Famed Russian sailor's schooner attacked by pirates
by Nadezhda Podolskaya/Sail-World on 8 Oct 2010
Fyodor at the wheel of his Open 85 Alye Parusa SW
The 22 metre schooner St Victoria, owned by famed Russian sailor, adventurer and writer Fyodor Konyukhov, has been attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. Russian marines aboard the yacht successfully repelled the attack.
Fyodor Konyukhov was not on board at the time. He is currently in Greece, news agencies reported on Thursday.
The attack took place this week, when the yacht was on its way to Greece to deliver the relics of St.Andrew The First-Called and the Icon of Russian Admiral Fyodor Ushakov. The goal of the voyage, apart from the delivery of the relics, was to fundraise for building a church dedicated to the patron of saint of Russian sailors, Admiral Feodor Ushakov.
In an interview with the Voice of Russia aired on Thursday, poet and sculptor Vadim Tsyganov, member of the Russian expedition, heaped praise on the marines’ efforts to prevent Konyukhov’s yacht from being hijacked by modern-day filibusters.
On October 1, five pirate speedboats approached the St.Victoria yacht, which was accompanied by a patrol ship with Russian marines on board, Tsyganov explains. Upon approaching the vessel, the pirates were surprised to see Russian marines who were poised and ready to shoot and kill, Tsyganov goes on to say.
The subsequent Kalashnikov assault rifles’ fire seemed to have poured cold water on the sea brigands who did not think twice before escaping, Tsyganov concludes.
All those on board the St. Victoria were safe and sound following the incident which failed to stop the yacht from implementing its mission. Upon arriving at the destination later this month, the vessel is then due to set sail for Greece.
Oscar Konyukhov, the son of the traveler told the 'Voice of Russia' earlier this week that reports that the yacht had foundered in the Indian Ocean were untrue. Due to a strong storm of 35-40 knots this week the yacht only had to deviate from its earlier course.
About Fyodor Konyukhov:
Konyukhov is a famed Russian yacht skipper and adventurer, having reached such extreme points of the planet as the North Pole (three times), the South Pole, the Pole of Inaccessibility, Mount Everest and Cape Horn. Apart from his sailing exploits, Konyukhov has set other world records, notably crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a single row-boat in 46 days, the best 24-hour passage in the same boat (110 miles), crossing about 800 km for 15 days and 22 hours during a Trans-Greenland dog sleigh ride. He has also circumnavigated several times, and set the standard for sailing around Antarctica.
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