Fedor Konyukhov biography briefly and interesting facts from the life of a Russian traveler - extreme, artist, journalist, yacht captain, priest are set out in this article.
Fedor Konyukhov short biography
Konyukhov Fedor Filippovich was born on December 12, 1951 in the village of Chkalovo, which is located on the shores of the Azov Sea. His father was a hereditary fisherman from the Arkhangelsk province.
Konyukhov studied at the Odessa Naval School and the Leningrad Polar School, the Bobruisk Art School, specializing in woodcarver.
After that, in 1970 he studied at the Leningrad Seminary. Served in the army, staying in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Vietnam. Fedor also served as a sailor on ships of the Baltic rescue fleet and on trawlers, catching fish in the Pacific Ocean.
Ever since childhood, Konyukhov showed a love of travel. For 20 years, he took part in expeditions to the South and North Poles as a test of the limiting capabilities of man.
Fedor describes all his vivid impressions of his perfect travels in paintings and books. He is the author of more than 3,000 paintings, a participant in international and Russian art exhibitions. Many of his works are currently in private collections and museums. In 1983 Konyukhov was admitted to the Union of Artists of the USSR, and in 1996 he became a member of the Moscow Union of Artists in the section "Graphics" and "Sculpture" (since 2001). In addition, Fedor Konyukhov holds the title of laureate of the Gold Medal of the Russian Academy of Arts, Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts.
He is the author of 9 books entitled - "Diaries of Fyodor Konyukhov about the sailing ship race" Around Alone "," And I saw a new sky and a new earth "," My spirit on the deck of "Karaana", "Under scarlet sails", "A rower in the ocean "," Road without a bottom "," All birds, all winged "," The ocean is my abode. "
In 1998, the traveler became the head of the distance learning laboratory in extreme conditions at the Humanitarian Academy. A year later, he was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports, the UN Environmental Prize “Global-500”, the Order of Friendship of the Peoples of the USSR, the UNESCO Prize “For Fair Play”.
In 2010, Fyodor Konyukhov became a subdeacon, and on May 23 of the same year he was ordained a priest in the Zaporozhye St. Nicholas Church.
Today Father Fyodor does not get tired of traveling, however, no longer as a scientist or sportsman, but as a missionary.
As for his personal life, he is married for the second time. His first wife was Love, who now lives in the United States. And the second and last wife of Konyukhov was Irina, professor and doctor of jurisprudence. They are raising two children from a previous marriage and one common child - the sons of Oscar, Nikolai and daughter Tatyana.
Fedor Konyukhov interesting facts
- He made his first expedition at the age of 15. Fedor swam across the Sea of Azov in a rowboat. In total, he carried out more than 50 expeditions, participating in dog sled races and traveling four times around the world.
- He is the first Russian to complete the Grand Slam program (bypassing the South Pole, North Pole, Everest). And he was the first traveler to reach the 5 poles of the planet - the South Geographic, the North Geographic, the Pole of Relative Inaccessibility in the Arctic Ocean, the Pole of Heights (Everest) and the Pole of Yachtsmen (Cape Horn).
- In addition to the fact that Konyukhov is engaged in writing, he also writes poetry and music for organ performance.
- He also draws well - his paintings are exhibited at home and abroad.
- In 1983 he was admitted to the Union of Artists. In this organization, he was the youngest member of this organization.
- In 2010, Fyodor Konyukhov was ordained a priest in his homeland, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church awarded him an order for his labors for the good.
In the village of Chkalovo (Troitskoe), Priazovsky district, Zaporozhye region, Ukraine.
Graduated from the Odessa Maritime School with a degree in navigator, the Leningrad Arctic School with a degree in ship mechanic. Graduated from the Bobruisk Art School (Belarus).
He served in the army, carried out command assignments in Vietnam, Nicaragua, El Salvador.
Fyodor Konyukhov from childhood showed a desire to travel. He made his first expedition at the age of 15 - he crossed the Sea of Azov in a fishing rowboat. In total, he made more than 40 unique expeditions and ascents.
Konyukhov is the first person in the world to reach five poles - the North Geographic (three times), the South Geographic, the Pole of Relative Inaccessibility in the Arctic Ocean, Everest (height pole), Cape Horn (yachtsmen's pole).
He, who managed to fulfill the "Grand Slam" program - to conquer the North Pole, South Pole, Everest. The first Russian who managed to fulfill the "7 Summits of the World" program was to climb the highest peak of every continent.
