European Voyage of Understanding, August 2006:

a bi-communal sailing adventure on a traditional square-rigged ship.

Six young Greek-Cypriots and six young Turkish-Cypriots will be chosen to join 36 other people from various European countries to form the working crew of a 600-ton square-rigged brig called the Stavros S Niarchos.  The 48 young crew, together with six full-time professional sea-farers and 12 experienced volunteers, will set off from Gibraltar on 3^rd August for a 10-day voyage to the island of Minorca – a distance of some 700 miles. 

The Stavros S Niarchos  is owned by the Tall Ships Youth Trust, a UK charity founded in 1956.  Sailing a traditional square-rigged ship is a challenging experience, encouraging team-work and mutual support in what is sometimes a physically-demanding environment. 

To be considered eligible for a place on the 2006 voyage, applicants should:

   · live in Cyprus and have at least one parent with Cypriot nationality;

   · be aged between 16 and 25;  

   · be in good physical health;  

   · be competent at spoken English;

   · have their parents’ permission (if under 18) to sail on a Tall Ship and take part in activities which seek to promote friendship

      between the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities and other European nationals.

Selection interviews will be held in Nicosia in June/July. Preference will be given to those who have never previously attended bi-communal events and to those from rural areas.  Each applicant must hold a valid international passport. Each must agree to do the equivalent of one week’s voluntary work for a Cypriot NGO, at a time of their choice during 2006.  Finally, each must agree to raise CY£184 or YTL505 towards the cost of the voyage.  This represents 15% of the cost of each individual’s (berth + insurance + flight tickets).  We will have raised the remaining 85% through grants, donations and sponsorship.

Besides the Tall Ships Youth Trust, this bi-communal project is supported by several NGOs, including Genclik Merkezi, Youth Encounters for Peace (YEP) and Symfiliosi.  The overall co-ordinator is Simon Lavington, who has organised two similar Tall Ships Cypriot voyages, in July 2004 (Limassol to Crete) and July 2005 (Italy/Corsica/Sardinia/Italy).

Many volunteers have helped with this project.      For more information, contact one of the following:

Simon Lavington:       

Hasim Kiracioglu:       

Nicos Anastasiou:      

Corina Demitriou:        

To apply to join the voyage, fill in this automatic registration form.

Applicants should also look at our Updates Page, for the latest information on meetings, etc.