24 cadets of the Kazakh Maritime Academy of KBTU and 2 teaching officers crossed the Atlantic Ocean from the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten to the Azores in 46 days and safely reached the Netherlands.
According to the plan, they were supposed to start on February 16 from the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten, get across the Atlantic to the Azores, and from there fly on March 16-17 through Frankfurt to their homeland. However, the rapid spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 has adjusted their return. When regular flights from the Azores were canceled, the team decided to return to the homeport of their sailboat Eindracht in Rotterdam (Netherlands).
During the voyage, having passed 12-point storms, our young sailors showed fortitude and the ability to work in a team under adverse conditions. As the Dutch crew noted, it would be difficult for them to pass such a storm without the help of the Kazakh cadets.
Having completed all the tests, our cadets reached the French city of Beaulieu-sur-Mer, from where they delivered to the city of Amsterdam by the Embassies of the Republic of Kazakhstan in France and Belgium.
From the first days, our diplomats were in touch with the children and their parents. They are currently housed in an Amsterdam hotel and are awaiting departure to Kazakhstan.
