“In the future, there will be enough skippers in skirts and this will happen for sure, especially if men keep repeating that the ocean is not a place for women.” (Joshua Slocum).
Sixty three!!! years ago, on January 27, 1953, Ann Davison on her yacht Felicity Ann reached the shores of Barbados. She became the first woman who managed to overcome the Atlantic alone.
In 1875, on a fishing sailboat, Alfred Jensen for the first time single-handedly crossed the Atlantic from Canada to England. Thus began the countdown of achievements in solo swimming: the first round-the-world trip, the first rowing crossing, overcoming Cape Horn, a non-stop race ... In the days of Alfred Jensen, no one could have imagined that a woman would ever be able to go to sea alone. No one even believed that a woman would ever be able to become a skipper. But only thirty or forty years passed, and women gradually began to become captains, pilots, tractor drivers, and officers. But before the first women's single swimming was still very far away.
Solo swimming is one of the most difficult hobbies, because you have to fight not only with the ocean, which in itself is only possible for the elite, but also with loneliness, and with its inevitable consequences - chronic fatigue and depression. Women, for obvious reasons, are much more difficult to fight. It is all the more surprising that at the end of the 20th century, dozens of women became interested in solo swimming. But only recently sailors got used to the fact that a woman on board is, in general, usually and not bad at all. And after all, such women in Russian still have to be defined by the clumsy phrase “woman-yachtsman”, and in the permeated political correctness English language and completely empty: yachtswoman has not yet become familiar, and nothing else has been invented.
ALONE WITHOUT A HUSBAND
Ann Davison was 38 years old when she decided to cross the Atlantic. But only at first she did not think to do it alone. Ann Davison was a journalist and, together with her husband, also an amateur yachtsman, expected to make a romantic trip across the Atlantic and write a series of essays, and possibly a book. But in the English Channel, during a not very strong storm, they were not lucky. The yacht sank, Ann's husband died, and she herself was saved by a miracle.
On May 18, 1952, she left Plymouth alone. After the loss of a large yacht, she could not afford something like that and went to conquer the ocean that killed her husband on a small sloop Felicity Ann seven meters long. She crossed the Bay of Biscay and, as far as she could, kept close to the coast - first to the Portuguese, then to the Moroccan. But finally, Gran Canaria, further to Barbados itself, only waves. She left Las Palmas on 25 November; the decision to storm the ocean was not so reckless: for six months Ann tested herself, thought, and, after the hurricanes subsided, went out into the ocean.
She saw the land only two months later, because of the calm, the voyage was delayed. On January 27, 1953, she independently brought her yacht to one of the ports of Barbados. This was followed by an equally difficult journey to New York, which took nine months with stops. But the main thing had already been done: the Atlantic for the first time submitted to a woman.
TWICE ONE
About Ann Davison wrote a lot in the gas tah, she processed the diary entries and published a book. Until the end of the 50s, there were several more "female" attempts to overcome the Atlantic alone. Inspired by the example, women went out into the ocean, covered some distance, fought, but withstood a maximum of a week - and turned back or called for help. There were no tragedies, probably because the sense of self-preservation in women is much more developed than in men.
The next woman to conquer the ocean was named Sharon Sites. But it was not Ann Davison's feat that brought her to the idea of taking a perilous journey, but Francis Chichester's book "Overcoming Yourself." Thirty-three-year-old Englishwoman Sharon Sites sailed on the Sea Sharp yacht from a small California town heading for Honolulu. Indirect evidence that the decision was not too thoughtful is the fact that Sharon Sites was familiar with sails for only about a year before her start, and acquired her own yacht two days before the start.
The reason for such a hasty start was failures in his personal life, prolonged depression and a categorical refusal to communicate with relatives and friends. On the trip, Sharon Sites did not take a radio transmitter with her, explaining this by her unwillingness for someone to break her loneliness. Of course, it was a gamble to go 2 thousand miles across the treacherous ocean, and even in the summer, when strong winds and storms are inevitable on the route. And so it happened. After half a month of relatively calm navigation, the Sea Sharp almost sank during a 9-point storm. The Sea Sharp was about the same size as the Felicity Ann, but easier to steer and maneuver. However, two days before the storm, Sharon Sites broke her right arm. She put a splint on herself, smeared it with a disinfectant ointment, changed the bandages that got wet every day, but, of course, nothing to do right hand could not. It is hard to imagine how she managed the sails with one hand, and even during storms. Butin spite of everything, the 40-day voyage ended successfully.
After returning, Sharon Sites got married and once again made a successful voyage across the Pacific Ocean, but from Yokohama to the shores of California. She did not take her husband with her, but this time she installed a radio station on board the Sea Sharp-2 yacht and did not refuse to communicate. Moreover, now she suffered from loneliness. The new voyage lasted 70 days. The route covered was twice as long as the first (about 4,500 nautical miles), Sharon Sites survived ten storms, but overall the journey was much easier than the first.
FIRST STAR
Another thirty years passed, and there were several more women who conquered the Atlantic, and among them even women finalists of the transatlantic races. Some decided on absolutely desperate ventures: in 1999, the Englishwoman Tori Marden crossed the Atlantic for the first time in a rowboat, rowed almost 3 thousand miles, and then the Frenchwoman Peggy Boucher repeated her success. And in the round-the-world race "Wendy Globe" two participants were announced at once - Catherine Shabu and Ellen MacArthur.
Ellen MacArthur is the most famous woman sailing alone on a yacht. She rose to fame in 1994 when she crossed the Atlantic from the coast of France to Guadeloupe in less than 14 days. Upon learning of this, the yachting world turned upside down. The outstanding result of MacArthur showed that women may well be stronger than men. After her first major success, Ellen competed in two trans-Atlantic races and finally achieved victory in 2000 in the 60-foot Kingfisher; now the Wendy Globe was ahead.
How one can endure a race like the Wendy Globe is not fully understood by many male athletes either. After all, there is practically no time to sleep, and in order to enter the top ten, you must constantly monitor the wind and change the sails - five, ten, fifteen times a day. The modern single race is a test not only for the racer, the yacht and its stuffing, but also for coaches and personal consultants. As in any sport, yacht racing of this level requires long training, a carefully adjusted diet, the ability to psychologically unload nervous system, meditate, calm down, instantly fall asleep and sleep no longer than 20-30 minutes.
At the Wendy Globe, Ellen MacArthur took second place and became the first solo star. And it is unlikely that in the near future any of the women will be able to improve her result and achieve the same fame.