Konyukhov's recent travels include the Pacific crossing on a rowing boat from continent to continent (2013-2014), setting Russian and world records for the duration of flight on the Binbank hot air balloon (March 2015, January 2016), a joint expedition with Viktor Simonov on dog sleds "Onega Pomorie 2016" (February 2016).
On July 23, 2016, Konyukhov set the world record for a solo round-the-world balloon trip, circumnavigating the Earth in 11 days.
Konyukhov is a full member of the Russian Geographical Society.
He painted over three thousand paintings, a participant in Russian and international art exhibitions. In 1983 Fyodor Konyukhov was admitted to the Union of Artists of the USSR, since 1996 he has been a member of the Moscow Union of Artists (MSH) in the "Graphics" section, since 2001 - in the "Sculpture" section of the Ministry of Artists.
Academician of the Academy of Arts of the Russian Federation.
Konyukhov is the author of 17 books, a member of the Writers' Union of the Russian Federation. Among his works - "Rower in the Ocean", "Road without a Bottom", "The Power of Faith. 160 Days and Nights Alone with the Pacific Ocean", "My Way to Truth."
Since 1998, Konyukhov has headed the Laboratory for Distance Learning in Extreme Conditions (LDOEU) of the Modern Humanitarian Academy.
On May 23, 2010, in Zaporozhye, Konyukhov was elevated to the rank of deacon by Bishop Joseph of Zaporozhye and Melitopol.
On the feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, in the St. Nicholas Church of Zaporozhye by Bishop Joseph of Zaporozhye and Melitopol, he was ordained a priest.
Fedor Konyukhov has received various awards. He was for his contribution to the protection of the environment, is the owner of the UNESCO Prize for Fair Play.
In 2014, Konyukhov was awarded the N.N. Miklouho-Maclay of the Russian Geographical Society.
22.05.2010
Russian extreme traveler, artist, journalist, yacht captain Fyodor Filippovich Konyukhov was born on December 12, 1951 in the fisherman village of Chkalovo on the shores of the Sea of Azov in the family of a hereditary Pomor fisherman from the Arkhangelsk province.
Graduated from the Naval School, the Belarusian Art School and the Modern Humanitarian University. He worked as a sailor on the ships of the rescue fleet in the Baltic, caught fish in the Pacific Ocean on trawlers.
From childhood, Fedor showed a desire to travel and at the age of 15 he made his first expedition - he crossed the Sea of Azov on a fishing rowboat. And by the age of 50 he made more than 40 unique expeditions and ascents.
For more than 20 years as a test of the ultimate human capabilities, Konyukhov took part in expeditions to the North and South Poles, climbed the highest mountains of the planet. He made four voyages around the world, crossed the Atlantic fifteen times, once in a rowboat. Konyukhov is the first Russian who managed to complete the "Grand Slam" program (North Pole, South Pole, Everest) and the first traveler in the world to reach five poles of our planet: Northern geographical (three times), South geographical, Pole of relative inaccessibility in the North Arctic Ocean, Everest (pole of height), Cape Horn (pole of yachtsmen).
During his solo rowboat voyage (October 16 to December 1, 2002), he set a new world record for the speed of the Atlantic Ocean crossing from East to West in solo class, which is now 46 days and 4 minutes.
In March 2003, Fedor Konyukhov set a record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean for giant catamarans - 9 days 23 hours 33 minutes. He finished in the Scarlet Sails double-hulled sailing ship in the port of St. Charles on the island of Barbados.
He described his travel impressions in books and paintings. Konyukhov is the author of more than three thousand paintings, a participant in Russian and international art exhibitions. Many of his works were acquired by museums around the world and private collectors.
In 1983 Fyodor Konyukhov was admitted to the Union of Artists of the USSR, since 1996 he is a member of the Moscow Union of Artists (MSH) section "Graphics", since 2001 he is in the section of the Ministry of Artists "Sculpture".
Konyukhov is a laureate of the Gold Medal of the Russian Academy of Arts, Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts.
Member of the Writers' Union of the Russian Federation. The author of the books: "And I saw a new sky and a new earth", "Diaries of Fyodor Konyukhov about the race of sailing ships" Around Alone "," Under scarlet sails "" My spirit on the deck of "Karaana", "A rower in the ocean", "All birds, all winged "," Road without a bottom ".
Since 1998, he has headed the Laboratory for Distance Learning in Extreme Conditions (LDOEU) at the Modern Humanitarian Academy.
