Friends of Ukrainian ketch Ikar bid: 'Seven feet under the keel and a favorable wind' (09/10/00)

Friends of Ukrainian ketch Ikar bid: 'Seven feet under the keel and a favorable wind'

by Tania D'Avignon

BOSTON - Much was seen on these pages about the tall ship Batkivschyna, but very little about the 55-foot ketch Ikar, with a crew of eight, from Mykolaiv, Ukraine. The ship was to leave Mykolaiv on April 7 but, due to complications at departure time, left on May 7, one month late.

The ship's expected date of arrival in Newport, R.I., was June 28; it did not make it.

The Ikar, a Bermudan ketch, was built in Mykolaiv in 1987 and was especially designed for around-the-world sailing. Lacking luxury and comfort, it has all the bare necessities for global sailing.

The crew consisted of Capt. Boris Stepanovych Nemirov, who previously sailed around the world on the Ikar, his first-mate Jurij Zhyradkov, second-mate Mychajlo Tarnawsky, artist Serhij Lukejanenko, professional sailor Kostia Mychajlenko, recreational sailor Denis Makarov, sailor Sasha Fomin and ship physician, Borys Bohomolnyj, the only crew member from Odesa. The sailing venture was sponsored and received tremendous support from Viktor Romanovsky of the Ship Building Institute of Mykolaiv, and Viktor Klymenko and Leonid Pavlovych from the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Mykolaiv.

According to Mr. Tarnawsky, the trip from Mykolaiv to Boston took two months. The easiest and most picturesque part of the trip was from Mykolaiv to Gibraltar. This section took them a month. The Atlantic Ocean crossing was very difficult, starting with the unusual route the ship took in order to make up for lost time. The traditional route for sailing the Atlantic is to go from Gibraltar to the Canary Islands, then on to Barbados and with the Gulf Stream to the United States.

Capt. Nemirov decided to take the route a French sailor by the name of Taborly took in 1951. He was the first to cross the Atlantic from Gibraltar to New York. However, on the second day of its Atlantic crossing, the Ikar encountered heavy storms that lasted five days. The hatches were bolted, yet water seeped in with each wave that hit the ship. On the fifth day the winds died down, and with head winds and tides the ship crossed the Atlantic.

There were several more storms before the Ikar arrived at its destination. As the ship neared the United States, it once again found itself in the eye of a storm. Waves reached heights of 15 to 20 feet. Then the winds died down suddenly, the barometer dropped catastrophically. The situation on board became tense with fear. The crew thought they were doomed. The winds were coming at the Ikar from the northwest, the direction towards which they were headed. Luckily, that storm lasted only five hours. On July 4 the Ikar reached the shores of Massachusetts.

Mr. Tarnavsky continued his story:

"We arrived in Boston not really expecting anything special. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the reception we received from the local residents. Upon meeting these people, they immediately became our friends. It was heart-warming how total strangers received us. Our only connection with these people was the country of our birth, Ukraine. Having been confined on a ship for two months we felt a great need to share our thoughts, feelings and stories.

"Except for Capt. Nemirov, this was our first trip to the United States. Our impressions were very positive, despite the years of propaganda during the Soviet regime. We were impressed by the openness and friendliness of the people. No one interfered with what we were doing, but if we needed help, there was always someone around.

"We visited several New England towns and admired the diversity of the architectural styles. No two houses on one street were the same. But we were mostly awed by the attitude towards nature and the environment. We were impressed with the clean streets, the abundance of greenery and the wild animals living in close proximity to homes. In one day in the city of Newton I saw a deer, a fox, a hawk, a skunk and a family of raccoons. I was amazed with the general public's attitude towards the environment and wildlife. Our people could learn so much from the Americans.

"We are especially very grateful to several people from the Boston area [among them] Zenon Kassaraba, who was a fountain of knowledge and information about Ukrainian history. For many years this information was denied to us. Also for the financial support from the Ukrainian Fraternal Association. To Steve Kosteki and his generous gift from the Ukrainian American Veterans. Oksana Kyrychok for her thoughtfulness, and Jurij Kyrychok, without whose help with supplies and equipment the Ikar could not have continued its trip to Halifax and Amsterdam. Peter Woloschuk and his many friends who supplied us with provisions and gifts, and Tania D'Avignon, who came to us the first day with her camera and was always within reach to handle any problems we encountered.

"We never imagined that we would be met with such support, warmth and hospitality. It was with sadness the crew of Ikar said good-by to our new friends as we left for Halifax and our trip home," Mr. Tarnavsky concluded.

In turn, Bostonians wished the intrepid crew of the Ikar "Seven feet under the keel, and favorable winds" on their long journey back to Ukraine.

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