***
“In the ringing silence of the mysterious rotten fog, I felt as alone as an ant brought by a rain stream to the middle of a pond and clutching at a straw. On such days, all through me, to the last bone, I was seized by a feeling of trembling and fear of an endless and bottomless ocean, but for some reason on such days I remembered all the other fears that I had ever experienced or even heard about. All the most terrible arose and strangely mixed up in my mind. It seemed to me that if I stopped trembling and being afraid, I would die. Visions arose in front of me, laughing and crying voices retold stories from my life and about what I knew from somewhere or what I had ever read about ”
Ann Davison, 1953
***
“I love independence, and therefore I was able to overcome all the hardships that await me every day on the road. The most serious were the difficulties of a psychological rather than a technical nature. Loneliness was very annoying.
I was saved by conversations addressed to the sun, waves, yacht and stars.
Very often I resorted to a tape recorder, recorded my voice, and then listened to the recording ”
Sharon Sites, 1969
“Soon the time will come when I will return home. Today I tried to read a book to get rid of heavy obsessive thoughts, but I couldn't read, I'm very tired, so I dropped the book to the bottom, and now I'm trying to dry it on the motor box ...
AT recent times I saw ships and even traces of planes in the sky, and yesterday a light plane with photographers on board flew by. It was great to see at least someone, they flapped their wings and flew over me again. They must have taken great photos, at that moment I was sailing at a speed of 20 knots ...
Last night the wind died down, and I swam for a while at full speed - the sea is calm, there are almost no waves, so I decided to take a chance ...
I spent two hours looking for a mast, wandering the deck at night with a torch. How do I want to get home…>
Ellen MacArthur, 2002
MULULABA /Australia/, 31 May. /Special corr. ITAR-TASS Pavel Vanichkin/. The Russian traveler reached the coast of Australia. Thus, he managed to cross the Pacific Ocean alone in a rowing boat without calls to ports and outside help. The next project of the Russian traveler will be a balloon flight around the Earth...
From Chile to Australia
Konyukhov started on December 22, 2013 from the port of Concon (Chile) at 09:15 am Chilean time, covered over 17 thousand km on a boat called "Turgoyak" and finished in the town of Mululaba (Queensland) at 13:13 ET coast of Australia. "Turgoyak" has a length of 9 meters, a width of 1.8 meters, the weight of its hull made of carbon fiber is 250 kg, the weight with a full load is 850 kg.
According to the International Society of Ocean Rowers from London, Konyukhov completed the journey in 160 days. According to the society, the former best crossing achievement Pacific Ocean on a single rowboat in its southern half was 273 days.
This result was shown by the English 52-year-old rower Jim Shekdar, who started on June 29, 2000 from the Peruvian port of Ilo. Jim also raced and finished on March 30, 2001 at North Stradbroke Island.
Konyukhov originally planned to cross the Pacific Ocean in 200 days and nights. It was reported that in order to cross the ocean, the traveler had to make 4 million strokes.
Flight around the earth
"The earth is not yet very solid," said Konyukhov, who stepped ashore, to the correspondent. ITAR-TASS. His very first steps were indeed a little hesitant, but in just a few moments he was already able to walk unaided.
After the triumphant finish, answering a question about plans for the future, Konyukhov said that he had planned to make a non-stop flight around the Earth in a balloon. He intends to start in Australia, fly from west to east approximately along the 40th latitude and finish again in Australia. However, the traveler categorically refused to say when this might happen. “I have been traveling for more than 40 years,” Konyukhov recalled. “I used to do it mainly for scientific purposes and for sporting interests, but now I am thinking about the younger generation, to whom I want to instill the spirit of romance. I want people to dream more.”
Answering the question of corr. ITAR-TASS, about the difficulties during the journey, Konyukhov said: "At first it was difficult, and then even more difficult." “The main difficulty of this kind of test lies in its monotony,” the traveler continued the story. “Every day I tried to row for 18 hours, slept for 20-25 minutes, but not more than two and a half hours a day. I walked with God's help - all the biggest hurricanes passed by me, the boat never capsized, I was helped by fair currents.
With a happy ending
He sent a greeting to Konyukhov, which was read out by the Russian Ambassador to Australia, Vladimir Morozov, who took part in the meeting of the Russian traveler in the city of Mululaba. About five hundred people gathered to meet the famous Russian traveler on the beach of the city - his friends, local residents, visiting tourists, journalists.
“I am glad to congratulate you on the successful completion of the expedition “On a rowboat across the Pacific Ocean,” the President’s greeting reads. “This unique trip was closely followed by your colleagues, scientists and experts, members of the Russian Geographical Society, and maritime enthusiasts from many countries. Thanks to courage and steadfastness, extraordinary human and professional qualities You have withstood difficult trials, conquered the water element."
"Today we can say with confidence that the first ever solo rowing boat trip from the coast of Chile to Australia was successful. And you continued the wonderful traditions of the great Russian explorers and travelers who made a great contribution to the study of the oceans. I wish you all the best and the fulfillment of new plans," the president said in a greeting.
63-year-old Russian priest Orthodox Church Fedor Konyukhov is the first person in the world who managed to reach the five poles of our planet: the North (three times), the South, the Pole of relative inaccessibility in the Arctic Ocean (poles of altitude) and Cape Horn (poles of yachtsmen). Konyukhov became the first Russian who managed to complete the Seven Summits of the World program - to climb the highest peak of each continent. He managed to cross now two oceans in a rowboat. In 2002, he single-handedly crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a URALAZ rowboat, setting a world record of 3,000 nautical miles in 46 days.
Sailing across the ocean is considered an extremely difficult event, almost the pinnacle of yachting skills and even, almost a feat. God, we're being fooled again! And their own. Well, okay, hang noodles on the young ladies' ears, but among our own, maybe we will already reveal this terrible secret, kept by so many generations of sailors?
The secret is that crossing the ocean in the right season, in the right direction and on a reliable, well-equipped boat is simple and, in general, rather monotonous, if not boring. Walking on the open ocean is much calmer, safer and more comfortable than spinning in the archipelago or in the sea, not to mention coastal swimming, or, God forbid, rivers or suburban reservoirs.
What fears arise before your eyes when you imagine crossing the ocean?
Let's try to look them in the face.
Weather disasters - storm with huge waves or dead calm...
