The Atlantic welcomed the participants of the round-the-world expedition of the Tomsk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, who went to sea again, with fresh wind and gentle sun. On March 29, the trimaran Russian Ocean Way left the harbor of Salvador astern and headed for the capital of the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo, Vitoria. One of Brazil's largest ports is 400 miles away. This path, together with the Russians Evgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Berezkin, will be taken by a new member of the international crew, a Brazilian with Russian roots Sergio Zotov.
Sergio made a difficult journey overland to join his Russian comrades aboard the expedition vessel. It took him a week to get to Salvador by hitchhiking from Santos. The participant of the voyage will return home on board the trimaran. His hometown will become the next point of the RGS circumnavigation route.
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At the end of February 2022, the expedition "Following the paths of Russian explorers " acquired the status of an international one. In Natal, where the trimaran took shelter from strong headwind, the crew was joined for the first time by two Brazilians — Ari Alekrim Pacheco Neto and Mario Carballo Biazioli. Evgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Berezkin decided to continue to take citizens of different countries, through the territory of which the travel route passes, with them on a voyage under the flag of friendship.
During the stay in Salvador, the crew did a lot of important things. A new solar panel has been installed and launched, which they received as a gift from a French yachtsman Johnny. Its power output is 400 watts. The hulls of the trimaran were cleaned of algae and barnacles. It was also necessary to replace a broken bolt at the base of the mast and tighten four hull elements under the deck.
“We received as a gift from the French manager of the port of Salvador — Dominique Le Brace — old ropes, slings, gas cans, an extension cord. Everything became part of our assets,” said Evgeny Kovalevsky.
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Dominique was a great help to the crew — he provided the opportunity to park in the marina free of charge and use all the amenities of the harbor.
“We accepted Dominique as a shore member of the expedition, gave him a crew bandana. Now there are more than 300 shore expedition members in our shore crew!” Kovalevsky noted.
As part of the cultural program, the Russians, with the permission of the famous Brazilian traveler Aleixo Belov and his daughter Mariana, recorded a video at a private museum of the sea. A lot of photo and video materials were collected in the most interesting places of the historical center and other districts of Salvador.
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But it's time to leave the hospitable city and go farther south. After waiting for suitable weather conditions and a new crew member, the trimaran set sail.
“The weather is good — the sun is not very hot. Unfortunately, there is headwind. At first we set up the sails, but they had to be removed. We are still using the motor," Kovalevsky noted.
The circumnavigators plan to hold another "Lesson from the Ocean" for schoolchildren. A video conference with the participation of the trimaran crew is scheduled to take place on May 16. It will be dedicated to Great Geographical Discoveries.
On July 1, 2021, Siberian travelers Evgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Berezkin set off along the route of the first Russian round-the-world expeditions of the 19th century: Ivan Kruzenshtern’s (1803-1806), Yuri Lisyansky’s (1803-1806), Otto Kotzebue’s (1815-1818, 1823-1826), Vasily Golovnin’s (1817-1819), Fedor Litke’s (1826-1829), Faddey Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev’s (1819-1921). The international project of the Tomsk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society "Following the paths of Russian explorers" is dedicated to the 250th birthday anniversary of Krusenstern and the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica by Russian sailors. These events for a long time determined Russia's leadership in the development of the oceans and the discovery of new lands. You can learn more about the project and provide all possible assistance in its implementation on the website of the expedition.
Aleksander Zhirnov