"Greetings from the Caribbean!" Travelers from Perm have been sailing across the Atlantic for two months now.

For the second consecutive month, two travelers from the Perm region, Nikita Pleshkov and Anna Khudorozhkova, are sailing on a catamaran across the Atlantic Ocean from Brazil to the Dominican Republic. They have already covered more than 3,000 kilometers, crossed the equator, and visited various exotic islands.

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The captain took the flag of the Okhansk region with him. Photo: vk.com/pleshkofff

Captain Nikita Pleshkov shared details about their journey with "Komsomolskaya Pravda - Perm".

- Our adventure began in Brazil. First, we flew to São Paulo – the largest city not only in Brazil but in the entire Southern Hemisphere. More than 11 million people live here. It’s a city of contrasts: luxurious neighborhoods and slums exist side by side, towering skyscrapers and an incredible number of homeless people living right on the sidewalks, burning fires in the street, rummaging through trash. Next to office centers and hotels are half-abandoned high-rises. In general, I wouldn’t recommend anyone to walk around São Paulo after sunset.

The catamaran "Sever", on which they are sailing, was purchased by Nikita last spring. Previously, two Russian sailors made a sport transatlantic crossing from Morocco to Brazil on it. After that, the catamaran was disassembled – resulting in 9 large bags – and the owners put the vessel up for sale, stating they would sell it not to just anyone, but only to someone willing to embark on a serious journey.

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My sail stands out, so lonely against the backdrop of steel ships. Photo: vk.com/pleshkofff

The disassembled catamaran was stored at the yacht club in the port of Fortaleza.

Thus, the starting point for the travelers from Perm was this port. But first, they had to get there.

- In Brazil, rail transport is very underdeveloped, so passengers either travel by road or by air. Since the weight of our gear equals that of a rather hefty man, we chose to take a bus. The journey from São Paulo to Fortaleza took 59 hours, about the same as traveling from Murmansk to Krasnodar. And the scenery outside the window changed almost as dramatically: palms and cacti, mountains and plains, large cities and small villages, arid savannas and tropical forests...

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Photo: vk.com/pleshkofff

In Fortaleza, the travelers spent about a month assembling the catamaran. However, they encountered an unpleasant surprise in this city. The third crew member, Sergey, had his backpack stolen, which contained his phone, some money, and all his documents, including his passport. He wasn’t just robbed; while walking alone one evening, he was stopped and his belongings were taken from him.

- It’s impossible to go to sea without documents. Restoring a passport is quite a lengthy process, taking from half a month to three months, especially since the Russian consulate was 2,000 kilometers away from us. Therefore, we made the difficult decision to split the crew. We bought Sergey a return ticket and arranged for a document through the embassy for his return to Russia.

On December 5, the reduced crew of "Sever" set sail across the Atlantic. The first leg along the coast of Brazil took 8 days.

- We sailed along the coast for a long time, but we couldn’t see the shore itself because the depths near the ocean are very shallow, and to have a stable depth of at least 10 meters, we needed to go 30 kilometers offshore. Moreover, the further we were from the shore, the safer and more comfortable it was because there were significantly fewer vessels. Sometimes we didn’t see a single ship for a day or two, just the ocean.

The names of the cities and islands where the travelers stopped sound enticingly exotic: Trinidad and Tobago, Paramaribo, Saint Lucia...

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Photo: vk.com/pleshkofff

- On December 15, we crossed the equator and celebrated with a can of canned peaches. This event occurred on the way from São Luís to Suriname, during the longest leg of our sailing life. We sailed non-stop for eight days, keeping watch day and night, taking turns, and catching sleep in fits of 3-4 hours. One day, a whole school of flying fish decided it would be amusing to jump onto our deck. In the end, we had to pry fish out of every crack. At night, seagulls tried to hitch a ride, so we had to chase them away with a paddle to prevent them from making a mess on board. The salt in the Atlantic is such that clothes never fully dry, soaking it up. But all these problems are nothing when you feel the ship transform into a spaceship on a moonless night. Only stars and your vessel are visible in the light of the night spotlight.

After such a long leg, the travelers allowed themselves to rest in Suriname – the smallest country in South America, with a population of only 600,000. Its capital is the city of Paramaribo.

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Photo: vk.com/pleshkofff

- Suriname has been an English and Dutch colony at different times in its history, which has significantly influenced its appearance. In the suburbs, everything is well-kept and open in a European style. The center of Paramaribo resembles a mix of Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America: many cars, buses with wild pictures on the sides and constantly open doors, street food, spontaneous markets, overflowing sewage, road repairs, wooden buildings from the colonial era, monuments, palm trees, stores full of Christmas decorations, canals, boats, queues, colorful birds, shops, cafes... In Suriname, everyone speaks English, and unlike Brazil, there are almost no fences with barbed wire or electric wires. Even around the presidential palace, although there is security, the fence is only knee-high.

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Captain Nikita Pleshkov. Photo: vk.com/pleshkofff

Then "Sever" made stops at various islands, such as Saint Lucia – a mountainous volcanic island densely covered with tropical forests. The two volcanoes on the island's west coast, known as the Pitons, are a symbol of Saint Lucia and are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site. However, the travelers could only view Martinique from their vessel, as this island is an overseas department of France.

- Our ship sails under the Russian flag, so we cannot enter American, French, or other territories. Also, our bank cards do not work here, so if you want to buy food, water, or souvenirs, you need to carry cash or travel with an international card.

In just over a month, "Sever" has covered nearly 3,000 kilometers under sail. Soon, the travelers from Perm will finish their journey in the Dominican Republic.

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The second crew member, Anna Khudorozhkova. Photo: vk.com/pleshkofff

- For now, we send greetings to our fellow countrymen from the Caribbean Sea. I advise everyone living in Perm to take some time in the summer and embark on a journey through our native land along the beautiful Kama River. You can also sail here; there are stunning places. The width of our Kama in some sections of the reservoir is over 10 kilometers. These are beautiful untouched areas where it’s wonderful to sail. We are already dreaming of returning home to prepare for our next navigation on the Kama.