The crew of the sailing ship Cilicia, replicated from a 13th century Armenian merchant vessel, are preparing to leave for Great Britain where their ship is spending winter, to resume the voyage up to the Russian Saint Petersburg through the North and Baltic seas.

The Cilicia docked at Portsmouth harbor on the southern English coast on August 19, 2005. Karen Balayan, the captain, said Cilicia's arrival in England was the second stage of its journey. Cilicia started its voyage from the Georgian port of Poti in July 2004, tracing the mediaeval trade routes of Armenian merchant sailors.

The third stage of its journey to 21 countries will resume in late spring 2006 when it leaves Portsmouth for Amsterdam then heads north through the Baltic Sea to St Petersburg in Russia, the final destination. They expect to arrive in St Petersburg to coincide with festivities to mark the year of Armenians in Russia. Balayan says that the ship will return to the Black Sea via the river waterways of Russia, before crossing overland from Georgia back to Armenia.

News source: armeniadiaspora.com
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