Love for Borderless Travel: Crew of the RGS Circumnavigation Becomes International

Тримаран Russian Ocean Way идёт вдоль берегов Бразилии. Фото участников экспедиции.

The crew of the Russian Ocean Way trimaran of the round-the-world expedition of the Tomsk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society has become international. In Natal, where the ship took shelter from a strong headwind, two Brazilians joined the team – Ari Alekrim Pacheco Neto and Mario Carballo Biazioli. Together with Evgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Berezkin, they travelled to the Port of Cabedelo. The mission of universal friendship, which is the foundation of the project "Following the paths of Russian explorers", is filled with a new meaning: Russian travelers intend to continue to take citizens of different countries of the world with them on a voyage.

Both Brazilians are rock climbers. None of them have seen Russians before. Ari has experience in coastal daytime sailing. For Mario, such a test is the first.

“We sailed together for two days against a headwind, a hard wave, fought against a head current. The Brazilians kept watch along with the Russians, cooked food, washed dishes. Our mission of friendship and peace between people living in different countries, which we call ‘people's diplomacy’, is filled with new content,” Evgeny Kovalevsky shared with the RGS website.

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В огонь и в воду, и всё очень весело - интернациональный экипаж тримарана. Фото участников экспедиции.

The Russian travelers decided to continue this wonderful undertaking and in the future they intend to take residents of countries and territories along the route of the expedition as members of the crew. These are Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Polynesia, Tonga, Fiji, Australia, Indonesia, Mauritius, Madagascar and South Africa.

Ari, in an interview after the completion of the joint sailing, said that for him it was the first experience of night sailing using the stars and that he was very comfortable with the Russian guys. Mario noted that it was difficult to deal with the elements and keep night watch. According to him, he always believed that the Russians were cool, and now he was convinced of this.

“He added that with us you could go through fire and water, and everything was very fun. Ari also supported the idea of ​​cheerfulness and friendliness of Russians. Both expressed a desire to visit Russia and Siberia. We said that we would organize a visit, because now the Brazilians had Russian friends. And our expedition ‘Following the paths of Russian explorers’ continues to move on with the mission of goodness, peace and friendship. We accept residents of foreign countries on the round-the-world route into the crew,” Kovalevsky emphasized.

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 Krusenstern’s (1803–1806), Yuri Lisyansky’s (1803–1806), Otto Kotzebue’s (1815–1818, 1823–1826), Vasily Golovnin’s (1817–1819), Fyodor Litke’s (1826–1829), Thaddeus 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