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Today at 11.00 local time the sailing boat Mediterranea landed in Istanbul. The Italian Mediterranea, sailing boat of the sailing, cultural and scientific expedition Progetto Mediterranea set sail on May 17th from Italy, sailed over 6 months (29 weeks), throughout 2,750 miles, symbolically occupied an island (Meganissi), a beach (Elafonissos), has taken on board crews for a total of 280 people over an archipelago and 6 ports along the Italian shore, 35 islands and 16 ports along the Greek shore, 1 island and 4 ports along the Turkish shore.

During the first stop for its cultural project in Athens it met and interviewed 20 writers, artists, philosophers, and representatives of the Hellenic cultural society, whereas in Italy it met and interviewed the writers Gianluca Solera, Nicolò Carmineo, the scientists and oceanographers Nadia Pinardi and Cristina Fossi.

Along its route 40 plankton samplings have been carried out in cooperation with the British Scientific Foundation SAHFOS (Plymouth), 14 jellyfish sighting have been communicated to the University of Salento in the framework of the Watch for Jellies project, forecast data and services of Sea-Conditions of Salento CMCC (Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change) have been used and validated daily to detect the safest course, microplastic debris have been collected for one week within the “Plastic Busters” project of the University of Siena.

Along its course Mediterranea crew held 10 project presentations, a congress in Otranto, 2 press conferences in Otranto and Athens, held 3 press conferences (Rome, San Benedetto del Tronto, Athens), issued 16 press releases, published 430 posts on social networks, 85 articles on its official website and 31 articles on the travel section of the Italian newspaper website DOVE Viaggi by Corriere.it and participated in 15 other events.

Thanks to its renewable energy production system (solar and wind) Mediterranea has produced 893 Kw (27.5 Kw of which by wind energy sources) which provided for all needs on board.

DSC 0082At the end of March, after a stop in Istanbul for maintenance work and the second stage of its cultural project (February 15th – March 25th), the boat Mediterranea will resume its course through Bosphorous and will be sailing around the Black Sea, then it will reach the Aegean Sea to sail along the Greek-Turkish border towards Dodecanese and Crete.

Progetto Mediterranea enjoys a number of acknowledgements and patronages including the support of the President of the Italian Republic. It is the first world-wide experience of co-sailing which is supported under the economic and organisational aspects by 44 people, the “Mediterranei”, whose profile are published of the official website of the project.

Read the agency’s take ANSAMed