Is it possible to die from Russian frosts? Can. This was experienced more than once by foreigners who decided to go to war with us. Since then, everyone around knows for sure that there are terrible frosts in Russia. Good. But you and I know that it is impossible to freeze here in the summer. It's impossible. With all your will. But we also “know” that a storm or calm can happen in the ocean! My friends, for the ocean we are the same foreigners, and in the same way we are mistaken. I will open the most main secret all sailors - in the right season, and with an understanding of the routes of transition, it is impossible to get into the ocean in a severe storm or in calm. No way. With all your will. Well, at least as long as our planet's climate remains stable.
After realizing this fact, everything becomes quite simple.
Look closely!
Even more carefully!!
This is what a trans-ocean crossing looks like.
In the right season, and when moving in the right direction in tropical latitudes, across a desert surface stretching to the horizon, you, around the clock, will be carried by an even tailwind trade wind or monsoon with a force of 15-20, rarely 25 knots, with a wave of 3-4 , rarely 5 points. The speed (cruise) of the boat will be within 5-7 knots, you will cover a little more than a hundred miles per day. The wind will increase slightly by dawn, walking within ten degrees during the day. Once you set the sails and adjust the autopilot, you can go weeks without touching anything at all. Make sure that the sheets, autopilot drives and sails do not fray at the points of contact with the rigging, and try not to lie to yourself. I was mainly worried about the ear crawling around the clock on the pillow. The way out was a pillow from an airplane with a hole in the middle.
About the seasons and directions of transitions will be discussed separately for each ocean, but there is one general and very important rule. The seasons in the ocean change very dramatically. This is very unusual for residents of middle latitudes - there are no long off-season periods in the ocean when you can still slip through, but with less comfort. It won't work in the ocean. If it is said that the southern seas of the Pacifica are closed from December to March, this means that on the fifth of December such things can fly that even the Saints can endure. Don't pull the devil's mustache - if it says on our website that the season is over or hasn't started yet, then you don't have to go out into the ocean. If you go in a favorable season, then (in tropical latitudes) it is IMPOSSIBLE to get into a weather anomaly.
Is it still scary? It is clear that it is scary - this is a psychological barrier in front of the grandiosity of the Ocean, and no matter how much they say and reassure the experienced, from one figure in two with something thousands of miles of the upcoming transition it becomes uncomfortable.
What else can happen to you?
If you choose and equip a boat in accordance with the recommendations that will be given on this site, then in open ocean even watch is not particularly needed. Don't believe? Let's think about what kind of mess can happen to a yacht, at least theoretically.
Danger of collision with the vessel.
In the open ocean, outside the zones of trade routes, a meeting of a ship is a rather rare event. If somewhere in the distance a ship passes, it will be detected by electronics, which we will talk about separately, equipping our dream yacht, and this will not be a danger, but rather an occasion for discussion. When does the "open" ocean begin? One hundred and fifty miles from the nearest coast, where fishermen and theoretically possible pirates do not swim (the cost of fuel at such a distance begins to exceed the cost of the catch), you can already say that you are alone. Well, unless you're part of some stupid rally! And so, you just need to make sure that you do not cross (do not go along) the zones of trade routes. We will talk about these zones separately.
Danger of collision with a floating object or a whale.
Don't save yourself from this. No way. No amount of staring into the darkness, no radar or echo sounder will save you. Thermal imager? Well, perhaps. Only then you need to stare at him without stopping for a second, because those hundred meters, beyond which something flickers on the screen, the yacht will pass in thirty seconds. It's not real. It is much more efficient to initially choose the right boat (we will talk about this in the “Dream Yacht” section), which, in the event of a meeting with a particularly large object, will not lose the rudder or keel, and will be strong enough not to crack like an eggshell. The good news is that the oceans are still quite clean of large man-made debris, and whales, in general, have good hearing. So this scenario is more for films.
Yacht malfunction.
Rigging breaks, autopilot and spar failures, electrical problems, hull troubles (especially in tight areas), torn sails… Yes, this can and does happen. This means only one thing - you poorly prepared your vessel, did not follow the recommendations that will be given on this resource, and did not test the boat before going out into the ocean. This is bad. They themselves are to blame - it was better to work on the shore.
Preparing a yacht for a trans-ocean passage should be taken seriously and slowly, by conducting training trips, during which the yacht is hard loaded, testing it for strength. This is especially true if you have just bought a boat and you do not know its diseases! Regrettably, this also applies to newly built yachts - the quality of work at shipyards leaves much to be desired, including those of well-known manufacturers, where they drive the conveyor, sometimes losing quality.
If you choose, equip and prepare the boat correctly, do not overload the materiel with extra sails, trying to set another stupid record, then most likely nothing will happen to your yacht - you are going full heading in moderate wind, which means that loads for all boat systems are thirty percent of the calculated ones.
Unexpected illness or injury.
Illness is always extremely unpleasant. But, you need to understand that there are no ordinary flu-colds in the ocean - where does the microbe come from? And the number of unexpected (not having early symptoms) diseases is not at all as large as it seems, and we will also talk about them. Let's talk about the first aid kit. But the teeth must be done in advance!
Injuries are a very real danger, especially at the beginning, until the body has gained experience in moving on a swinging platform. Therefore, your every movement on the yacht should be thoughtful, confident, smooth and soft. Do you know how to immediately distinguish an experienced yachtsman from a beginner? A beginner stomps, but the movements of an experienced person around the yacht are not audible. On a boat, a person turns into a primate - you should always have at least three points of support. No running on two legs! You should always fix yourself with your hand, booty, hip, back, and even with your teeth. The surfaces of the yacht must be clean - your life may depend on a smear of slippery slime left on the deck from the caught fish. Although, Annushka can spill oil on the Patriarchs too.
Fall overboard.
May happen. And, almost with absolute certainty, this is a slow and painful death. Finding a person who has fallen overboard in the ocean is almost impossible. And in the dark - absolutely impossible. But, it all depends on you, no one will specifically push you overboard. (Although, there are options - watch the psychological climate in the crew!) In ordinary life, you don’t stand close to the edge of the platform, do you? Do you fasten your seat belts in your car? This is exactly the case when fear is a good adviser. Better let your favorite baseball cap fly overboard, or the fish, the hell with it, will break. We have made it a rule that before dusk, a person on deck should be in a comfortable, fitted vest-harness, equipped with a light, a “man overboard” system, and fastened with a safety belt. We will talk about other rules that must be observed in order not to see your yacht disappearing at dusk.
Fire on the ship.
