Plankton III , Boat Dju IV ( a shipping lifeboat)
08.05.1974 - 16.07.1974 63 days Gibraltar - Santiago de Cuba, crossing the Atlantic
Julia and Doncho Papazov

This was the third experiment of the program. Julia and Doncho had a 8 months old daughter Yana. The experiment of crossing the Atlantic from Gibraltar to Cuba was very risky given the type of sailboat and the vessel’s navigational capacity. The used tender boat was 8 meters long with a small deck - 40 cm high which covers half of the lifeboat. The mast was a 5.2 meters high aluminum tube. The rigs used was mainsail and jib. The navigation equipment was classical with no electronic devices. The boat was equipped with a battery radio with manual generator. The nutrient supplies for the second expedition covered 40% of the necessary minimum of calories and 50% of fresh water per person. The rest of the calories were derived from zooplankton. The most serious challenge in the first days of the expedition came after Gibraltar. It was an 8 day long storm which resulted in total lack of rest and sleep added to an almost constant effort to manually scoop out the incoming water. Luckily for them (as they later found out) they managed to escape a hurricane moving in their direction. This was in fact the first big trip of à conventional shipping lifeboat with sails.


Photo's (from book "With Dju across the Atlantic")

Marinero Dju Dju is on the rumpel Plan of DjuIV Doncho is on the rumpel Map Onward! DjuIV Skipper Doncho

With Jana Dju on the wharf Dju and Doncho With skipper Jovchev In the boatworkshop Lift up DjuIV

Last update: 04.05.2005 ã.


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