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BRAMA, June 16, 2000, 11:00pm EST
Ukrainian Tall Ship makes its way to New York Harbor - H.K. New York - Carl Briseno, who works for OpSail 2000 - New York (212 435 2665), has been vigilantly preparing for the arrival of the 'Batkivshchyna.' After a trouble-filled voyage from Kyiv through the Black Sea and Mediterranean, and then across the Atlantic he is looking forward to seeing the Ukrainian schooner in the Parade of Sail in New York on July 4th. The ship is currently in Norfolk, VA. Dmytro Birioukovitch is the Captain of the 'Batkivshchyna' and head of support team is Roy Kellog. They can be reached at discoverukraine@hotmail.com. According to Roy Kellogg, who not only heads the support team but is also Captain Birioukovitch's son-in-law, the 'Batkivshchyna' hit several snags on its journey to the U.S. Its troubles began even before departing from Kyiv on April 7th. The trip was delayed 5 days because of ice in the harbor. Ice floes slowed the schooner's progress along the Dnipro River and the schooner got stuck on sandbars in a few locations. Equipment failures (the toilet broke and had to be repaired), no lights or markings along the river banks, and outdated charts made passage extremely difficult. Because of a political disagreement with Turkey, the schooner had to quietly steal through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles at night in order to make its way to the Mediterranean. The crew encountered major storms in the Mediterranean Sea, and the mainsail was ripped in the process. After making necessary repairs, they departed from Cadiz, Spain on May 5th. By May 15th, their radio went out. Low on fuel, no radar, and the lack of string winds made the Altantic crossing a chore as well. Without a radio, there was no way to send out communiqués while the support team awaited the ship's arrival on this side of the ocean. As Roy Kellogg says, the ship crossed the Atlantic much the same way that Columbus did - with just a sextant and compass to guide it. The schooner never made it to its first scheduled destination (May 22-25) in Puerto Rico. Coast Guard searches around the island found nothing, and it turned out that the ship was forced to head directly towards Norfolk, Virginia. It was a few days before the 'Batkivshchyna' was located about 1000 nautical miles off the shore of the U.S. on May 29, and the ship and its courageous crew finally made it safely into the harbor in Norfolk. Websites with more information about OPSail 2000 and the
'Batkivshchyna':
Get your sea legs in shape:
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