Despite the abundance of water around, a fire is really scary, especially on a plastic boat. Extinguishing burning plastic is extremely difficult, especially if a hard-to-reach compartment lights up, where they like to live very much, and electric wires rub against each other on the pitching. As on land, a fire is usually caused by a faulty electrical wiring, which is much more likely in a salty environment, or by a stove. We will also talk about this separately. But you can buy a couple of good fire extinguishers right now.
Lightning?- In the open ocean, the probability is small, but we will also talk about protection from God's wrath.
What else? Meteorite? Sea monster? Aliens? Ghost ship? Fuck it, this won't happen to you. The submarine can float, yes. It happened to us in Pacifica. Only we never saw it - just wild radar activity in the middle of the ocean - and there is nobody. What else could it be?
So, one hundred and fifty miles from the coast, go fishing, read, write, draw, play the guitar, watch movies or listen to audio books. Think eternal. Love each other. Look at the ocean, admire it, remember these wonderful minutes that turn into hours and days. "With eyes, mouth and skin, drink space." Live! And you will not notice how the transition will flash by, and then you will remember it as one of the most pleasant adventures in your life.
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In order to vividly feel all the audacity of the human spirit, one must be on the high seas, when one thin plank separates us from blissful death.
On the morning of November 17, 1993, it became known that in the Bay of Biscay, approximately at the latitude of La Rochelle, the MAX-4 boat was found on the shore, but it performed an unprecedented circumnavigation Evgeny Smurgis is not on board. No matter how much everyone would like to keep the hope of his salvation, with every hour the belief in a miracle became more and more unrealistic. And so - on November 21, about the same place, on the beach near the resort town of La Tranblade, a body was found ...
For more than twenty-five years he has been a true friend of the editorial staff, our regular contributor, freelance correspondent. He is now buried in native land- in Lipetsk, next to the grave of his father. His famous boat became an exhibit of the Maritime Museum in the French town of La Tranblade, far from Lipetsk. In Lipetsk, a street is named after him. A part of the diary preserved in the boat and comments on it, written by V. Galenko, were published in the magazine "Vokrug Sveta" (see No. 8 and No. 9, 1994). Nevertheless, the interest in this unique person is so great that readers still turn to us with a request to tell us about his last voyage, to try to answer the question, what happened in the Bay of Biscay?
More than two and a half years have passed since the tragic death of Smurgis. It so happened that all this time we did not have the opportunity to communicate with readers. Only now, with a great delay, can we print the few materials at our disposal that give some idea of the nineteenth in a row, the last great voyage of Yevgeny Pavlovich.
We consider it our duty to thank the editorial staff of the Vokrug Sveta magazine for their help in preparing the publication, as well as Evgeny Pavlovich's friend and like-minded person - the coordinator of the rowing around the world, professional sailor, yacht captain Vasily Ivanovich Galenko.
Interview before the start
Before going to sea, Smurgis Sr. gave an interview to the correspondent of the newspaper "Soviet Murman" - a young journalist Angela Kovaleva.We publish the text of their conversation with some minor cuts.
А.К.: Isn't it scary - into the ocean on a simple wooden boat?
It's scary to sit in such a boat for the first time. And when you have 42,000 difficult kilometers covered by oars, it becomes a familiar home, your fortress, you begin to feel like a part of it. When you know how to extreme situation, anxiety, uncertainty are dulled, disappear. But in general, as long as a person appreciates his life, he cannot get rid of the feeling of fear. It is inherent in everyone, they just need to learn how to manage. And for this, the will and reason are given. For this, self-confidence is also needed - faith in yourself, in your star. Without them, it is impossible to succeed either on land or in the ocean.
А.К.: I can imagine: a huge ocean - and a small, small dot - a boat. Probably, feeling like a grain in a vast and vast world, willy-nilly, you believe in the existence of the Almighty?
Despite the fact that I grew up in a family of atheists and do not believe in God, sometimes situations arose when I called on God. I remember two cases when there was nothing left but to ask the Lord: "Help!"
A.K .: To be cut off from big world must be very difficult? How did you deal with loneliness?
Boat travel is a 24-hour watch. After all, this is work on the oars, and entries in the diary, and cooking. There is a goal, an idea - and everything is subordinated only to it. And so there is no time to pay attention to loneliness. But when it does come - the weather deteriorates for a long time, something breaks, does not stick, and there is nowhere to wait for help, indeed, you begin to feel somehow abandoned, cut off from the whole. You try to drive away this feeling, you say: "It's all temporary, everything will be fine soon." You remember something good and - loneliness recedes. On earth, in everyday life, we are all so enslaved by communication, duties, inconsistencies that sometimes we stop understanding ourselves. At sea, it's the other way around. There is time to calmly think about everything, to sort everything out. You become wiser.
A.K .: You are not going around the world alone - with your 22-year-old son. Are you afraid for him? But you're not so young, are you?
We tested our strength - we walked 9,000 kilometers together. When we went from Dixon to Murmansk, we twice fell into a cyclone, out of 43 days it stormed 37. There was a very great danger of capsizing, and in northern waters this is a sure and quick death from hypothermia. Sasha survived. Now we are going to race. Every 1.5-2 thousand kilometers we plan parking specifically for recuperation. In London, for example, we will be idle for two or three weeks, at the same time we will be understaffing, preparing the boat for the passage through Biscay. And everything that comes before that, we consider simply as another test of strength - a test voyage before throwing across the ocean, for which we will already be preparing in Spain.
A few words about the start and route
The start was given a little later than the date planned by the schedule: Yevgeny Pavlovich's father died, there were organizational problems, and finally, they were just waiting for the weather. In fact, only on June 4, Evgeny Smurgis and his son Alexander left Murmansk for the Kola Bay. Now an 8-meter wooden boat has become their home for a long 16 months (according to calculation), incessant and dangerous work awaited ahead in the seas of three oceans.Two words about the start. The heavy northwest with rain could not extinguish the joyful relief - finally, the torment with the design of the exit in " best traditions"times of stagnation. Now I was a witness, and to some extent a participant in an important event for all sailors and travelers - the beginning of the Atlantic stage of the first purely rowing round-the-world voyage.
The sailor from the Deviator tugboat assigned for wires calmly followed our actions, which meant farewell to people on a small boat, and somehow casually asked: "Where are they?" “Around the world,” I answered simply. And then the sailor assessed what was happening in a completely different way. And in particular - strange scenes at the pier with the arrival of an armed detachment, with the removal of customs seals on the doors of the "kubricks" of "MAX-4" ...
