Rowing adventure begins

A Russian priest has left Dunedin on a world record rowing attempt. Supporters of Fedor Konyukhov, 66, gave him food, including chocolate, as he made last-minute preparations on Thursday. Konyukhov aims to become the first person to row the Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn. Strong winds delayed his departure until 6.30pm on Thursday. His journey – a 27,000-kilometre solo circumnavigation of the world – attracted interest from Russian media, who were at the Port Chalmers Yacht Club to see him off. Dunedin was chosen as the starting point as Konyukhov believed it offered favourable launch conditions for his 9-metre-long vessel, Akros, for the first leg of 6000 nautical miles. Konyukhov was ordained as an Eastern Orthodox priest in 2010. His latest quest follows a world-first row from Chile to Australia in 2014.