Bat'kivshchyna under sail  

Press Releases
and
Voyage Log


(3 July 2000)
Bat'kivshchyna in New York! Great story in the NY Times. Have asked for permission to post the article here. Not holding my breath. Registration is required for NY Times - but it's free!
(26 June 2000)
Arrive Baltimore, MD
(21 June 2000)
Arrive Wilmington, DE
(20 June 2000)
Depart Chesapeake for Baltimore (I thought). Narrative trip report is here.
(19 June 2000)
Yours truly (again) headed for Chesapeake, VA to ride the ship up the Chesapeake to Baltimore. Will be taking the camera.
(16-20 June 2000)
Participating in the Hamstead Roads (Norfolk) Parade of Sails.
(14 June 2000)
Yours truly (webmaster) and wife (Mary) visited the Bat'kivshchyna in port Norfolk. We spent the afternoon on the yacht (which was tied up behind the Nauticus museum) and thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Some photos are here. Drs. Tom and Paul Krop hosted a barbecue at Paul's house for the crew.
(6 June 2000)
After having dropped completely out of sight since the 13 May report, the Bat'kivshchyna docked in Norfolk, VA. Turns out they had lost their HF capability entirely and the satellite communications system had "expired." Roy (Captain's son-in-law) and family had arrived in San Juan to meet the ship and when the ship became overdue, instituted search procedures with the Coast Guard. After a few fretful days, we received word that the Bat'kivshchyna had relayed a VHF message to someone that they were all well and were enroute to Norfolk with a 6 June ETA. Roy and family immediately departed San Juan for Norfolk. (Philip Siminov stated that aside from a few storms, the trip itself was quite uneventful.)
(13 May 2000)
Trip report by Roy Kellog (son-in-law of skipper)
Good Morning Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well the radio guy talked to them last night at 10 P.M. our time. They were at 27 N 22 W which is just west of the Canaries. That was twelve hours ago and we only got the information by calling the wife of the radio man here. All conversations are being relayed through countries in Western Europe and the man on the radio here speaks no English so it is taking a long time. Now everyone in Western Europe knows my Mother in-law forgot her evening gown. (Note from webmaster: It's no longer just Western Europe - now the whole world knows! :) )

There is nothing wrong with the computers but they think the satellite phone does not work. I think they have to reposition it to find another satellite to make it work and will relay the message to them to READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. I will try to be at this mans house tonight to help with the conversations.

I have a radio frequency that they are using 14145 20 meters They are listening at 3 P.M. EST

That makes us and hopefully a few of you more relaxed. It appears that they have just turned west and are actually starting the crossing as of yesterday. it is very difficult to get details because the people that are involved in relaying the messages speak numerous languages and there is no direct contact.

Roy

(10 May 2000)
Trip report by Roy Kellog (son-in-law of skipper)
Last night they were at 31 degrees North and 15 degrees 6 minutes West. This was relayed to us via a radio man in Germany who spoke some Russian. They apparently are traveling with two yachts from St. Petersburg and I am assuming the Kruzenshtern and maybe the Mir.

ISTAS's web page has the Kruzenshtern racing from Cadiz to Bermuda on the seventh but San Juan PR has them confirmed as attending there.

I'll send you some photos now of their departure and other stuff.

(1 May 2000)
Bat'kivshchyna Trip Report by Philip Siminov

Day 24

We are approaching the western hemisphere now and are just 10 miles to the East of the Greenwich meridian. The Captain just have shown me a bottle to mark the event. The special certificates for all the crew are being made and it is going to be a small boat party tonight.

We are also celebrating Orthodox Easter. Our cook is doing wonderful job to arrange something special. So today is a really relaxing day and first out of the three last.

Due to the stormy conditions and very strong wind (up to 25 meters per sec) our main sail and foresail had blown and we also had problems with GPS and less serious problems with other gear. So all night long we had to be drifting without making any progress and the torn sails being sewed by all the crew in shifts. The schooner was all rocking so badly most of the crew was seasick.

