International inclusive regatta, environmental campaign, creation of an art object from collected garbage and going out to sea with an inclusive crew – the Sails of the Spirit events took place in Tasucu, Silifke in the Mersin region of Turkey on October 2.

Representatives of the AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC under construction, public organizations and the international crew of the Spirit Sails expedition within the framework of the International Inclusion Days in Tasucu, Silifke held several events in parallel: a regatta (a competition on two yachts), inclusive master classes on a yacht and an environmental campaign with creation of an art object from household garbage and objects raised from the bottom of the sea in the water area of ​​the bay.

The captains of the yachts participating in the regatta are Janis Elerts (Latvia) and Johannes Marselje (Sweden). The first place was taken by the team of Janis Elerts consisting of: Vladislav Melnik (Chief National Expert of the Competence "massage therapist" of the Abilympics Championship, Russia), Evgeny Nelzikov (blind historian, Russia), Soner Demir (visually impaired Chairman of the Public Chamber for Disabled people of the Akdeniz district of Mersin, Turkey). The second place was taken by the team of Johannes Marcel, consisting of Sergey Butchkikh (Deputy General Director of AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC)  Kiyra Jade Staples (Director of PR and Communications at Akkuyu NPP), and Dursun Arslan (Vice President of the Turkish Federation of Visually Impaired)

At the same time as the regatta, an ecological action was held on the shore, where a part of the inclusive team “Sails of the Spirit”, representatives of AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC, the President and members of the Association of Disabled People and their families cleaned the coastal area from household waste. Pavel Ehrlich, an artist from Germany, supervised the creation of the art object from the garbage: “The most important thing in creating this art object was that it turned out to involve everyone. Someone collected garbage, someone helped divers, someone made an installation on the ground. Thank you very much to the divers - they lifted really exclusive things from the bottom, for example, a chair, which is about 70 years old".

Esra Kut, Specialist, Directorate of Communications of AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC: «I participated in this event for the first time, but over the past two years I have heard more than once about the Sails of  Spirit project. I think that environmental events are very important, and this event was both important and enjoyable for all who took part. It was interesting to discover what household waste lies at the bottom of the sea and to create an art object out of it. I was surprised that such things have been thrown into the sea by people. I think that inclusive activities are a good way to bring people together all over the world. It is important to erase the boundaries between people with disabilities and people without disabilities, to spend time together. At the environmental campaign all persons involved interacted positively as one team, everything was very harmonious».

Inclusive master classes on the yacht were organized by the Sails of the Spirit crew - walks in the dark, plasticine painting, knitting of sea knots. New crew members who joined the expedition yesterday, journalists and representatives of the AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC under construction took part in the master classes.

From September 25 to October 9, 2021, the Mediterranean stage of the Sails of the Spirit expedition is being held in Turkey with the support of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom. For the first time, the inclusive expedition crew consists of 20 people. In the Mediterranean Sea, a yacht with an inclusive crew goes along the route Fethiye - Antalya - Tashuju - Fethiye, organizing joint trips to the sea with the participation of local residents at the stopping places, concerts, environmental and landscaping campaigns, sports events, panel discussions, networking sessions and excursions to hybrid (online + offline) format. The motto of the 17th stage of “Sails of the Spirit”: “Sport. Ecology. Inclusive culture ".