Schooner Batkivschyna now headed for Pacific coast (04/14/02)

Schooner Batkivschyna now headed for Pacific coast

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - The Batkivschyna, the Ukrainian schooner that was lost at sea in the Atlantic Ocean for three weeks and then became the toast of the Eastern Seaboard during Operation Sail 2000 in the Millennium year, begins the third year of its trans-gobal expedition in mid-April. The vessel will spend the spring and first part of the summer in the Caribbean before crossing the Panama Canal and traveling up the U.S. Pacific coast and then continuing westward to Hawaii and Australia.

On April 16 the schooner and its captain, Dmitrii Birioukovitch, leave St. Petersburg, Fla., where the unique 89-foot vessel with the ferro-cement hull wintered, and set sail for the Caribbean. They will take part in Americas' Sail 2002 at various ports of the subtropical islands of the region before crossing the Panama Canal around mid-June and heading for the U.S./Canadian Pacific Coast, where they will tour during the late summer.

Their 2002 tour comes after last year's three-month journey through the Great Lakes, during which they met with Ukrainian communities of all the major cities of the region and continued the Discover Ukraine project, their quest to publicize Ukraine, its achievements and its potential.

The Great Lakes tour followed a huge amount of unexpected publicity that surrounded the Batkivschyna during its initial appearance on the North American continent in 2000, when it took part in Operation Sail 2000, a celebration of the new Millennium and the largest maritime event in history, according to its organizers.

Capt. Birioukovitch and the Batkivschyna were lost in the Atlantic Ocean for several weeks as they traveled to the event from Kyiv. When they arrived in Norfolk, Va., long overdue and late for the beginning of festivities, they quickly became celebrities, their travails in the Atlantic widely covered by the U.S. media, including a large Fourth of July front-page story in The New York Times.

"The first two phases, which were to cross the Atlantic and take part in OpSail 2000 and then to sail the Great Lakes, have been a success," explained Capt. Birioukovitch. "It has included promotion of Ukraine, as we had planned, and aid for the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund to raise money for Ukrainian children."

Capt. Birioukovitch and the Discover Ukraine expedition began talks with CCRF, a charitable organization based in Short Hills, N.J., which has airlifted tons of medical supplies and equipment to help Ukraine's children over the years, after leaders of the two groups became acquainted during OpSail 2000. Last year the two organizations cooperated in the Great Lakes Challenge to raise money for CCRF.

This year Capt. Birioukovitch and his crew continue the Discover Ukraine project, to which they dedicated themselves at the very outset of their decision to traverse the seven seas. The expedition will continue to display storyboards on Ukraine's history, culture and business opportunities, and play traditional and contemporary Ukrainian music as it stops in the touristy ports of the islands of the Caribbean.

The Batkivschyna's first port of call will be Havana, Cuba, the closed island-country and one of the last outposts of Communism, where a boat from a country with a similar past should be quite welcome. The captain hopes to get a meeting with Cuba's President Fidel Castro to present him an award of gratitude for Cuba's annual care of hundreds of young Ukrainian Chornobyl victims.

The Batkivschyna and its crew will then move on to Cozumel, Mexico, the Grand Caymans, Montego Bay, Jamaica, the Antilles and finally Curacao before heading westward.

By July 19 the Ukrainian vessel is scheduled to be in Monterey, California, to respond to an invitation from the city to visit. Afterwards, the Batkivschyna will sail into Canada. On August 8 it is scheduled to dock in Richmond, British Columbia, located across the bay from Vancouver. Richmond and Vancouver are the first stops of a Pacific Coast regatta called the ASTA Tall Ship Challenge, which is sponsored by the American Sail Training Association.

From there the vessel will travel southward with the regatta to Seattle, where it will be docked on August 15-19, then onto San Francisco (August 28-September 2), Los Angeles (September 6-10) and San Diego (September 12-16). The Batkivschyna's Pacific Coast excursion will end at Dana Point, a small southern California city that has extended a private invitation to the Batkivschyna to visit.

After finding safe haven for the winter somewhere on the West Coast, Capt. Birioukovitch hopes to continue his westward travel across the globe to Hawaii and then Australia in the spring.

This year beachside sailors will again have an opportunity to get their sea legs and take a turn at the helm of the Batkivschyna in a new cost-sharing program the Ukrainian vessel is offering. Civilians can become members of the Batkivschyna crew for a nominal price to offset costs. They will assume regular crew responsibilities, but will also be able to breathe the salty spray and take in the majestic splendor of the scenery as the schooner makes its way down the Pacific Coast sailing with the largest fleet in the area since Gold Rush days.

Capt. Birioukovitch will also be offering day sails in several of the port cities where the Batkivschyna will dock. This will allow interested individuals to spend a couple of hours sailing on the ship at a minimal cost.

While the captain has a few contacts in some of the cities his vessel will visit on the West Coast, he is still looking to develop more. The ports of Seattle, Los Angeles and San Diego are also actively seeking individuals and groups from their Ukrainian communities to coordinate events and organize performers and dancers, as well as to greet the ship.

If you are interested in supporting the Discover Ukraine excursion or would like more information on cost-sharing or day sailing excursions, please contact the Batkivschyna via its website, www.batkivshchyna.net, or e-mail [email protected].

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