And I don’t want to remember about the official farewell a little earlier - on June 2, which, as the newspaper Sovetsky Murman wrote, “turned into a scandal”. But we have to. So that in the future there will be no such shameful relapses of the past with anyone.
Just before going out to sea, it was necessary to appear at the checkpoint - to put the stamp "departure" on the documents of the only ocean rowing vessel of its kind. This word "ship" was unexpected and became a stumbling block. Three days ago, no one objected to the ship's documents - we were only waiting for the weather to improve. But it was during these three days of guard maritime border discovered a secret instruction according to which "rowing boats do not belong to the class of ships." This was not an innocent refinement of the term. From the fact that "MAX-4" was not recognized as a ship, it followed that it was necessary to re-register the exit ...
We referred to the unrepealed "Code of Merchant Shipping", which considers a vessel "any self-propelled or non-self-propelled floating structure", used including "for sports", presented a "Ship's ticket" giving the right to hoist the State flag with seals and signatures. However, they could not convince the border guards. Began an emergency with calls and faxes. I do not know at what level, in the bowels of which system the issue was resolved, but two days later it was nevertheless resolved. Two weeks later, Eugene called from the Norwegian port of Tromso. He said that everything was in order, and only casually mentioned that beyond the Rybachy Peninsula, a strong storm had thrown the "MAX-4" back to their native shores, and here they were ... arrested as border violators. It took two whole days for the border guards to re-solve the issue that had just been resolved!
Having again gone to sea only on June 9, our sailors once again crossed the border, under the cover of the islands, despite the action of the Gulf Stream, they noticeably increased their speed and tried to enter a severely disrupted schedule, dreaming of the first big stop in London. Only later, from their diary, I learned that the northernmost tip of Europe - Cape Nordkin (71 ° 08 "north latitude) - they went around (in the rain) late in the evening of June 15. On the approaches to Nordkin there were first meetings with people: when they heard that two people were sailing to London on a boat, everyone laughed ...
Now I will answer questions related to the choice of an unusual route for circumnavigating the world. All the highest achievements of rowers so far have been limited to crossing the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean separately. To implement the idea put forward for the first time, if I am not mistaken, by the Englishman Derek King in 1974, the idea of circumnavigation by rowing had to be crossed Indian Ocean located between the Pacific and Atlantic. But no one has yet tried to conquer it on a rowboat. And it is no coincidence - this is not an easy nut to crack.
It seems to me that Smurgis found a way out by proposing an alternative option - the path of the Arctic Ocean, which is much closer to Russians, completely overlapping the expanses of the Indian "in longitude" and no less difficult. Thus, the idea arose to start a round-the-world trip from the Arctic section of the global route and, since it is not possible to pass the Northern Sea Route by boat in one short navigation, to overcome this section in parts.
Successful overcoming of the greater western part of this Arctic route in three stages - from Tiksi to Murmansk - convinced both Evgeny Smurgis himself and all his associates of the reality of the idea of a round-the-world trip as a whole.
The route "MAX-4" did not provide for the crossing of the equator, traditionally mandatory for the "classic" circumnavigation of the world, but after all, the voyage was conceived unconventional. The incredible difficulty of navigation in the Arctic zone deserves, in our opinion, more respect than an unnecessary throw to the south, beyond the equator.
The main milestones of the started path were designated as follows: Tiksi, Dixon, Murmansk, Norway, Holland, London, Brest, San Sebastian, Lisbon, Cadiz, Canary Islands, Barbados, Panama Canal, San Francisco, Vancouver, Nome, Bering Strait, Pevek and finally Tiksi again.
So, a significant northern part of the path has already been passed, "MAX-4" safely rounded Norway and crossed the North Sea ("We hang out all day, rising to 4-5-meter waves and rapidly falling from them"). An exhausting heavy voyage began along the shallow coast of Denmark, Germany, Holland - in the crush of waves, against strong winds. On these shallows, our sailors lost the most in weight. I didn't sleep more than two hours in a row. There was so much water in the boat that a 15-liter bucket was used four times in an hour; the average daily crossings for 19 days amounted to only 23 km, while earlier Evgeny had never had less than 70 ...
All hope now was for a holiday in London.
Path to Biscay
88 days after the release - on August 30 - Smurgisa's father and son, after three days of uninterrupted rowing, reached the shores of England. The boat got to London fairly battered - "the frames were loosened, putty spilled out, a leak appeared." The Atlantic severely dealt with the crew: the sea "penal servitude" was worth the loss of 9 kg of weight to the eldest and 6 kg to the youngest. Much of the food stock went bad and had to be thrown away. With such a harsh transition and a heavy load, the multi-day absence of vitamins was especially difficult to endure.The parking lot in London - V. Galenko told about it in more or less detail on the pages of "Around the World" - was mainly occupied with repairs, which the "team" coped with on its own. They received guests - sailors and yachtsmen, compatriots and foreigners. They enjoyed special attention from both Russian and local journalists. On Saturday, September 25, among 196 boats "MAX-4" participated in the traditional rowing regatta on the Thames. This was the first time in the history of the Great River Cruise that a boat from Russia was involved. To compete in the category of fours, the crew had to be supplemented with two more rowers - these were Peter King and Dominic Kaprech. Came somewhere in the fourth ten - finished at the "Cutty Sark". Our boat was warmly greeted by those gathered (these shots were shown on Russian television).
However, there was still not enough money to continue the heroic voyage. Saved on everything, even on food. (It was not for nothing that when the voyage ended tragically, one of the newspaper publications was called “The cheapest circumnavigation of the world”.) Gifts helped to some extent. So a good fishing suit appeared on the boat. Andrew Thorne brought in a superb diaphragm desalination pump (4.5 liters per hour fresh water). The small-sized Magellan satellite navigation system was also a gift, which later turned out to be either faulty or simply not very necessary ...
The next major port of call after London was San Sebastian, a Spanish port on the border with France. Then, after a rest, we had to go around the Iberian Peninsula and in Cadiz we were already thoroughly preparing for going out into the open ocean, to the Canaries. In the south of Europe, the Smurgis were expecting a mild autumn. Theoretically, it seemed that the repaired boat, a fresh supply of provisions, purchased equipment, and, most importantly, the rest and experience gained, promised to make the forthcoming part of the route relatively easy. But all this is only theoretical.
