“Argo” In Albania

SARANDA, Aug 6 – The modern-day “Argo”, a reconstruction of the legendary first long ship which according to ancient Greek myth carried Jason and his Argonauts from the coast of Iolcos (Volos, today) to recover the Golden Fleece from Colchis and bring it back home, arrived in the port of Sarande in Albania late Sunday night.
The “Argo” was greeted on arrival by Sarande mayor Edmond Gjoka, senior officials from the Greek Consulate in Gjirokaster, and a plethora of Greek and Albanian residents of the area.
The “Argo’s” captain, Coast Guard Vice-Admiral Apostolos Kourtis, who heads the Argo research program, addressed a brief greeting.
The replica ship spent the night at Sarande, before setting sail back to Volos, where on June 14 it set out on a journey of 2,000 nautical miles with stops at 37 ports in six countries along the way, including Albania, Croatia and Slovenia, before completing the journey in the port of Venice on August 12.
The modern-day Argo is a reconstruction of an ancient Greek penteconter with a ram (a ship with one tier of 50 oars, 25 on either side) and a simple sail that was built of half-cured wood cut from forest timber.
It is built along the line of prehistoric ships of the Greek mainland in the 14th century B.C. and belongs to the same family as Homer’s long ships and the later ram-bearing warships of antiquity.
The present-day penteconter Argo is traveling between 10 and 15 nautical miles a day until it reaches its final destination in Venice, stopping at 37 ports on the way. It is accompanied by the ship Hellenic Seaways, where the volunteer rowers of the penteconter eat, wash, dress and receive medical treatment.
The ship’s journey is expected to be completed in the port of Venice on August 12, and until July 7 it will sailed in Greek waters, accompanied by coast guard vessels. During the trip it will raise six flags, equal to the number of countries whose waters it will traverse. These include Greece, Albania, Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy.
It is also scheduled to stop at several ports and harbours along the way, where it will remain for one day and be part of various cultural events