Aleixo Belov's expedition to the Arctic

Adapted to English from an article originally published on the Belov Group website.

The founder of Belov Group, Aleixo Belov, will embark on another expedition on April 12th aboard the sailboat Fraternidade. The journey will depart from Salvador, Bahia, heading towards Siberia, with a mixed crew of Brazilians and Russians. The route will pass through northern Norway and Siberia, facing extreme conditions.

The journey will feature the Russian commander Sergei Shcherbakov, an expert in polar navigation and commander of the sailboat Siberia. With over 60 years of experience, Shcherbakov has sailed 140,000 nautical miles and will be crucial for the crossing.

'He loves the sea and enjoys sailing, so when I offered him the opportunity to participate in this joint expedition, he accepted right away. I met Sergei during a train trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway, from Moscow to the Sea of Japan. I passed through Omsk, where he lives, and he waited for me at the train station. We talked for a few minutes and quickly recognized our shared passion for navigation,' Belov recounted.

Shcherbakov has a long history at sea. 'He has been taking care of ports and sea voyages for 60 years. He started in children's sailing school and specialized in sports, but always preferred expeditions. He designed and built his own sailboat over ten years and, with it, made several trips, including an expedition to Antarctica,' Belov emphasized.

The team will consist of nine crew members, organized in three-hour shifts, under Belov's supervision, and in addition to the technical challenge, the expedition will also be a way to celebrate 200 years of diplomatic relations between Brazil and Russia (in 2028). The trip will be carried out under the BRICS flag (acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa).

Based on information from the Aleixo Belov Foundation