The most unpleasant thing is that the question of the psychological incompatibility of the MAX-4 crew members suddenly arose. Speaking on the radio in the BBC program, Yevgeny Pavlovich expressed himself cautiously on this subject, mentioning that the problem of fathers and children exists always and everywhere, even in a boat, that disputes over everyday trifles are inevitable. However, it was apparently not a matter of trifles. It is not for us to judge what happened when father and son were left alone in a London hotel room. One thing is clear. In the end, Sasha (according to the ship's role - "navigator") left his father and returned from England to his homeland, Evgeny Pavlovich was left alone and this was an irreparable blow ...
It is no coincidence that the following entries appeared in the diary of Yevgeny Pavlovich immediately after entering the English Channel:
- "We went to England with great hopes, but left - alone, with a huge loss of time, without rest, without salty slurping" (10/21/93);
- "The boat is leaking, products for 10 days, the compartments are depressurized" (10/22/93);
- "Everything is damp. I haven't undressed for the third day" (10/23/93)...
Alas, things turned out differently. Formidable at any time of the year, Biscay became doubly formidable now, when, due to the increasing delay, it was necessary to cross it at the most unfavorable time - the season of autumn storms had already begun, when I had to row alone and did not get a good rest.
In connection with this, the option of changing the route was considered. It was possible to safely cross France by inland waterways (as advised by the famous Gerard d'Aboville) and, once in the Mediterranean, go to the Atlantic already in the subtropical zone through Gibraltar, having rested and prepared for a throw in Spain. However, Smurgis would not be Smurgis if he agreed to retreat. He said, "I won't wet the boat with fresh water."
So, on September 29, "MAX-4" after a month's parking left London and a few days later found itself standing in Dover - next to the "Comrade" stuck here due to storms. Due to bad weather, it was possible to go to sea only on the third attempt and only on October 8th.
There was a seemingly easy 125-mile passage to Southampton, but the current and headwind were so strong that they had to take cover behind the coastal spit and give up anchor. And at dawn the next day, during an 8-point storm, the boat, standing in shallow water, was flooded and then turned over by ferocious waves. As Smurgis said by phone, he hardly brought the "MAX-4" back to normal, threw himself ashore with the boat, lit a fire and again began to wait for the weather to improve. The bottom of the boat was damaged. Now the call to Southampton has become necessary already for repairs.
For several days of staying at the Rowing Club in Lydda, Evgeny Pavlovich managed to somehow bring his ship into a more or less "normal condition", however, even after that, as, indeed, after a "thorough" repair in Southampton, the flow began to flow along the grooves constant.
Late in the evening of October 21, Smurgis entered the English Channel. The weather was still windy and cold. To keep the right course, struggling with both the opposite current and the east wind that threatened to carry the boat into the ocean, it was necessary to work most of the time with one right oar. It was exhausting and, most importantly, reduced speed. (A short note appeared in the diary for the future: while parking in Spain, it is imperative to make a rudder and a keel fin). There was no way to rest. There was an unexpected loneliness. Involuntarily, the mood was gloomy.
Here is an entry made on the evening of October 25: “Gloomy thoughts are wandering in my head. According to the ideal plan, Vasily should already be roasting his belly in the Canary Islands, and he hasn’t even set foot on the coast of France ... In the morning the spirit plays, and with the onset of darkness and cold, the mood drops ".
However, Smurgis would not have been Smurgis if this recording, far from Superman's optimism, had not ended on a completely different note: "No, the greatest work of life must be done to the end!" And on the same day when this record was made, three points appeared on the horizon - the Channel Islands, and then the root coast - the coveted coast of France. The next morning he landed and chose a typical French coast White stone to turn it into an anchor.
As V. Galenko noted in his commentary, incomplete 6 days to overcome the English Channel in far from the easiest conditions is quite a decent time, daily crossings amounted to 50-60 km.
When rounding the Brittany Peninsula and on the approaches to Brest, there are no entries in the diary. Let's quote V. Galenko again: "This is a dangerous area for any slow-moving vessel: with an inept maneuver, it can be carried into the ocean or thrown onto the rocks in a couple of hours."
At this "French" stage of the voyage, there was no contact with Smurgis, he was forced to save money on the phone. According to press reports, it is known that on October 30 "MAX-4" arrived in Brest - major port and the main base of the French Navy. The captain of the "MAX-4" posed for TV and newspapers, stocked up on food and immediately, on the very next day, went to the Bay of Biscay (Gascony).
The further path passed along the coast, which has long enjoyed the most gloomy fame of "ship-eaters". It is very difficult to lay a course over rocks and reefs with large tidal fluctuations in the water level, on complex changing currents, among steep waves and whirlpools. Walking in poor visibility is not an option. It is not always possible to approach the rocky shores; it was not always possible to choose a more or less calm place for parking. So, the newspaper "Telegram" placed a curious picture: "MAX-4" hangs on the stones, exposed with the ebb, although when the anchor was released in the evening it was "a patch of clean water."
One way or another, Smurgis passed the L "Irua Bay without any special adventures and entered the Odiern Bay through the Strait of Ras de Seine. Following along the coast, he reached its southern part and before going around the far from hospitable Cape Penmark surrounded by rocks , decided to spend the night near the small fishing port of Saint-Genole.
Here he met Alexander Larchikov - a young teacher French from the city of Vyborg.
Last interview
A chance brought me to Evgeny Smurgis. I was visiting friends in Brittany. On the morning of November 2, when I opened the local Telegram, I found an article about a Russian traveler making a round-the-world voyage on oars and making a stop in Brest. Since the navigator spoke only Russian, the journalists could not interview him, they learned something thanks to the documents on board, and, in particular, a folding book - a prospectus with an English text.The announcement of this extraordinary event aroused great interest among local residents- mostly fishermen who know a lot about maritime affairs. Therefore, when it became known that Smurgis had called at the port of Saint-Genole, my friend Olivier Melennek, an employee of West France (the largest newspaper in France), asked me to go there and help with the translation of a conversation with a navigator from Russia. Naturally, I agreed. The interview was entrusted to the correspondent of the newspaper Bernard Dilocer. He picked me up at Treffiagate, where I lived, and we went to Saint-Genole.
When we arrived at the port, it began to get dark, it was raining lightly. Having strayed along the shore in search of Smurgis's boat, we came across a group of local fishermen, animatedly talking just on the topic of interest to us. Various opinions were expressed. Some spoke of Smurgis as the Russian Gerard d'Abovil, who became a national hero of France. Others advised calling the police - you can't let a person commit suicide, the port captain should forbid him to go to sea! Someone told about what was in front of his eyes sent to the "psychiatric hospital of a rower who sailed on the same boat from England.