Honored Master of Sports. He was awarded the Order of Friendship of the Peoples of the USSR. He is included in the encyclopedia "Chronicle of Humanity", thousands of articles have been written about him in newspapers and magazines around the world.
In 1998 he was awarded the UN Environmental Prize "Global-500" - for his contribution to environmental protection. Winner of the UNESCO Prize for Fair Play (1999).
On December 18, 2002, Konyukhov was awarded a diploma from the Federation Council - for courage and maintaining the prestige of Russia. Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov presented Konyukhov with agate, which he himself found in the Gobi Desert.
Konyukhov - full member of the Russian Geographical Society; Honorary resident of the city of Nakhodka (Primorsky Territory, Russia), the city of Terni (Italy) and the village of Bergin (Kalmykia, Russia).
Married. Wife Irina. Son Oscar, daughter Tatiana, son Nikolai. Grandson Philip, granddaughter Pauline, grandson Ethan, grandson Arkady, grandson Blake.
Chronicle of travels of Fyodor Konyukhov
Travel by land
Sea travel
Ascents
Within the framework of the program "Seven Summits of the World" Fedor Konyukhov made ascents:
Polar expeditions
The biography of Fyodor Konyukhov is the life story of a unique and incredibly gifted person. Most people know him as a brave and tireless traveler who conquered the highest mountain peaks and sailed the oceans alone. However, long-distance expeditions are not his only hobby. In his free time, Konyukhov draws pictures and writes books. In addition, he is a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP).
Childhood
Fedor Konyukhov was born in 1951 in the Ukrainian village of Chkalovo (Priazovsky district of the Zaporozhye region). His parents were simple peasants. Mom Maria Efremovna was born in Bessarabia. She devoted her life to raising children (besides Fedor, 2 more sons and 2 daughters grew up in the Konyukhov family). Father, Philip Mikhailovich, was a hereditary fisherman, his ancestors lived in the Arkhangelsk region. During the Great Patriotic War, he reached Budapest together with Soviet troops. Konyukhov Sr. fished in the Sea of Azov and often took little Fyodor with him. My son liked to fish with his father. With great pleasure, the boy helped Philip Mikhailovich pull fishing nets out of the water and carried out his other assignments. Already in those days, Konyukhov's travels began to beckon. While in a fishing boat on the high seas, he often gazed into the distant horizon and dreamed of sailing to the opposite shore.
First sea voyage
Fyodor Konyukhov realized his cherished childhood dream at the age of 15, having independently swam the Azov Sea on his father's fishing boat. For his first expedition, the teenager had been preparing for several years, learning to row, swim and sail. In addition to traveling, young Konyukhov was seriously fond of drawing, athletics and football. He also loved to read. His favorite writers were Jules Verne, Ivan Goncharov and Konstantin Stanyukovich. The famous Russian naval commander Fyodor Ushakov became the idol of a simple village boy. Reading the biography of this great man, Fedor dreamed of repeating his fate in the future.
Education, military service
In high school, Fedor already firmly knew that he would devote his life to the sea. After graduating from school in his native village, he entered the Odessa Naval School, where he received the specialty of a navigator. This was followed by studies as a navigator-navigator at the Leningrad Arctic School. After his graduation, Konyukhov was drafted into the army. He did his military service in the Baltic Fleet, where for his courage he was selected to a special detachment intended to be sent to Vietnam. Arriving in Southeast Asia, Fedor for 2.5 years served as a sailor on a boat, providing ammunition to the Vietnamese partisans. After demobilization Konyukhov Fedor Filippovich studied as an incrustor carver at Bobruisk vocational school № 15 (Belarus).
Start of expeditionary activities
Konyukhov made his first serious journey at the age of 26, exactly repeating the route in the Pacific Ocean, which he followed during his Kamchatka expeditions. Fedor sailed a huge distance on a sailing yacht. He gave up comfort and risked his life several times, but the dangers did not frighten him. The brave traveler decided to make the transition under the same conditions as his predecessor Bering, who roamed the ocean in the first half of the 18th century. Konyukhov managed to independently reach the shores of Kamchatka and Sakhalin. During these expeditions, the knowledge and skills that the Odessa Naval School gave him were more useful than ever. And he was able to survive in harsh natural conditions thanks to his unconditional faith in God.
Conquest of the North
Since childhood, Fyodor Konyukhov nurtured the dream of reaching the North Pole on his own. It took him several years to prepare for this expedition. He spent a lot of time in Chukotka, where he learned to survive in extreme conditions, mastered the secrets of dog sledding and learned the science of building ice huts. Until the moment when he made a solo trip to the North Pole, Konyukhov managed to visit it several times as part of group expeditions.
