🚀 go-pugleaf

Dear friends and colleagues:

The Ukrainian Academy of Sciences would like to share the
following information.

The UAS is currently organizing an International Biological
Expedition to the regions of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. 
The goals of the expedition are very diverse since it is being
put together by several scientific institutions of the UAS, such
as the Institutes of botanics, zoology, biology of southern
seas, hydrobiology, physiology of plants and genetics,
cultivation of flora, etc.  One of the common goals of all the
prospective members of the expedition is to collect the samples
of the flora and fauna of the regions in order to expand the
existing gene pool of the flora and fauna of other regions, and
to compose the new collections for the museums of botanics,
zoology, marine life, etc.  Besides, each institution and
participating scientists will be able to pursue their specific
interests.

The expedition is going to leave Sevastopol (Russia) in December
1994 and sail along the following route:
Sevastopol-Stambul-Lisbon-Boston-Caracas-Belem-Manaus-Belem-Rio
de Janeiro-Capetown-Madagascar-Lome-Las Palmas-Haifa-Sevastopol
with a lot of stops at various smaller sites in between.  The
expedition should take around 4 month.  Right now the Organizing
committee is working on the possibility of also visiting
Australia and several other places, but the final decision
depends on the availability of funds. 

Financial side of the planning is currently the hardest. 
Obviously, having lost most of the government funding previously
available before the crisis in the USSR, the UAS is looking for
sponsors.  So far they were able to find some money from
different organizations in the US and Western Europe, but it
still has not solved the problem.

That's why the Organizing Committee of the expedition decided to
offer a unique opportunity.  They are willing to take with them
anybody who has interest in the trip and can pay the required
fee. 

The expedition is guaranteed to be absolutely fascinating.  This
is not the first expedition of that kind organized by the
Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.  A similar one was undertaken in
1991 and was internationally considered a big scientific
success.  The scientific crew will consist of  50 people, half
of whom are from Russia and Ukraine, the other half - from
Western Europe.  Also, there will be approximately seventy
sailors on the boat.  The scientific group does not have any
specific plans as for having journalists on the boat, but as I
mentioned, anybody is welcome.

The boat itself is a very comfortable large vessel.  Every
passenger will occupy a separate cabin originally built for 2
people.  The boat has a big canteen, buffet-bar, bakery,
library, videosalon, gym, volleyball playground, ping-pong room,
pool room, a sauna with a swimming pool.  The service of a
physician and the necessary medical supplies will be available.

The above-mentioned route reflects only the major stops of the
expedition.  In reality, there will be many more.  A lot of
smaller islands and cities are not specified yet simply because
the exact route is still being drafted. All the passengers of
the boat will have entrance visas to all the countries the
expedition might visit.  In cities and towns everybody will have
enough time to do sightseeing (the boat will usually stay in
every port for at least couple days).  As for the scientific
part of the expedition, all the passengers are invited to join
the specialists.  The scientists will spent a lot of time in the
jungle, mountains, under water routes.  The non-scientists are
invited to participate in absolutely every aspect of the
expedition.  The crew will also enjoy exotic fishing
experiences, rafting, horse-back riding, under-water video
sessions, etc.  The scientists offer their help in composing
private collections of unique minerals, plants, fish and even
animals, as well as in the legalization of the collections with
the customs officials.

Besides simply participating, the non-scientific part of the
crew are welcome to contribute their ideas to the general plan,
if they do not interfere with the purposes of the expedition. 
The route can be slightly changed on the spot, and any
suggestions regarding the sites of the scientific interest will
be appreciated.

The organizers of the expedition believe the experience will be
particularly interesting for biologists, oceanologists, writers,
journalists, film-producers, as well as for anybody interested
in nature, anthropology, ethnography, and travel in general. 
The fee for the participants who are not the part of the
scientific crew is $ 16,000.  Part of this sum covers the fee of
one Soviet scientist on board.  The fee of $ 16,000 includes the
room and board during the 4 months trip,  medical assistance,
and participance in the scientific research.  The air-fare to
and from Sevastopol is the responsibility of the passenger, but
is inexpensive and in December costs between $ 400 and $ 600 for
a round trip from New York.

The expedition can accept not more than 25 additional
passengers. The number of these passengers and, consequently,
the amount of money contributed can extend and enrich the route
of the trip.  Also, groups starting from 2 people get
significant discounts (up to 30%.)

The organizers of the trip hope to attract American scientific
institutions and organizations to participation in the
expedition.

Also, if any of you, friends and colleagues, have any ideas as
for the ways to sponsor the expedition, we will really
appreciate your help.  Please, address all your suggestions,
comments, and requests for further information to:

        Tanya Puchkova, tel. (517) 275-5121,ext. 392,
                        fax  (517) 275-8745 

or e-mail: 
                       
                  pouchkot@mlc.lib.mi.us

Sincerely, 

Tanya Puchkova