AZG Armenian Daily #161, 09/09/2005
‘Cilicia’
IMPRESSIONS AND MEMORIES COMING FORM ‘CILICIA’S’ DECK
A Meeting at Daily Azg Publishing House
On September 7, the crew of “Cilicia” sailing vessel visited daily Azg. The
sailors that were just back from the second navigation shared with their
impressions and memories with the editorial staff of daily Azg. The
crewmembers were thankful to the newspaper for continual coverage of the
vessel’s tour. Captain Karen Balayan presented editor-in-chief of daily Azg,
Hakob Avetikian, a unique photo of “Cilicia”. To shoot the vessel in the
open sea, the sailors needed to sail away from the vessel in a boat.
Writer and publicist Zori Balayan, who was on the Vessel for most of the
time, shares with his memories from the first navigation. “The sails got
ripped, the rows broke down and it seemed that there is no way out. But
there were experienced people among us who could steer “Cilicia”. The
sailors tell that both interested Armenians and foreigners used to gather
around the ship in every harbor. A Swede woman even approached the vessel in
Rhodos and kissed it. In some harbors, “Cilicia” attracted thousands of
spectators. In Beirut, numerous aged Armenians from local community who
already had no hope to tread the soil of the fatherland went aboard the
ship, some even on wheelchairs.
Asked which storm was the most awful one, the captain said, “There was no
time to think of the storms and gales. You have no time to scare when there
is work to do. You pay attention to nothing”.
Spirits, cigarettes and even cross words were banned on the ship. “Only on
some occasion would the captain order the cook to pour some drinks for us
but the youngest crewmembers got no alcohol. As to cross words, I heard only
doctor Gevorg Grigorian swearing at the 4-day-long storm”, Zori Balayan
recalls. The doctor performed a sailor’s role on the vessels, as the boys
were too trained and prepared to resort to medical help. Gevorg Grigorian
had an interesting pastime aboard the ship. He brought back home a
collection of plants, a kind of “laboratory” made on way back home. “He used
to put the unique fish that we caught in formalin that we did not need any
more and grew interesting plants”, Zori Balayan says.
Captain Karen Balayan says that the he does not think that the return of
“Cilicia” back to Armenia will not be easy either (it is now anchored in
Portsmouth, England). “The first stage was difficult because it was
unprecedented. In the second stage we had a primary goal to cross the ocean.
It is very likely that the northern seas will not let us out easily. So,
it’s a serious trial too”.
Zori Balayan does not consider the third stage (return) much of navigation.
“The vessel has to return home. We have already proved that we are able to
cross 20.000 miles. Now, if we even cross 1 million miles, it won’t be
anything new. We will perhaps get the ship on a plane from Sochi not to
damage it. The whole nation should accompany the ship from airport to the
Lake Sevan”, he says.
By Tamar Minasian