‘ARMENIA’ SAILING YACHT STARTS GLOBAL CRUISE
ArmInfo
2009-05-29 14:10:00
ArmInfo. "Armenia" sailing yacht started world cruise from Spanish
Valencia port on May 28, Zory Balayan, Expedition Head, writer and
publicist, public worker, told ArmInfo.
‘On May 28 in the morning at Valencia Port Central Square the cruise
was ceremonially launched. Our yacht will sail to the counties having
Armenian Diaspora. The bishop of the Armenian Church in Valencia
blessed the yacht and the start of the cruise’, he said.
Armenian Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan, Valencia Mayor and
district governors, as well as Armenian Consul in Spain Mher Badalyan,
British House of Lords member, Baroness Caroline Cocks, Armenian
community representatives and others attended the ceremony.
Yacht will sail to Gibraltar, Atlantic Ocean, Barbados Island,
Panama Channel, Pacific Ocean, North America, then back to Panama,
Atlantic Ocean, South America, C. Horn, Pacific Ocean, New Zealand,
Australia, Indian Ocean, Indonesian Islands, Singapore, Hindustan
Peninsula, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Suez Channel and Mediterranean
Sea. The official terminal is Beyrut port, with Valencia being a
de jure terminal. "Armenia" will stop in some mainland ports having
large Armenian communities.
Over the recent six months, the ship crew was engaged in the
re-equipment of the yacht built in 1991. Crew members are Zori
Balayan (Expedition Head), Samvel Karapetyan (captain), Armen Nazaryan
(senior assistant), Hayk Badalyan (senior watch), Moushegh Barseghyan
(boatswain), Samvel Sargsyan (cook and radio engineer) and Vahagn
Matevosyan (senior steersman).
To note, before setting out of "Armenia", President Serzh Sargsyan
met members of the crew. The president said that the destiny of our
people was formed in such a way that Armenians live in all the parts
of the world and the map of our national originality and cultural
heritage and the map of the history of Armenian communities is very
much important for us. The essence of this travel is discovering
and enrichment of that world, he said. The president handed over the
state flag of Armenia to the crew.
On 11 April the president of Nagornyy Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan
also received the crew and handed over the NKR state flag to it. He
called this initiative the best demonstration of the will, courage
and unity of the Armenian people.