They helped to find "MAX-4". Indeed, against the backdrop of trawlers, the boat looked rather frivolous. It seemed incredible that it was possible to make a journey from Dixon to Brittany on it. The boat was anchored thirty meters from the shore. I shouted several times in Russian: “Is there anyone on board?” Smurgis was obviously resting, so he got out from under the tent and did not answer right away. He answered with a question:
What are the fates of the Russian in these parts?
It would be necessary to talk, - I said, - if you don't mind.
Where can you dock here? My keel is damaged, and there are stones all around ...
I transferred the question to the local sailors, they immediately pointed to a small beach about a hundred meters from the MAX-4 parking lot. Yevgeny Smurgis sat down at the oars, quickly paddled to the shore, got out of the boat, and introduced himself. He was dressed in high waders, rubberized trousers and a jacket, another pair of the same trousers was thrown over his shoulders. Short, lean, with a coffee-colored face from sunburn. He seemed to me very tired, one might say haggard.
So what are the fates here? was his first question.
Visiting friends, - I answered, - and now I'll try to interview you for a French newspaper.
There won't be a long conversation. The tide begins to ebb, the boat runs the risk of being left on the sand. I have to leave early in the morning, I'm in a hurry and I can't waste another day. When will you be in Leningrad? In two weeks? Go to the editorial office of the magazine "Boats and Yachts", pass the photos, if, of course, you get it - it's dark, it's raining. Tell them the boat capsized at Dover. The keel is damaged, there is a leak.
So how do you swim?
The leak is small, about a bucket of water in about eight hours. I'm scooping out. Dampness torments me the most, I just can’t get wet anymore. After all, there is no dryer. I cook on a gas stove, but you can’t dry clothes on it.
The fishermen said that there is a workshop nearby in the port where the boat can be lifted for repairs.
Repair will be in Spain. I'm way off schedule...
They write that you also participated in some kind of race?
Yes, I thought that participation in the race on the Thames would help solve financial problems, but, alas, hopes did not materialize.
Listening to the little that I translated Bernard into French, the fishermen standing nearby tried to intervene all the time - they gave advice and were offended that I did not translate them. The words of Yevgeny Pavlovich that he had been rowing for twenty-seven years, twice mentioned in the Guinness Book and that he had to sail in a storm in the polar Barents Sea, aroused admiration and an even greater desire to help a sailor from Russia.
The Gulf of Gascony is very dangerous in autumn, it is better to repair here right away, they insistently repeated.
I know, but my boat is made of wood and plastic. Before closing the crack, you need to dry the body for a long time, and I can no longer wait until the tree dries. I'll get to Spain, I'll repair it there.
God bless you, the fishermen replied.
Indeed, we did not have time to talk plainly: the water subsided, Yevgeny Pavlovich began to say goodbye. He returned to his former parking place, and Bernard and I went to the bureau to write the text of the interview. (There is nothing interesting in the text itself for the readers of "KiYa"; it is intended for French readers.)
Our meeting lasted no more than 15 minutes, but I will remember it for a long time. For the first time in my life I met such a strong person. Strong in spirit and body. A real man. At the age of 54, going to sea on oars and being so far from the Motherland, going from Murmansk to Saint-Genole - this cannot but arouse admiration!
Two weeks later, when I was already at home, Olivier Melennek called me and told me the tragic news: - "MAX-4" was found empty!
Recording cut off in mid-sentence
One thing can be said for sure - Alexander Larchikov was the last one who spoke with Yevgeny Pavlovich in his native language.We can only judge what happened after the interview, how Smurgis felt during the last kilometers of this 48,000-kilometer rowing marathon, which began many, many years ago, from brief entries in the diary preserved in the boat found on the beach of La - Tremblade...
Bo-time of a two-day stop at the Croix-de-Vie (November 9-10) he summed up the ten days. Passed in a straight line from Brest along the coast - 300 km, in fact - no less than 400! San Sebastian is about 500 km away. If you count in nautical miles, this is quite a bit. Only 270 miles. But already passed in this incredible circumnavigation of the world, at least 6100 miles from Tiksi (to the west) - 220 times more! However, the power is no more. Apparently, we will have to arrange a holiday in Royan, at the mouth of the Gironde.
November 12th. La Rochelle. This is the last time he went ashore. Yevgeny Pavlovich is in a hurry. In the yacht harbor "finished" at 14.00; a quick excursion to the city, bought some small things in the nearest marina (I made sure that the "French gas" did not fit the existing cylinder and stove), and at dusk I went out to sea again.
In the evening he wrote: "I worked for two hours - I let go of the anchor. The accumulated fatigue somehow fell on my soul and body at once. The sixth month without a single day off, without rest. I would rather have a full-blooded rest in warmth and at least a week, restore my strength and spirit a little."
The next day, the entry is even gloomier: “There is no one to blame: he himself deliberately went to the exit of an unprepared expedition. "However, even now there is not even a thought about at least a temporary cessation of navigation - oh" winter holidays", the possibility of which was not rejected in principle, although it was meant that they would be needed later, already in America. Three lines later, the mood is better: "There is money - no money, cold, hungry - hard, but the cause for which they came out is moving forward, although not as fast as we would like. And with great losses." This refers, of course, to parting with his son, which seriously disrupted the traffic schedule and affected his well-being.
The night of November 13-14, Yevgeny Pavlovich spent "cling" to a fishing buoy at the three-story wall of Fort Bayard (now well known from French television broadcasts), "in anxiety - the boat was galloping on breakers", shaking "like on a vibration stand."
And the next "working day" went well - three forces carried the boat at once: a fair wind, a current and a rower. Finally, it was possible to "overfulfill the norm"! By 16.00 Smurgis was at the southern tip of Oleron Island.
"Went to the mark and dropped anchor. Settle until the next high tide."
This last entry ends literally in mid-sentence. I ate, sat down at the diary, heard the noise of a helicopter, then the red helicopter descended, hovered, so as not to disturb, at a venerable distance (“not like ours”) ...
Later, Galenko talked with these same helicopter pilots. They said that this was their usual flyby of the coast before the oncoming storm. There were no other ships in the strait. They flew up to Smurgis's boat, which they had seen standing at the fort the day before. The megaphone warned of the upcoming increase in wind, pointed to the nearest shelter. From the boat, he showed that "everything is OK."
