The round-the-world expedition started from Kronshtadt

The sailing trimaran "Russian Ocean Way" departed for the round-the-world expedition organized by the Tomsk Branch of the Russian Geographical Society along the route of Russian round-the-world navigators on July 1, from Petrovskaya Pier (Kronshtadt). The expedition is supported by the Presidential Grants Foundation and the Russian Geographical Society, and is dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the birth of Krusenstern and the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica by Russian sailors. Travellers, including Adviser to the President of TSC SB RAS Eugene Kovalevsky, will cover 60,000- kilometer voyage, 40 countries, more than 100 meetings with representatives of geographical and university communities!

“During the expedition we will launch a large scientific and educational program”, says the head of the expedition Evgeny Kovalevsky. “Along the whole route, every 20-30 kilometers, we will measure the background radiation of the planet to create a special map. We are planning research on the propagation of radio-waves, as well as a unique scientific project to study the condition of humans under prolonged stress.

The travelers will hold a "Lesson from the Ocean" once a quarter, and the next one is already scheduled for August 18. It will be devoted to the Geographer s Day and the great geographical discoveries. Each such lesson will consist of several parts: presentations prepared in advance by the travelers, and live broadcasting, during which the crew will be able to answer questions from schoolchildren, show various experiments, and familiarize children with various equipment. According to preliminary estimates, the participants of the "Lessons from the Ocean" will be pupils from all subjects of the Russian Federation. A huge contribution to the preparation of lessons is made by the staff of the Department of Geography (TSU). They are collecting the necessary information for a series of documentaries and a unique interactive map of the expedition, which will also be available from July 1 to trace the route of the trimaran and learn about the history of geographical discoveries of famous Russian navigators.

As Julia Yurievna Kalyuzhnaya, head of the coastal center, noted, one of the important goals of the round-the-world expedition is to remind the world about the valor of Russian sailors and tell the world about Russia and Siberia, which is still one of the white spots on the world map for many people. The travelers will present the travel route "Golden Ring of Siberia", which includes the 10 regions of Siberia and the most amazing places and sights.

For two years, the home of the travelers will be a unique vessel – an inflatable sailing trimaran, which has no analogues in the world! "A similar trimaran of a smaller size, has already successfully proven itself in the ocean’, said Stanislav Berezkin, captain of the Russian Ocean Way. “This expedition will be a world achievement, no one has ever sailed around the world on a vessel of this type.

Throughout the whole voyage, Evgeny Kovalevsky and his colleagues will sail under the flag of the Tomsk Scientific Center of SB RAS, which was given to the travelers by Alexey Markov, acting President of TSC SB RAS. As Alexey Borisovich noted, the upcoming round-the-world expedition will be a significant event not only for Tomsk, but also for Russia and the whole world.