On March 5, the sailing vessel of the circumnavigation expedition of the Tomsk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society left the hospitable island of Sri Lanka and headed for Africa. In about 25 days, Evgeny Kovalevsky, Stanislav Berezkin, and Filip Alekseev intend to reach the coast of Djibouti.
In Sri Lanka, the crew replenished supplies by taking on board 150 liters of diesel fuel, 200 liters of water, and necessary provisions. Staying on the island, Stanislav Berezkin and Filip Alekseev carried out diagnostics, purchased spare parts, new batteries, and carried out repair work. They restored the anchor winch, eliminated all problems with the electrical equipment and rigging of the vessel.
It was not without difficulties. For example, on February 24, it suddenly became clear that a general weekend in honor of a religious holiday begins on the island. All shops and workshops were closed, and work deadlines had to be changed. And the tasks facing the crew were sometimes not the most trivial.
“We have one 10-liter gifted Australian cylinder left. It did not want to fit into the regular place for the 5-liter in any way. It had a regulator that was connected using a high-pressure copper tube. We had to go through a quest where it was necessary to fix the cylinder so that it would not be torn off when pitching, attach a regulator with a tube to it mechanically so that the high-pressure line would not twist and leak, make or buy a fitting to connect to the low-pressure line going to the stove. Considering where Sri Lanka is and where Australia is, there was no hope for finding at least some fitting part," Stanislav Berezkin said.
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Meanwhile, Evgeny Kovalevsky and Head of Expedition Coastal Headquarters Yulia Kalyuzhnaya, who had arrived from Russia, traveled to India, where they held several meetings within the framework of public diplomacy, talking about the project "Following the paths of Russian explorers", the activities of the Russian Geographical Society, and our country. Both on Indian soil and in Sri Lanka, the crew filmed video footage for the new "Lesson from the Ocean" and the series "The World through the Eyes of Russian Travelers."
And again the sailboat goes sailing. There are 2,200 nautical miles and 25 days at sea ahead.
“The plan is to reach Djibouti by March 30th. We are leaving the port of Galle in Sri Lanka. This is a nice town where smiling people live. There are many old buildings here, there is a former Dutch fort. Reasonable prices, safe. Everyone travels on ‘tuk tuks’: auto rickshaws for two passengers. I want to return, but the journey continues!” Evgeny Kovalevsky shared his emotions.
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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