Independent conquest of the North began in 1990. Fedor went on an expedition on skis, carrying a large backpack on his back and dragging sledges with food and equipment. The journey was not easy. During the day, Konyukhov had to overcome many obstacles, and at night he slept right on the ice, hiding from the harsh Arctic winds in a tent or sleeping bag. When only 200 km were left to the end of the route, the Russian traveler found himself in a hummocking zone and almost died. Having miraculously survived, 72 days after the start of the campaign, he reached the cherished goal and became the first person in history who managed to conquer the North Pole without anyone's help.
Expedition to Antarctica
In 1995 Fyodor Filippovich made a solo trip to Antarctica. He reached the South Pole on the 59th day of the expedition, solemnly placing the flag of the Russian Federation at the end of the route. The biography of Fyodor Konyukhov testifies that during this expedition he carried out many important studies to measure the radiation field of the southern continent and find the human body in extreme weather conditions and a lack of oxygen. On the basis of the experiments and research carried out, he subsequently created several scientific works that made an invaluable contribution to the study of Antarctica.
Conquest of the highest mountain peaks
In 1992, within the framework of the 7 Summits of the World program, Konyukhov made a solo ascent of Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe. A few months later, together with the famous Russian climber Yevgeny Vinogradsky, he conquers the highest mountain peak in Asia and the world - Everest. In January 1996, during an expedition to the South Pole, Fyodor Filippovich climbed the highest point of Antarctica - the Wilson Massif. In the spring of the same year, the traveler climbed Aconcagua - the highest mountain in South America. In 1997, he alone conquered the highest points of Australia and Africa - Kostsyushko Peak, and in the same year Konyukhov completed the program with a heroic ascent to Mount McKinley in North America. The brave traveler managed to climb the last summit in the company of the climber Vladimir Yanochkin. After the conquest of McKinley, Konyukhov became the first native of the CIS who managed to successfully complete the “7 Summits of the World” program. In 2012, Fyodor Filippovich, together with a group of Russian athletes, makes a repeated ascent of Everest, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the conquest of the mountain peak by Soviet climbers.
Travel by land
Fyodor Konyukhov's fascinating biography did not do without long overland expeditions. In 1985, he hiked along the route laid out by the Russian traveler Vladimir Arsenyev and his guide Dersu Uzala. In mid-1989, on the initiative of Konyukhov, the Nakhodka - Moscow - Leningrad bike ride took place, in which athletes from the USSR and the USA took part. One of the participants in the bike ride was Fyodr Filippovich's younger brother Pavel. Two years later, the traveler organized a Soviet-Australian off-road race, which began in Nakhodka and ended in the Russian capital. In 2002, Konyukhov headed the first caravan expedition in the history of our country along the route of the Great Silk Road. She passed through the desert territories of Kalmykia, Dagestan, Stavropol Territory, Volgograd and Astrakhan regions. The second stage of the expedition, which took place in 2009, covered the route from Kalmykia to Mongolia.
Nautical adventures
Conquering the North and South Poles, climbing the highest mountain peaks in the world and hiking are only a small part of Konyukhov's travels. Fyodor Filippovich's main passion since childhood is the sea, and he remained faithful to him for life. The Zaporizhzhya region has the right to be proud of its famous countryman, because he has more than four dozen sea expeditions and 5 round-the-world voyages on his account. He sailed the Atlantic Ocean alone 17 times. During one of these voyages, he set an absolute world record, covering the required distance in a rowboat in just 46 days. Another Konyukhov's record was recorded when he crossed the Pacific Ocean. To sail the route from Chile to Australia, the Russian traveler spent 159 days and 14 hours on the way.
Fyodor Konyukhov's sea expeditions did not always go smoothly. During one of them, the traveler fell seriously ill and ended up in a Philippine hospital. While he was being treated, the pirates hijacked his ship and hid him on a nearby island. After his recovery, Konyukhov went to rescue the stolen vehicle. To get him back, he was forced to steal a boat from his offenders and get on it to his own ship. This unpleasant adventure ended happily for the traveler and allowed him to successfully complete his expedition around the Earth.
Creative activity
Konyukhov is not only a traveler, but also a talented artist. During his expeditions, he painted over three thousand paintings. The artist's work did not go unnoticed. His works have been repeatedly shown at Russian and international exhibitions. In 1983 he became the youngest member of the Union of Artists of the USSR. Later he was admitted to the Moscow Union of Artists and Sculptors and was awarded the title of Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts.
