For about a week, rescuers tried to find Russian yachting champion Vitaly Elagin in the Cape Horn area. At the beginning of October 2023, he decided to fulfill his old dream and set off on a trip around the world alone.
A native of Gelendzhik started from the Moroccan port of Tangier and planned to pass the Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands, go around the Cape of Good Hope and turn east, pass Australia, cross the Pacific Ocean and, having passed the Drake Passage, go north and return across the Atlantic Ocean to Tangier.
As a means of transportation, he chose the single-mast sailboat “Daughter of the Wind,” built in 2007 in Lazarevskoye. The ship has already circumnavigated the world twice before under the control of its creator, Captain Viktor Yazykov, and is in many ways unique, since it can move along a given course without an autopilot or wind steering device. A person only sets everything up at the beginning, and then it moves on its own.
True, the yacht lacks many household items: no refrigerator, microwave, separate cabins, or toilet. But this did not bother 43-year-old Elagin at all. In addition, he took the Russian flag with him on his trip around the world.
“The Russians are not sitting in holes, intimidated by the closed ports of Europe. Our task is to carry the Russian flag around the globe with dignity,” the yachtsman noted before going to sea in an interview with Krasnodarskie Izvestia.
At the same time, Vitaly was attracted by the idea of traveling alone, like his teacher.
“He prepared for this voyage all his life, not only physically, but also mentally: to remain alone in the ocean and not go crazy is for the chosen few, for those who are ready,” said his friend Yulia.
However, although he physically went on the journey alone, a team helped Elagin on the shore: two of his students monitored the weather and suggested optimal travel routes. In addition, in addition to Yulia, his son and mother were waiting for him at home.
In the first months, everything went well for the athlete. And he talked mostly about minor troubles. For example, there were insects in his food, which he had to get rid of with the help of the team’s advice.
“The oatmeal bugs were defeated. The book of recipes for vegetarian cuisine is being replenished, we are slowly approaching the equator,” Elagin wrote on October 27.
But a few months later, in mid-March 2024, off the coast of Chile, the Russian was caught in a storm, from which he emerged with a torn sail—the mainsail.
“It’s unclear whether he fixed it and whether he can fix it or not. Going on jib to Cape Horn. Go through it and maybe make a stop. Yesterday I was in the mood to give up, stop at the nearest port, but there are difficulties with entry everywhere,” they wrote on March 18 in the Telegram channel dedicated to traveling around the world.
There were problems with landing on shore, since in order to get to Ushuaia (a small resort town in Argentina) to repair the sails, a motor was required. Therefore, the yacht RusArc Aurora went to help Elagin.
“The guys must find the “Daughter of the Wind” in the next day and a half, take it in tow and deliver it to Ushuaia, or hand over the engine to Vitale so that he can enter the port himself,” noted the next message.
It was at this moment that the connection with the captain was severed. At the same time, as the team emphasizes, he did not give an SOS signal. And Elagin supposedly does not have any injuries. At least he didn't say anything about them.
Chilean rescuers were almost immediately involved in the search for Vitaly: on March 21, the plane flew to the supposed location of the “Daughter of the Wind”, but found nothing. The SAR (Search and Rescue) plan was announced. However, it was not possible to fully implement it due to cloudy weather. The RusArc Aurora yacht was moving along the coast, but it could not find the Russian anywhere.
The athlete’s girlfriend Julia did not give up and continued to believe in the best. After all, at one time she also had to endure a serious test associated with the sea.
“All these days I have been trying to understand, intuitively feel, feel what is happening now with Vitali, where he is. I understand that he is now undergoing a serious test of strength. Whether he passes it and how, his future life depends on it. Ironically, in the summer of 2023, the Pacific Ocean tested my strength... I roughly understand what is happening to it now, something the same, only a thousand times more serious. The Ocean gives everyone a test according to their capabilities. I believe that you are alive, my dear captain, and you will be in touch soon! I don’t know how, but the Pacific Ocean can’t take you away,” the girl wrote.
And finally, on the night of March 27, the yachtsman made contact with one of the ships passing next to him. The sailors received a radio request to tell Yulia the coordinates of the yacht.
“I dreamed about him that night. That he is alive, I hug him and feel warmth. Then I developed a fever and had to take an antipyretic. I chalked it all up at night to bad weather and wind. I turned off the internet to sleep after taking the medicine. And around the time of all these events, SMS messages arrived. I saw them in the morning,” the girl admitted.
It turned out that Elagin had rounded Cape Horn, where they were looking for him, and was drifting on the other side of it in the bay. Several ships have already moved towards the Russian. True, the weather again promises challenges: the wind rose on Wednesday morning, and on Thursday the sailors are expecting a strong storm.
“Thank you to everyone involved in this story! Which hasn't ended yet. Now we are waiting to see where else there will be news about what Vitalya decided. Will he continue on his way or make a stop? Nothing is clear yet,” added Yulia.