"Discover Ukraine" expedition ready to set sail, even without major sponsor (05/09/99)

"Discover Ukraine" expedition ready to set sail, even without major sponsor

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - With little money in their coffers, but their souls full of optimism, a Ukrainian sailing enthusiast and his crew will begin a journey around the globe sometime between May 15 and 20. Their aim: to let the international community know about Ukraine.

The project coordinators have set themselves three goals: to get to Spain by the summer for celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the Spanish Armada; to be in the United States for Fourth of July celebrations in 2000; and to get back to Ukraine within five years.

With only weeks left before the anchor is raised and the voyage begins, they have yet to find a major financial backer. However, they have the seed money needed to prepare the ships and begin the journey, and remain optimistic that they eventually will find the $500,000 they estimate will be needed to properly complete the around the world voyage.

The project, called "Discover Ukraine" was conceived by Dmytro Birioukovitch, 59, an engineer and a lifelong yachting enthusiast, who has sailed 24,000 miles of the Mediterranean and the Black seas. He also is an avid yacht-builder who is responsible for the development of concrete-hulled ships.

Mr. Birioukovitch, who calls himself "an active Ukrainian patriot," said the idea for an around-the-world yacht trip came to him after travels to far-flung places like Turkey, Israel and France, where he was often asked whose flag he was flying followed by the question, "Where's that?"

For that reason, Mr. Birioukovitch has decided to turn himself and his two 27-meter yachts, the schooner Batkivshchyna, and the brigantine Pochaina, into a floating public relations campaign to promote Ukraine.

Although Mr. Birioukovitch and his partners have been looking for financial sponsors for nearly a year without much success, they are ready to proceed on his five-year, 90-stop world expedition without a major financier.

An around-the-world undertaking obviously becomes much more difficult without a single financial backer, but Mr. Birioukovitch and his project director, Roman Maliarchuk, have come up with an original idea to fund their trip. They have organized a lottery, in which winners will travel with the crew in one-month stints.

"Our sponsors are the people of Ukraine," said Mr. Birioukovitch. "For the price of 1 hryvnia, any person has a chance to win the lottery. "

Mr. Maliarchuk said at a press conference announcing the lottery that it is appropriate that average Ukrainians take part in the journey because its goal it to raise awareness about Ukraine among the average citizens of other countries.

"Government leaders know about Ukraine - it is the common person who doesn't,' said Mr. Maliarchuk.

Among the aims of the "Discover Ukraine" project are to publicize not only the existence of Ukraine, a country that still hangs deeply in the shadow of Russia, its large northern neighbor, but also to let the world know about Ukraine's economic, industrial and agricultural potential.

Mr. Birioukovitch, who will captain the expedition, said he remains ready to promote Ukraine businesses even though no serious financial backing has appeared from the Ukrainian business sector.

"Because this is a private action, it has been difficult to break through the administrative barriers that companies put up," explained Mr. Birioukovitch.

His two main masts are still lily white, and he still is waiting for a sponsor to come forward and fill them with its logo.

He has found some support in city hall, however. Kyiv Mayor Oleksander Omelchenko has told the skipper that he will back some aspects of the trip. But with only weeks left before the departure of the two yachts, the specifics of that promise still are not known.

Rather than remain idle as it awaits for serious funding to start flowing, the "Discover Ukraine" team initiated its own fund-raising efforts. On April 25, it organized a charitable concert at the Ukrainian Home in Kyiv, featuring music of the Ukrainian folk tradition and a performance by Nina Matvienko, the well-known folk singer.

Mr. Birioukovitch's plans for marketing Ukraine to the world call for mini-exhibits at the many scheduled ports of call the two yachts will make. The exhibits will feature information on Ukraine's history, geography and culture, as well as the economic potential of Ukraine's 25 oblasts and the Crimean Autonomous Republic.

The project coordinators also hope that Ukrainian businessmen will take part in portions of the voyage and make presentations at the ports of call to promote their products and services. There will be entertainment by Ukrainian musicians, as well as samplings of traditional Ukrainian fare.

Mr. Birioukovitch is working closely with Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is supporting the project and clearing international red tape for the voyage. According to the "Discover Ukraine" skipper, the two yachts already are cleared for entry into most of the 42 European ports they are scheduled to visit.

A highlight of the voyage will be celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the Spanish Armada, scheduled for Farrol, Spain, on June 24-29, 1999. The event is under the patronage of King Juan Carlos of Spain, and the "Discover Ukraine" team has received a formal invitation to take part.

The "Discover Ukraine" crew is also scheduled to take part in festivities in Edinburgh, Scotland, on July 17, associated with the 10th anniversary of the partnership program between the capital cities of Scotland and Ukraine.

The South American portion of the trip, which includes passage through the Panama Canal, is being organized by the Argentinean Embassy in Ukraine, which has guaranteed Ukraine access to all ports of South America.

For more information on the "Discover Ukraine" voyage, or to assist in its success, contact the project coordinators via their website located at http://www.ukraine-discover.kiev.ua/.

Mr. Birioukovitch may be reached by telephone in Kyiv at 380-44-419-59-98.

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