The biography of Fyodor Konyukhov will be incomplete without mentioning his literary activity. The traveler is the author of 9 books, telling about his adventures during expeditions and ways to overcome difficulties in extreme conditions. In addition to literature for adults, Konyukhov publishes children's books. Member of the Writers' Union of Russia.
Father Fedor
During his travels, Konyukhov often risked his life and was on the verge of death. Being in the open ocean or on the top of a mountain, in difficult situations, he could count only on the help of the Almighty. Having become a religious person in adulthood, Fyodor Filippovich decided to devote the rest of his life to serving God. This is how the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary appeared in his life, where he studied to be a priest. On May 22, 2010 in Zaporozhye, Konyukhov received the rank of subdeacon from the hands of Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Vladimir. The next day, Bishop Joseph of Zaporozhye and Melitopol, he was ordained a deacon. In December 2010, Fyodor Filippovich was elevated to the rank of priest of the UOC-MP. The place of his service is his native Zaporozhye region. Having become a priest, Father Fyodor Konyukhov began to spend less time on expeditions, but he did not completely abandon them.
Wife, children and grandchildren
Fyodor Filippovich is married to Doctor of Law Irina Anatolyevna Konyukhova. He has three adult children (daughter Tatyana, sons Oscar and Nikolai) and six grandchildren (Philip, Arkady, Polina, Blake, Ethan, Kate). Of all the offspring of the traveler, the most famous is his son Oscar Konyukhov, who dedicated his life.He goes on expeditionary voyages and manages projects in which his father takes part. From 2008 to 2012, Oscar served as executive director of the Russian Sailing Federation. The son of Fyodor Filippovich has a cherished dream - to make a round-the-world voyage without stopping in 80 days. The expedition requires huge material investments and for this reason it remains only in plans.
Preparing for a hot air balloon ride
With the adoption of the religious dignity, Fyodor Filippovich's desire for adventure subsided a little, but did not completely disappear. He recently swung to a new world record, deciding to single-handedly fly around the Earth in a balloon. The length of the flight route is 35 thousand kilometers. Fyodor Konyukhov's balloon is called "Morton", it should take off in Australia and land there. Initially, the start was scheduled for July 2, 2016, but due to strong winds it had to be postponed until the weather conditions improved. The priest had been preparing for his next trip for over a year. His balloon was built in England. Meteorological instruments were delivered to him from Belgium, burners from Italy, and the autopilot from Holland. In total, about fifty people from 10 countries of the world took part in the preparation of the project.
Father Fedor plans not only to fly around the planet, but also to break the world record of the American extreme traveler Steve Fossett, who was the first in the history of mankind who managed to single-handedly fly around the Earth in a balloon. The entire flight of Konyukhov will be broadcast online, and anyone can watch him.
On June 13, 2014, at the recreation center Golden Beach of Lake Turgoyak, a meeting was held with the legendary traveler, priest Fyodor Konyukhov. The other day, he finished his extreme journey across the Pacific Ocean and immediately flew to the South Urals to greet the young participants in the children's sailing regatta that bears his name. "My journey is over, I came to the Chelyabinsk land and felt that I was finally at home,"- said Fyodor Filippovich at the meeting.
The famous traveler spoke about his long journey, sea adventures, prayer at the most difficult moment of the journey and many other things in an interview with South Ural journalists. First of all, he said about those who inspire him to new records:
I would like my records to be a good example for the younger generation. And I am very glad that for the third year in a row a children's sailing regatta for the Konyukhov Cup is being held here on Lake Turgoyak. Today I saw children's eyes and realized that it is not in vain that we are doing all this. It's worth it. For these eyes, in which romance shines and the beautiful lake Turgoyak is reflected.
Just a week ago, Priest Fyodor Konyukhov's rowing boat called Turgoyak moored to the shores of Australia. 160 days of travel from the coast of Chile across the Pacific Ocean without rest stops. Just 2 hours a day for sleep - one at night and half an hour in the morning and evening. To get on the schedule, Fyodor Filippovich had to cover 50 nautical miles per day - that's 24 thousand strokes. But he was ahead of the curve:
- I had a very strict regime,- says the traveler, - I had to be on time because I depended on the weather and seasonal wind. If I was ten days late, I would already be walking against the wind and still be in the Pacific Ocean. When they ask me where I trained for this sea voyage, I always answer: on Everest and at the North Pole, at Cape Horn. Physically, this expedition is not more difficult than climbing Everest, more difficult morally. After all, the dynamics there are different, but here they are monotonous. You are constantly rowing, there is only the horizon in front of you and there are no vertical lines.
