after 224 days. Moreover, he chose the most difficult route: between the “roaring” forties and “furious” fifties latitudes, where there was a predominantly fair wind and where the first Russian circumnavigators Ivan Kruzenshtern, Mikhail Lazarev and others sailed. But at the same time, the route was cold, and then a gale with snow or rain, dangerous encounters with whales and icebergs, especially in the Drake Passage, off Cape Horn. But the sailor overcame everything, however, he lost 11 kilograms at the same time.

A year later, Konyukhov went on a second circumnavigation along a different, equatorial route: Taiwan - Singapore - Indian Ocean - Red and Mediterranean Seas - Gibraltar - Atlantic - Hawaiian Islands - Taiwan with calls to all continents. A solo voyage on a large two-masted yacht "Formosa" lasted 508 days and was associated with a dramatic and at the same time heroic event. In the Philippines, the captain became very ill and was taken to the hospital. Meanwhile, the pirates stole his yacht to another island. But Fedor is not from a timid dozen. After all, he served on a Baltic landing ship, carried out command assignments in the jungles of Vietnam and Nicaragua. To find the "Formosa" on a distant island, I had to steal a boat from other pirates. And the brave man tied up the drunken robbers found on board the yacht and loaded them onto their rubber boat.

Participating in the international sailing race "Around the World - Alone", he made the third round-the-world trip, driving the yacht "Modern Humanitarian University". At first, 39 applicants from many countries signed up for the competition, but only 16 ships came to the start, the rest were eliminated for various reasons, including those that did not pass the qualifying run of 2 thousand nautical miles. Fedor passed the test, but was hit by three hurricanes. It was especially difficult for him in the fight against Hurricane Daniel in the Bermuda region. For three days the yacht lay on board, and the captain had to make incredible efforts to straighten her.

The race covered the entire World Ocean with a length of 27 thousand nautical miles, i.e. 50 thousand kilometers, and passed along the route: the American port of Charleston - Cape Town (South Africa) - Auckland (New Zealand) - Punta del Este (Uruguay) - Charleston. (Interestingly, all these points were visited by a couple

ha Irina, son Oscar - for the moral support of Fedor. And they helped him in troubleshooting technical problems on the yacht).

In total, the yachtsmen were on the road for eight months, from September 1998 to May 1999. They experienced the tropical heat and the piercing wind of the Antarctic, dodged steel ships and icebergs and drove forward all the time, not knowing sleep and peace. On some ships there were up to 15 different breakdowns, and Konyukhov's yacht did not escape this. At night, he collided with a sleeping whale, as a result of which the steering wheel was bent. When approaching Cape Horn, a dolphin jumped on board, which rarely happens in the practice of navigation, the skipper barely managed to push the heavy and slippery body of the sea guest into his native element. And off the coast of Brazil, he barely fought off modern filibusters with the help of a flare gun.

Unable to withstand the conditions of the extreme race, seven participants left the race. Fedor Konyukhov finished third. In his name, a government telegram came to America from Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. “We are pleased,” it said, “that such a legendary traveler lives in Moscow and continues the traditions of our compatriots in the exploration of the planet.”

At the request of F. Konyukhov, he was registered to participate in the international sailing race Windy Globe-2000, which is scheduled to start on November 5, 2000. The main feature of this global competition is that it is held non-stop, without a single port call! And what attracts Konyukhov here is that he has to go around Antarctica, and he has long wanted to follow the path of the pioneers of the sixth continent, Russian naval officers Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev. This will be the fourth circumnavigation of the courageous navigator. And before that, he managed to participate in the international dog sled race "Iditarod-2000" in snowy Alaska, along the path of gold miners of the 19th century.

The campaigns and expeditions of the remarkable traveler give a lot to our science, sports, tourism, and the whole society. They show what a person who is well prepared physically and mentally, who knows how to maintain health and performance, sometimes in difficult situations, can achieve. And no wonder the 48-year-old pathfinder plans to travel until 2020.

Replenishing his knowledge, he studies at the Faculty of Law of the Modern Humanitarian University, where he also manages a laboratory for distance learning in extreme conditions.

Fedor Konyukhov always, even during campaigns, writes and draws a lot. He is a member of the Union of Artists and a member of the Union of Journalists of the Russian Federation. In 1999, three of his books were published: "And I saw a new sky and a new earth", "Havre - Charleston" and "How they discovered Antarctica"; the almanac "Russian Traveler" was previously published. These are mainly diary entries of the author, but they are perceived as adventure stories.

The name of Fedor Konyukhov is among the outstanding figures of science and technology in the international encyclopedia "Chronicle of Humanity". The traveler was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples, a UNESCO diploma for his contribution to the cause of ecology. He is an Honored Master of Sports, a yacht captain.

A brief biography of Fedor Konyukhov tells about a surprisingly versatile personality, whose interests are so different from each other that it is difficult to understand and realize how they are combined in one person. Fedor Konyukhov is a Russian traveler, navigator, climber, cyclist, writer, journalist, artist and archpriest. He is the first traveler from Russia who visited the 7 highest peaks of the continents, and also visited both poles (North and South).

life path

Konyukhov was born in the Zaporozhye region, Ukraine. The boy was born in the village of Chkalovo on December 12, 1951. His father was a hereditary fisherman - a native of the Arkhangelsk Pomors, his mother - a native of Bessarabia. Since childhood, Fedor Konyukhov wanted to become a traveler and prepared his body and spirit for many trials in the future. He made his first journey at the age of 15, when he crossed the Sea of ​​Azov alone on a fishing boat.

Konyukhov completed military service, graduated from a technical school in the city of Bobruisk and the Odessa Naval School, as well as the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary. At the age of 32 he became a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR. Since 1998, he has been in charge and manages the remote learning laboratory for survival in extreme conditions. He is a member of the Union of Writers of the Russian Federation, has written 9 books in which he talks about his travels and life principles. He has a wife - Irina (Doctor of Law), three children and six grandchildren.

Travel and expeditions

Fedor Konyukhov has carried out many land and sea travels, ascents to peaks and polar expeditions, both in groups and alone. He made 5 trips around the world, 17 times crossed the Atlantic Ocean. In 1981, the traveler crossed Chukotka on dogs, in 1986 he made an expedition through the Ussuri taiga, in 1989 he participated in a joint Soviet-American bike ride from Nakhodka to Leningrad, in 1991 he organized a Russian-Australian rally on SUVs, and in 2002 and 2009 made caravan expeditions on camels, which passed along the route of the Great Silk Road.

His most famous and amazing sea voyages include: sailing around the world on the Karaana yacht alone in non-stop mode from autumn 1990 to summer 1991. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean on the URALAZ boat in 2002. Participation in the race around Antarctica in 2007-2008. Pacific navigation on a rowboat without assistance and without calls to ports in 2013-2014 for 160 days. Fedor Konyukhov also took part in several polar expeditions.

The ski crossing into the Laptev Sea and the Pole of relative inaccessibility took place in 1983 and 1986, respectively. The traveler made solo ski trips to the North Pole in 1990 and to the South Pole in 1995-1996. In the 2000s, he made several dog sledding trips. Having made more than a hundred large and small trips, Fedor Konyukhov realized that life is travel and new discoveries, and only by moving somewhere and striving for some goal does a person come to understand that his life is not in vain. He is trying to convey this idea to all mankind.