Renowned Russian traveler plans to vie for Jules Verne Trophy

STAVROPOL, March 6. /TASS/. Renowned Russian traveler, Fyodor Konyukhov, plans to vie for the Jules Verne Trophy, a prize for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht, sailing a keel yacht to be built in the Volga River city of Rybinsk. "We want our country to have the Jules Verne Trophy, three countries have it at the moment - French skippers who are the first, and then Britons and Americans. If you have once snatched the Jules Verne Trophy, you are considered a world’s ocean-faring nation," Konyukov said as he met with Krasnodar’s Regional Governor, Vladimir Vladimirov. The Jules Verne Trophy’s starting and finishing point is the English Channel. The yachts sail west to east, covering 27,000 nautical miles. "We expect we will circumvent the globe in 62 days, as we have calculated with designers. We will have to take Russian, French and English designers, they will be designing the hull, while we will be doing all the rest," Konyukhov explained. The yacht is to be built by Vympel shipyard in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl region. It is designed to become the biggest in the world (75-meter-long) and very fast, moving at a speed of 77 km per hour. The keel is to be laid this year, while after the circumnavigation it will be used as a training yacht for the Russian Navy. An untiring Konyukhov also unveiled other plans on Monday, saying he plans to go up to the stratosphere in a hot air balloon from the Vostochny Cosmodrome and is getting ready for conducting a non-stop flight around the globe using a glider equipped with solar batteries. . The wayfarer plans to ascend to the altitude of 25 kilometers above the sea level. The previous record was set by an Indian balloonist who travelled to an altitude of 21 kilometers. "We have a scientific goal as well. Scientists have developed (a technology) which enables patching up ozone holes, so I will test the pertinent tools," Konyukhov said at his meeting with Vladimirov. The world flight is planned to be launched from Mineralnye Vody located in the North Caucasus, as air currents needed for climbing to such heights are available in the area. "In theory, according to all calculations, it is possible to reach an altitude of 15,000 to 17,000 meters, if not more, there," Konyukhov added. Last year, Konyukov became the first ever balloonist to make a round-the-globe flight on the first try. Konuykhov’s exploits Konyukhov, an artist by profession who was ordained as a Russian Orthodox priest in December 2010 has a great many spectacular exploits to his credit. The list includes two ascents to Mount Everest and ascents to the highest peaks of all other continents, a voyage across the Atlantic in a single-row boat for 46 days, the crossing of an 800-km distance in Greenland within 16 days, several solo circumnavigation tours, a single-handed non-stop tour around Antarctica, and a solo rowing voyage across the Pacific in 159 days. Read more