Discover Ukraine expedition changes course, but not goal (11/28/99)

Discover Ukraine expedition changes course, but not goal

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Columbus didn't do it like this, and neither did del Fuego, but they had benefactors. Thus far the Discover Ukraine sailing expedition does not. Like the two renowned explorers, however, who long searched for the financial backer who would express faith in their dreams, Captain Dymytrii Birioukovitch and his crew of believers continue their quest to sail around the world on a cement-bottom boat.

In a concession to realities - their around-the-world voyage has been stalled for lack of financing - the Discover Ukraine project has decided to conquer the seven seas in stages.

Thus far the expedition has traveled three of them, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and a portion of the Atlantic Ocean, which they did on their way to a sailing regatta in El Ferrol, Spain, in May.

Next year they are off to the United States to participate in OpSail 2000, an international display of tall ships and sailing vessels that was last held in 1992. It will tour the Eastern Seaboard of the United States in early summer and enter New York Harbor at the beginning of July for a lavish Fourth of July millennium celebration.

Captain Birioukovitch said that several people had expressed interest in supporting the around-the-world voyage, including the mayor of Kyiv, but when it came time to cough up the money, the backers fell away.

"We decided that we weren't going to be denied," explained Mr. Birioukovitch. "We found a few dollars here, a few there, and departed." These limited funds, however, allowed them to plan only a trans-European trip.

The 60-something captain, a retired engineer and lifelong sailing enthusiast who helped invent the light weight, concrete bottom design that characterizes his two 27-meter sailing vessels - schooner, Batkivschyna and a brigantine, Pochaina - has spent the last two years pursuing a dream to sail the globe and let the world know about Ukraine. He has said that while governments may know about Ukraine, average people still do not have a clue about one of the largest countries in Europe. His mission: to get the word out about Ukraine's geopolitical and economic potential, and its grand history.

In the first leg of his journey, which took him across the European continent to its western edge, he finally found the chance to let at least Europe know, about Ukraine.

Invited to the Spanish port city of El Ferrol for the annual celebration of Santiago (St. James), the patron saint of Spain, Mr. Birioukovitch and his crew of 20 took with them an exhibition of the history, resources and culture of Ukraine, including 23 gravures from 1918 of Ukrainian navy vessels flying the blue-yellow national ensign. The exhibition, which consisted of 16 display boards and Ukrainian folk music blaring from the ship's deck, brought much attention from the thousands of visitors to the seven-day Santiago festival.

"We felt a warm welcome and lot of respect shown to us," said Mr. Birioukovitch. "When the Ukrainian flag was raised next to the other European flags, it was a moving moment."

Seven tall ships and 14 military vessels from several European countries, including Germany, Italy, Holland and Belgium, traveled to take part in the celebrations, but the voyage by the Ukrainians was the longest.

The Batkivshchyna traveled 3,600 nautical miles across the Black Sea, through the Straight of Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmara and into the Mediterranean before entering the Atlantic Ocean on its way to El Ferrol. The journey took a month, and it was far from smooth sailing, said Captain Birioukovitch.

In the Atlantic off the coast of Portugal, the crew experienced storms and heavily pitching seas that tossed the ship about for three days. The yacht and the crew held up admirably, however.

In El Ferrol, they were accorded special attention as the only expedition team from Eastern Europe. At the Admiral's Banquet, given by the director of the Spanish Naval Academy in El Ferrol, Mr. Birioukovitch was seated in a place of honor across from the admiral himself.

As the Batkivshcyna entered El Ferrol Harbor during the parade of ships, the master of ceremonies proclaimed over the microphone "Viva Ukraina." And during the formal ceremony honoring St. James, held in the neighboring town of Santiago de Compostela, the Spanish bishop who presided read a greeting in Ukrainian.

During the return to Ukraine, a much more leisurely voyage that took two months, the Discover Ukraine expedition made 16 ports of call to five European nations. At each stop they put up their exhibition and played their music to positive raves from the locals.

Having conquered Europe, the Discover Ukraine team now has set its sights on the Americas, where both del Fuego and Columbus made their contribution to history. The captain has individual invitations from six of the cities that are hosting the OpSail procession up the Atlantic Seaboard of the United States.

Mr. Birioukovitch hopes that his two sailing vessels will join the tall ships expedition in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in late May, and sail with the fleet to Miami, Norfolk, Va., Baltimore, New York and New London, Conn.

