The circumnavigation expedition of the Tomsk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society left the harbor of Djibouti late on May 2, heading for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The final destination of the next stage of the voyage is the Egyptian Port Ghalib, where Evgeny Kovalevsky, Stanislav Berezkin, and Filip Alekseev expect to arrive in about 10 days.
In Djibouti, the brave travelers spent 11 days relaxing after one of the most difficult voyages in the entire circumnavigation. They had to pass through the Gulf of Aden, in waters where Somali pirates are active, and the Houthis attack merchant ships of unfriendly states. Residents of the East African country, off the coast of which the Russians' sailboat anchored, on the contrary, turned out to be friendly and sociable.
“Djibouti is an amazing country. Few people in Russia know about it. And in Djibouti, almost everyone knows the words ‘Russia’ and ‘Putin’. They are enthusiastic about Russia and Russians here!” noted the head of the expedition Evgeny Kovalevsky.
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Mikhail Golovanov, the Russian Ambassador to the Republic of Djibouti and the Federal Republic of Somalia, provided great assistance to the participants of the expedition "Following the paths of Russian explorers ". The Russian Embassy helped the travelers replenish their fuel supplies. This is very important because adverse weather conditions are expected during the upcoming voyage from Djibouti to Egypt.
"We are glad that after the difficult voyage across the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, Mikhail Golovanov and other embassy staff welcomed us so cordially,” Kovalevsky admitted.
At a meeting with Mikhail Golovanov on April 24, the circumnavigators told about their expedition, its scientific and cultural mission, which countries they had already visited, and what the future route would be. The Russian Ambassador shared with the travelers the peculiarities of life in Djibouti, offered a tour of local attractions.
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“Mikhail Alekseevich accepted our invitation to be an honorary member of the crew, we tied a crew bandana around his neck. And Filip Alekseev gave him his painting painted in the Indian Ocean," Kovalevsky added.
The expedition crew plans to talk about Djibouti in the documentary series of the TV channel “Moya Planeta” (eng. "My Planet") dedicated to the circumnavigation.
Next, the route of the expedition of the Tomsk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society goes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to the Red Sea. Then the sailboat will sail through the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara and Black Seas, heading for Novorossiysk.
The crew left Djibouti with a slight delay, at 21:45 Moscow time.
“We moved northwest in deep darkness, to the entrance to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. There are big ships anchored around. We are going to Port Ghalib in Egypt. The goal is 1,006 miles away. If everything goes well, we hope to arrive in 10 days," Kovalevsky said.
At night, the sailboat changed course to the northwest. The oncoming waves reached a height of 2 m with the ship rolling and pitching. The deck was flooded up to the mast. By 06:00, the expedition approached the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The journey continues.
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.
Alexander Zhirnov