As you know, in 2010 the famous traveler was ordained a priest and became Father Fyodor. And we, as the information service of the Chelyabinsk diocese, were primarily interested in questions of a spiritual nature. Fyodor Fillipovich said that the whole long journey through the waters of the Pacific Ocean was accompanied by a prayer:
- It took me 35 minutes for the morning rule, the same for the evening rule. This was my main prayer when I was not rowing. I stopped, threw the oars and prayed. And at other times, when I was at the oars, I repeated the Jesus Prayer to the beat of the strokes.
Twice during the trip, Father Fyodor performed the rite of blessing water in the Pacific Ocean. The first on the twelveth feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. And the second, when he felt that the sea was "naughty":
- I went to Polynesia, there are thousands of islands. I felt that the ocean was playing a little naughty and I might be thrown onto the reefs, so I decided to hold the consecration ceremony again. I'm not counting on my own strength, ”Fyodor Filippovich smiles. - After all, my boat did not hit a single hurricane, they walked in front of me, at the stern, on the side. If I walked faster or, on the contrary, was three days late, I would have got into a strong storm. Imagine lightning shooting in such a way that even water hiss with tension. If they had passed through the boat, it would have shattered to pieces, or I would have been shell-shocked, at best. But nothing happened. And there are also big tornadoes, they suck water from the ocean. I call them "hoses" or "trunks". But during this journey they never approached me.
Fyodor Filippovich, with professional calmness, talks about all the trials. More than once, whales went to the boat, which, if they wanted, could turn the boat over, but they did not touch it:
- One whale accompanied me for a long time. It can be seen that it is old. And so we two old men are sailing in the sea, he puffs alongside, but he never dived under the boat. It was difficult at night. We even had to turn off the flashlight, because from the depths, giant squids and octopuses, nine meters each, were rising into the light.
The traveler was again rescued by a prayer, in which he most often turned to the Lord, the Mother of God, St. Nicholas of Mirliki and St. Theodore Ushakov:
- The closest of all saints for me is Nicholas the Wonderworker. He is like a close friend to me. When it's hard for me, I want to snuggle up to his gray beard. When I pray to the Mother of God, I am not ashamed before her for my sins. And before Our Lord Jesus Christ, I want to stand at attention, as in front of the main admiral. Very scary, I fear Him for my sins. On the way, I prayed to Nicholas the Wonderworker most of all, to the holy righteous Theodore Ushakov and always asked him to help me with the weather, because he is also a sailor, an admiral and knows what the sea is.
On land, his wife and children prayed for him all the days of the trip. Fyodor Konyukhov's wife Irina always supports her legendary husband in everything:
- The unbeliever will not stand this,- says the traveler's wife Irina Konyukhova. - When you love a person, you first accept him as he is, and only then you want him to be as he is. I am very happy that my husband lives by his calling. I wish this to all families. Because for any wife it is a tragedy when her loved one, her husband, children cannot find themselves in this world. I am glad that people need him, that he is so in demand, for him it is especially dear. Although he says that he is a loner, he himself would have stopped traveling long ago if his example did not inspire other people.
Fyodor Filippovich came to Lake Turgoyak to support young yachtsmen, participants in the sailing regatta, who came from all over the country to compete for the "Cup of the traveler Fyodor Konyukhov". Here, on the shores of the lake, Konyukhov's children's sailing school is based. In general, Father Fyodor has a long and warm friendship with the South Urals. Crossing the Atlantic ten years ago and now across the Pacific Ocean became possible thanks to the support of South Ural entrepreneurs: “Russia has two strong records - crossing the Atlantic in a rowboat and now across the Pacific Ocean. And all this thanks, among other things, to the residents of the Urals ",- says Fyodor Filippovich with a smile.
By the way, upon arrival in the South Urals, the traveler was in for a pleasant surprise. Boris Dubrovsky signed a decree on awarding Fyodor's father with a high award - a badge of distinction "For services to the Chelyabinsk region." The document says that she was awarded to Fedor Konyukhov "for activities contributing to the prosperity of the Chelyabinsk region, increasing its authority in the Russian Federation and abroad."
Father Fyodor has new travels ahead. After a little rest, he will begin to prepare for the next expedition. This time, the famous traveler and priest is going to climb under the clouds and make a non-stop flight around the Earth in a hot air balloon.