Operation Sail is a non-profit organization that has organized four historic tall ship events: in 1964 in honor of the New York World's Fair, in 1976 for the U.S. Bicentennial Celebrations; in 1986 for Liberty Weekend, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty and, most recently, the 1992 Columbus Quincentennial celebration. The organization was founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to foster good will among nations.

With five months until the event, 17 ships from across the globe are already confirmed for OpSail 2000, including sailing vessels from Venezuela, Ecuador, Indonesia, Germany, Canada, Russia and Poland.

OpSail officials were first told about the Discover Ukraine project during an August reception in Washington marking Ukraine's Independence Day, hosted by Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States Anton Buteiko. Their Norfolk organizing committee head, Timothy Jones, who spoke with Ambassador Buteiko at the embassy, contacted Roy Kellogg, a Canadian who lives in Kyiv and is a founding member of the Discover Ukraine team, to extend an invitation to take part.

Ambassador Buteiko had learned of the Discover Ukraine project while still in Kyiv as first assistant minister of foreign affairs. The Discover Ukraine people have worked closely with the ministry during the last two years while developing their trans-global sailing project, according to Mr. Kellogg.

Mr. Buteiko is not the only official in the Ukrainian government to have taken an interest in Discover Ukraine. On September 17, the admiral of Ukraine's naval forces, Mykhailo Yezhel, informed the expedition team that he had agreed to act as the honorary head of the Ukrainian OpSail expedition. Mr. Birioukovitch hopes that eventually the Ukrainian government will sanction the two boats as official OpSail representatives of Ukraine.

Captain Birioukovitch explained that he sees participation by Discover Ukraine in OpSail as a wonderful opportunity to further his mission to get the word out about his beloved country. In each U.S. port the crew will put out the exhibition it has developed and be on hand to answer questions and provide information to visitors as they did in El Ferrol, Spain. They also hope to set up a project for school kids in Ukraine to track the expedition's journey via the Internet, cell phone and radio communications.

In another evolving project, one of Kyiv's major television channels has expressed interest in putting together daily updates on the vessels' progress across the Atlantic during its news show's weather forecasts, which may help generate the one thing that Discover Ukraine sorely lacks: financial supporters and advertising.

Captain Birioukovitch said that for the voyage to the United States his crew chiefly will need money for fuel and provisions. But in Puerto Rico after the crossing of the Atlantic, he also hopes to be able to slap a new coat of paint on his two sailing vessels and attach new sails, which requires more money.

"In El Ferrol, after the storms and the day-to-day beating the ship took, our yacht looked rather ragged," explained Captain Birioukovitch.

In the United States another expense, this one unavoidable, will be maritime insurance, which is required to dock at most U.S. ports.

While the captain continues to search for benefactors in Ukraine, he is hoping also to attract some financial support in the United States from among the Ukrainian American community. The OpSail 2000 organization has developed an Adopt-A-Ship program, via which locals can support individual ships that are taking part in the regatta. In this way individuals, civic groups and businesses can take a personal interest in a ship and its crew while providing some financial support.

Although OpSail 2000 committee organizers have promised the Discover Ukraine team that they will put them in touch with local Ukrainian American communities in Norfolk, Baltimore, New York and New London, Mr. Kellogg said he has yet to receive any information.

In an individual fund-raising project, the Discover Ukraine team is planning to allow guests to sail aboard the Batkivschyna and the Pochaina during official ceremonies in each of the host cities. Special emphasis is being put on participation in the grand Parade of Ships program in New York on Independence Day.

Capt. Birioukovitch said he would be pleased to have Ukrainian American guests on board as he takes part in local celebrations in each of the host cities, and especially when he sails in the tall ship parade in New York Harbor on the Fourth of July.

It will take much persistence, good luck, a bit of obstinacy, a measure of courage and a heap of optimism for the Batkivschyna and the Pochaina to get to the United States. Yet these words aptly describe Mr. Birioukovitch and the way he is pursuing his dream. They would probably apply to Columbus and del Fuego as well.

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For information on the Discover Ukraine expedition, or to find out how to contribute funds or become a part of this project, contact: telephone, 38-044-419-5998 or 38-044-229-4121; fax, 38-044-228-6663; e-mail, [email protected]; or [email protected]; or [email protected].

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