Now I can here "Hurrah" meaning we have crossed the meridian. The weather is fine a school of jumping dolphins accompanies us and the crew is in high spirit again. We have 280 miles ahead to the Gibraltar and 40 more to Quads. Our average speed is 6 knots and max was 8.2. We are trying our best by setting all sails we have and combining the wind and the engine power to arrive at Cadiz on May 3. So by for now, I am going to join the crew so that not to miss my glass of Champaign.

Philip Siminov
Navigator Bat'kivshchyna

(26 April 2000)
Bat'kivshchyna Trip Report by Philip Siminov

We are now in a low-pressure area with the wind blowing from the East South East. It is about Force 6 with big waves but thanks God we are going downwind. That allows us To make 7 knots under just one sail.

Now we are abeam of Sardinia about 60 miles from the Tunis coast. We've covered over 1100 miles from Istanbul, 1900 miles from Kiev on the main Course, and there are 730 miles ahead to Cadiz, Spain. We are all longing To have a step on the land and get something from the civilized world - a Glass of Spanish wine or a cold beer for example. We have been in the Sea for 7 days.

Everything is OK with the craft and the crew and we are proud our small Achievement's so far.

Philip Siminov
Bat'kivshchyna Navigator

(25 April 2000)
Bat'kivshchyna Trip Report by Philip Siminov

For the whole trip we haven't paid much attention to the weather but the fact It gets warmer as we proceed is nice, of course. We still remember, the ice on the Dnipro and now we can relax and enjoy the warmth of sun after all.

We were not able to relax for one minute yesterday. Bat'kivshchyna was hitting, 4 meters high waves, the wind force was 8 up to 9, all the boat was covered with spray and the waves rolling on the deck all the way up to the helm cabin. That certainly focused all of our attention to The weather and just how immense Neptune's power can be.

Yesterday morning nothing gave us a sign that it would be in that way: The Sun was shining, clear blue sky overhead. Then small clouds appeared over the Sicilian Mountains, which according to the pilot book was a bad sign. The wind got stronger dramatically: from 7m/sec up to 25 and sometimes up to 35. We were heading upwind and with the waves so big the speed of the schooner fell down to 3.5 knots from the 8 knots we normally reach.

We set the sails and tacked on port making our way through huge waves and piles of spray increasing our speed by 7 knots. We had a few unpleasant moments going trough the seasickness but on the whole it was a fantastic experience to be on the open deck and watch the power of Nature.

The yacht handled the stormy conditions extremely well. She was easy enough to direct, steady on the course and practically nothing had broken. All the Crew had a good practical experience before the Atlantic Ocean.

Today everything is calm and the weather is nice to give me a chance to send this message from the middle of Tunis strait, right between Europe and Africa. We have had many little problems but we are going to attend all OpSail2000 ports and will be attending Tall Ships Wilmington, DE and eventually to race from Boston to Halifax. The whole crew is in high spirits and can't wait to cross the Atlantic.

Philip Siminov
Bat'kivshchyna Navigator

(23 April 2000)
Trip Report by Philip Siminov

Making over 165 miles in 24 hours we are making our way across the deepest Sea in Mediterranean - Ionic Sea, directing to the South of Sicily and Maltic strait.

Today is the fifteenth day of our trip and the schooner is gradually becoming the second home. We have covered about 1350 miles by now, test the sea life a little and get used to the day to day order.

We've just left the beauty of Turkish lands and unforgettable charm of small Greek islands. I wish I could have stepped over that land to stay in one of those tiny villages looking at the remainders of Greece's ancient civilization and having a chat with a local fishermen. We are in hurry now and I 'll save it for the next trip report. Hope to see you all during OpSail 2000 and TS2000.

Philip Siminov
Bat'kivshchyna Navigator

(20 April 2000)
Aegean Sea (in the Mediterranean!)

