Ancient voyage end in sight

‘Phoenicia’ moored at the Zululand Yacht Club in February. Her international crew was joined by locals Len Helfrich and Peter and Vanessa Hickman

The ‘Phoenicia’, a replica of a 600BC Phoenician cargo ship, is just three months away from completing its circumnavigation of Africa. The vessel, which docked at the Zululand Yacht Club in February, reached the Azores from St Helena on Tuesday after 82 days at sea, covering 3 500 miles. Led by British adventurer and entrepreneur Philip Beale, the voyage is attempting to illustrate that Phoenician mariners achieved a circumnavigation of Africa almost 3 000 years ago - long before the European explorer Bartholomew Dias had even rounded the Cape of Good Hope. The project has involved in-depth research into Phoenician history, ship construction and design as well as building the 21-metre wooden vessel which was launched by Syria’s First Lady in August 2008. ‘The most recent leg from St Helena to the Azores has shown how the replica ship withstood challenging conditions in the Atlantic Ocean and, at points, looked closer to landfall in the Americas,’ said Alice Chutter, UK-based Phoenicia Project Manager. ‘Many academics and followers of the expedition think that the Phoenicians could have made landfall in the Azores and possibly even the Americas. ‘This latest leg of the voyage goes some way to proving that the winds and currents in the north Atlantic may well have blown vessels on this course before they encountered the westerly winds to enable them to make progress east towards the Phoenician colonies in the Mediterranean.’ The next stage of the voyage was due to leave the Azores over the weekend and return through the Pillars of Hercules to the Mediterranean. Forthcoming ports will include Gibraltar, Carthage, Alexandria, Beirut, Tartous and Arwad Island.