‘Tis The Season–For Record Attempts: There’s another one underway (from Falmouth, in the UK), a solo, non-stopper in an 85-foot maxi. The sailor: Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov, veteran of the Vendee Globe. He’s after Michel Desjoyeaux’s 93 day mark, set in the 2000 Vendee Globe, and it’s hard to know what sort of shot he’s got. His boat is bigger than Desjoyeaux’s Open 60 PRB, and reasonably new (built in 2000). But Konyukhov has never really won much on the sailing circuit. He is, however, a first-class Wetass, having rowed the Atlantic, climbed the seven highest peaks on the seven continents, skied to the Poles and circumnavigated four times already (once against the prevailing winds). If you want to see a life not wasted sitting around, just check out Konyukhov’s startling biography. So the man definitely deserves some respect. We’ll track his voyage and see how he gets on. Still waiting in Falmouth for a favorable weather window is Ellen MacArthur, with her 75-foot trimaran. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see how long it takes her to run Konyukhov down once she starts…



Freeliving Fedor: “If Ellen catches me, I hope she drops in for a shot of vodka…”