(19 April 2000)
Sea of Marmar (Turkey)

(16 April 2000)
Bat'kivshchyna Trip Report
by Philip Siminov

Hi everyone who can get my message from the middle of the Black Sea (It proves its name in this time of the year and seems really Black). It's happened! We are finally here at 30 degrees 48 minutes of eastern longitude & 45 degrees 23 minutes of northern latitude, beating the wind of force 4 and enjoying the waves of the open sea. We are directing [towards] Istanbul (Turkey) and have over 200 nautical miles in front of us. The spirit of the crew is really high and is looking forward to see the first foreign port for most of the crew ( we have 18 people onboard) this trip is first one of the kind.

We were watching fascinating sunset about an hour ago. And now there is sparkling spray in the moonlight at sides of the boat. The yesterday fishing didn't bring any result (the Black sea fish appeared to be too smart) but was good fun.

Buy for now. I have to come back to my duties and do some navigation work such as figuring out where we are at the moment. Thanks to a GPS (global positioning system ) it sounds like a piece of cake compared to that of Columbus times.

PS. We have a small problem with the antenna connection (the reason our massages delayed). Now everything's all right and we all are starting to get used to the boat life.

Best wishes. Philip

(7 April 2000)
BAT'KIVSHCHYNA DEPARTED AT 13:10 hours on Friday April 7th. There were over three hundred well wishes and so many media we were all so surprised. It was overcast with strong north winds pushing us down river and a constant drizzle. The temperature was +8c or about 40 Fahrenheit. I sailed down the river with them to their first port.

Bat'kivshchyna is the very first vessel to sail down the Dnipro river this year. We got a fair distance the first night until it became dark and realized the buoys lights were not on. We spent the night anchored in the river and it was very cold.

We awoke early and departed at 06:00 hours. When we reached the first lock at Kanef everyone spirits were very high and the crew were busy storing all the equipment making some repairs. When we exited the lock we got yet another surprise there were no buoys at all on the river.

The Dnipro is an extremely winding river similar to the Mississippi several years ago. The bottom is very sandy and that was extremely good fortune for us. There were virtually no communities for over 200 km and we weaved back and forth across the river by using charts only. The Captain was awarded the title Master Yachtsman under the Soviet Union and even though he is my father in-law I believe Master is not sufficient for what he achieved. When others were at the helm we hit sand bar after sand bar and each time we got free with his maneuvers.

The worse time the crew had to sit on the bow sprit and still we did not get free. Then we all at once remembered the cook. Leonid who seems to eat more then he cooks and the second he got to the bow sprit we floated free.

Prior to reaching the port of Cherkasy we had to lower the masts to get under a bridge and that was very interesting for a weekend sailor like me. I along with a reporter from the Kiev Post an English newspaper here departed and the crew remained there for the night.

There is very little that will prevent this crew from visiting America and they have worked so very hard to get there. I am more then sure they will make Ukraine proud of them.

All future reports will be posted on Tall Ships News Wire and Dephi Sail Training Forum.

The Captain and the crew thanks you all for your well wishes and prayers.

Sincerely,
Roy Kellogg
Founding Member of Discover Ukraine Expedition

p.s. For those Ukrainian that will read this please excuse my spelling mistakes of the towns.

(20 March 2000)
The Ukrainian Tall Ship "Bat'kivshchyna" will have a special meaning to Delaware shool students visiting the Delaware Tall Ships festival this year. Thanks to the Educational Committee of Tall Ships Delaware, students from Kirk Middle School and other students around Delaware will be able to track and talk to the ship and it's crew via the internet as it departs Kiev, Ukraine on it's ambassadorial tour of countries and OpSail2000 ports to Wilmington, DE. For twenty minutes each day, a special satellite link will connect the students home page live with the ship for that days update and lesson. Students from other schools can participate in the lesson plan through the links to the web site. A typical lesson might be the history of the Ottoman Empire as the ship stops in Istanbul for provisioning. Bat'kivshchyna will depart Kiev April 2nd and be followed throughout its trip by Delaware school students who will receive interactive lessons via the Internet on seamanship, geography, navigation and history among other subjects. We would welcome other school groups to join our lessons.