The 14th stage of the Sails of the Spirit humanitarian mission is taking place on June 15 – July 16, 2017 in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Russian Federation. A sailing catamaran will start from Stockholm and is going to be in the city of Kaliningrad by the middle of July covering approximately 2000 nautical miles in 6 countries. The expedition is supported by the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, and its team will be inclusive, meaning it will consist of people with and without disabilities from different regions of Russia and other countries of the world.
About the project
Sails of the Spirit is an international sailing initiative founded by people with visual disabilities from Russia. Its purpose is to develop international inclusive cooperation and to create opportunities for people of all abilities to take part in yachting activities. The project started in 2011 and since then its inclusive teams have made 13 preparatory stages and visited the Andaman, North, Caribbean, Baltic, Mediterranean, Black Seas and Lake Baikal.
The 14th stage of the Sails of the Spirit humanitarian mission
Colorful presentations of the project and the First World Congress for Persons with Disabilities (Yekaterinburg, Russia, September 2017) are planned in Stockholm, Oulu, Turku, Kuressaare, Liepaja, Klaipeda, Kaliningrad, and other cities and towns along the way. Together with the presentations, the team is going to have meetings with youth and social organizations, Russian language communities, athletes, and representatives of local authorities. The traditional inclusive sailing championship will take place on June 10-12 in Yekaterinburg before the expedition.
Uldis Mežulis and other members of the Latvian yacht-club “Auda” are going to be in charge of sailing and training the team during the expedition. Yachtsmen of the “Auda” are winners of many international regattas. The idea of the Sails of the Spirit project belongs to Oleg Kolpashchikov from Russia, who is in charge of the humanitarian program of the expedition.
Among other members of the team are Yevgenia Malyshko, an expert on inclusive education and social rehabilitation from Moscow, Vladimir Rudak and Vladimir Bush, rock musicians from Petrozavodsk and Krasnoyarsk, Pavel Erlich and Boris Khokhonov, artists from Hamburg and Yekaterinburg. We will also have a blind folk dancer from Nepal, Sristi KC, who will perform her vibrant dancing routines, and last but not least Marc Aufrant, the vice-president of the Valentin Haüy Association, Paris.
We welcome everyone who wants to take part in the expedition! You can join an event or a leg of the boat trip. We are waiting for creative and positive people, sailors, representatives of social and youth organizations – people of ALL abilities.
The route
The trip consists of 4 weeks. Everyone can join the inclusive team to cover several hundred miles on the catamaran that will visit a different port every day. During stopovers, you are free to ride a bicycle, visit a presentation or plunge into the atmosphere of authentic places of big and small cities. Going on a trip with an inclusive team, you are bound to make a lot of friends who enjoy their colorful lives. You will gain sailing skills and mates, interactions with whom will help you develop talents. More than that, the most important outcome of the trip is that you are going to take part in social rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, which is highly significant for the whole society.
The schedule of the expedition can be found below. Detailed information about the Sails of the Spirit project is here: http://extrability.org/en/sails-of-spirits/.
Join the inclusive team!
| Dates | Points of Destination | Scheduled Events |
|---|---|---|
| 15.06 – 16.06 | Stockholm (Sweden) | June 15 Sails of the Spirit and the First World Congress for People with Disabilities presentations. Meetings with representatives of local NGOs and authorities. A short boat trip. June 16 Inclusive workshops on the catamaran, guided blindfolded tours and an inclusive concert. |
| Dates | Points of Destination | Scheduled Events |
|---|---|---|
| 24.06 – 25.06 | Oulu (Finland) | June 23 (evening) Meetings with representatives of local NGOs and authorities. A short boat trip and a yachting workshop. June 24 Inclusive workshops and an inclusive concert at a community area of the city. June 25 Sails of the Spirit and the First World Congress for People with Disabilities presentations. Inclusion as Culture panel discussion. Inclusive workshops on the catamaran. |
| Dates | Points of Destination | Scheduled Events |
|---|---|---|
| 30.06 | Turku (Finland) | Sails of the Spirit and the First World Congress for People with Disabilities presentations. Meetings with representatives of local NGOs and authorities. Inclusion as Culture panel discussion. Inclusive workshops on the catamaran. Inclusive concert at a community area of the city. |
| 03.07 | Kuressaare (Estonia) | Inclusive guided tour in the town. Sails of the Spirit and the First World Congress for People with Disabilities presentations. Meetings with representatives of local NGOs and authorities. Inclusive workshops and an inclusive concert on the catamaran. |
| Dates | Points of Destination | Scheduled Events |
|---|---|---|
| 08.07 – 09.07 | Лиепая (Латвия) | July 8 Sails of the Spirit and the First World Congress for People with Disabilities presentations. Meetings with representatives of local NGOs and authorities. Inclusion as Culture panel discussion. Inclusive free diving workshop. July 9 Inclusive workshops and an inclusive concert on the catamaran. Inclusive free diving workshop. |
| 11.07 | Klaipeda (Lithuania) | Sails of the Spirit and the First World Congress for People with Disabilities presentations. Meetings with representatives of local NGOs and authorities. Inclusive workshops and an inclusive concert on the catamaran. |
| Dates | Points of Destination | Scheduled Events |
|---|---|---|
| 14.07 – 16.07 | Kaliningrad (Russia) | Inclusive Festival in Kaliningrad July 13 (evening) An inclusive film screening (directed by Vladimir Rudak). July 14 Sails of the Spirit and the First World Congress for People with Disabilities presentations. Meetings with representatives of local NGOs and authorities. Inclusion as Culture panel discussion. Persons with Disabilities: Their Personalities and Stories panel discussion (Kovcheg NGO) Art of the Blind workshop. Inclusive sailing workshop. July 15 Inclusive sailing championship (Yantarny parus yacht club). Inclusive workshops and an inclusive concert. Art of the Blind contest. July 16 Inclusive guided tour in the city. Inclusive workshops on the catamaran. |
Partners of the Sails of the Spirit expedition in 2017:
State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom
Kovcheg NGO (Kaliningrad)
Association Valentin Haüy (France, Paris)
Liepaja Society of the Blind
Eldorado Garant Tour Travel Company (Yekaterinburg)
Komatek yacht club (Yekaterinburg)
More information about the expedition:
Oleg Kolpashchikov, +7 906 810 22 88, ok.urals@gmail.com.
Artyom Mamylin, +7 912 642 69 03, artmmln@gmail.com.
Anastasia Kharlamtseva, +7 966 708 03 07, hard_crash@inbox.ru.
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