Let's not speculate about what happened on that stormy night of November 15, while standing in the open winds and shallow water waves. Why did Yevgeny Pavlovich end up in the water without a life jacket, but in heavy boots? Why was the safety belt not fastened? Why did he get out of the cabin? What threw him overboard? There are many questions. And we will never get an answer. A wonderful person who was not used to turning off the chosen path died ...
It is not the harsh elements of the sea that kill the shipwrecked, but their own fears and weaknesses. To prove this, the French physician Alain Bombard crossed the Atlantic in an inflatable boat without food or water.
In May 1951, the French trawler Notre-Dame de Peyrag set sail from the port of Equiem. At night, the ship went off course and was thrown by the waves onto the ledge of the Carnot mole. The ship sank, but almost the entire crew managed to put on their vests and leave the ship. The sailors had to swim a short distance to get to the stairs on the wall of the pier. What was the surprise of the port doctor Alain Bombard when in the morning the rescuers pulled 43 corpses ashore! People who found themselves in the water simply did not see the point in fighting the elements and drowned, remaining afloat.
stock of knowledge
The doctor who witnessed the tragedy could not boast of great experience. He was only twenty-six years old. While still studying at the university, Alain was interested in the capabilities of the human body in extreme conditions. He collected a mass of documented facts, when daredevils remained alive on rafts and boats, in cold and in heat, with a flask of water and a can of canned food on the fifth, tenth and even thirtieth day after the crash. And then he put forward a version that it is not the sea that kills people, but their own fear and despair.The sea wolves just laughed at the arguments of yesterday's student. "Boy, you've only seen the sea from the pier, but you're getting into serious questions," the ship's doctors said arrogantly. And then Bombar decided to experimentally prove his case. He conceived a voyage as close as possible to the conditions of a sea disaster.
Before trying his hand, Alain decided to stock up on knowledge. Six months, from October 1951 to March 1952, the Frenchman spent in the laboratories of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.
Alain Bombard with a hand press, which he squeezed out of the fish "juice"
He studied the chemical composition of sea water, types of plankton, the structure of marine fish. The Frenchman learned that more than half of sea fish consists of fresh water. And fish meat contains less salt than beef. So, Bombar decided, you can quench your thirst with juice squeezed out of fish. He also found out that sea water is also drinkable. True, in small doses. And the plankton that whales eat is quite edible.
One on one with the ocean
With his adventurous idea, Bombar captivated two more people. But due to the dimensions of the rubber bowl (4.65 by 1.9 m), I took only one of them with me.Rubber boat "Heretic" - on it Alain Bombard went to conquer the elements
The boat itself was a tightly inflated rubber horseshoe, the ends of which were connected by a wooden stern. The bottom, on which a light wooden flooring (elani) lay, was also made of rubber. On the sides were placed four inflatable floats. The acceleration of the boat was supposed to be given by a quadrangular sail with an area of three square meters. The name of the ship was a match for the navigator himself - "Heretic".
Bombar later wrote that the reason for choosing the name was that most people considered his idea "heresy", not believing in the possibility of surviving on only seafood and salt water.
However, Bombar did take something into the boat: a compass, a sextant, navigational books and photographic accessories. On board were also a first aid kit, a box of water and food, which were sealed in order to exclude temptation. They were intended for the most extreme case.
Alain's partner was to be the English yachtsman Jack Palmer. Together with him, Bombard made a trial voyage on the "Heretic" from Monaco to the island of Minorca lasting seventeen days. The experimenters recalled that already in that voyage they experienced a deep sense of fear and helplessness before the elements. But the result of the campaign everyone regarded in their own way. Bombard was inspired by the victory of his will over the sea, and Palmer decided that he would not tempt fate twice. At the appointed time of sailing, Palmer simply did not appear at the port, and Bom-bar had to go to the Atlantic alone.
On October 19, 1952, the motor yacht towed the Heretic from the port of Puerto de la Luz in the Canary Islands to the ocean and unhooked the cable. The northeast trade wind blew into a small sail, and the Heretic set off into the unknown.
It is worth noting that Bombard made the experiment more difficult by choosing voyages from Europe to America. In the middle of the 20th century, ocean routes ran hundreds of miles from Bombar's path, and he simply did not have a chance to feed himself at the expense of good sailors.
Against nature
On one of the first nights of the voyage, Bombar got into a terrible storm. The boat filled with water, and only the floats kept it on the surface. The Frenchman tried to bail out water, but he did not have a ladle, and it was pointless to do it with his palms. I had to adjust the hat. By morning the sea calmed down, and the traveler perked up.A week later, the wind tore the sail that propelled the boat. The bomber set a new one, but half an hour later the wind carried it into the waves. Alain had to repair the old one, and he sailed under it for two months.
The traveler got food as planned. He tied a knife to a stick and with this "harpoon" he killed the first prey - a sea bream. From her bones he built fishhooks. In the open ocean, the fish were not frightened and grabbed everything that fell into the water. The flying fish itself flew into the boat, killing itself when it hit the sail. By morning, the Frenchman found up to fifteen dead fish in the boat.
Bombara's other "delicacy" was plankton, which tasted like krill paste but was unsightly. Occasionally, birds were caught on the hook. Their traveler ate raw, throwing only feathers and bones overboard.
During the voyage, Alain drank for seven days sea water, and the rest of the time - squeezed the "juice" out of the fish. It was also possible to collect the dew that settled in the morning on the sail. After almost a month of sailing, a gift from heaven awaited him - a downpour that gave fifteen liters of fresh water.
Extreme hike was given to him hard. The sun, salt and roughage led to the fact that the whole body (even under the nails) was covered with small abscesses. The bomber opened abscesses, but they were in no hurry to heal. The skin on my legs was also peeling off in shreds, and the nails on four fingers fell out. Being a doctor, Alain kept track of his health and recorded everything in the ship's log.
When it rained five days in a row, Bombar began to suffer greatly from excess moisture. Then, when calm and heat settled, the Frenchman decided that these were his last hours, and wrote a will. And when he was about to give his soul to God, the shore appeared on the horizon.
Having lost twenty-five kilograms of weight in sixty-five days of sailing, on December 22, 1952, Alain Bombard reached the island of Barbados. In addition to proving his theory of survival at sea, the Frenchman became the first person to cross the Atlantic in a rubber boat.
After the heroic voyage, the whole world recognized the name of Alain Bombara. But he himself considered the main result of this journey to be the glory that did not fall. And the fact that throughout his life he received more than ten thousand letters, the authors of which thanked him with the words: "If not for your example, we would have died in the harsh waves of the deep sea."
