Odyssey Tūkstantmečio odisėja, 'Vienas vardas - Lietuva', jachta LTU 1000 'Ambersail', buriuotojai, Lietuvos tūkstantmetis, kelionė aplink pasaulį

ELEVEN Lithuanian sailors arrive in Auckland next week as part of an around-the-world odyssey commemorating 1000 years since the first recorded mention of the Baltic state’s name.
In 2009, the Republic of Lithuania celebrates its name which - according to popular history - was first mentioned in a medieval German manuscript, the Quedlinburg Chronicle, on February 14 1009.

There is only one week left until the yacht ‘Ambersail’ LTU 1000 will reach the shores of Australia on its journey around the world. The crew claims that less than 1800 nautical miles (around 3300km) are left to the nearest point of Australia – the port of Adelaide. According to current estimates, it is expected that the vessel will reach port Adelaide on Christmas Eve.

On 24 October the yachtsmen were met by the crowd of joyful Lithuanians waving Lithuanian flags and pennons and singing Lithuanian songs. Among those jubilant people was and Lithuanian sailor Andrius Varnas from the sailing yacht “Ragainė II” round the world trip. The millennium heralds were warmly welcomed by Lyra Puišytė-Bostroem, Lithuanian chargé d’affaires from the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Spain. On behalf of all those present she said that she was happy to see brave and courageous men who helped to make their country famous.

The Millennium Odyssey yacht with a crew of 13 approached German port Kiel. Local Lithuanians and the inhabitants of Kiel welcomed the Lithuanian ambassadors with bread and salt. The crowd was chanting: “Lie-tu-va! Lie-tu-va!” Their eyes sparkled with a glint of tears of joy as they were proud of brave Lithuanian yachtsmen, their homeland and felt gratitude for Lithuania‘s general attention to the Lithuanian expatriates carrying their burden abroad.

In 2009, Lithuania will commemorate 1000 years of her name. ‘One name - Lithuania’ is the slogan of the Lithuanian yachtsmen who recently set off from the port of Klaipėda on a circumnavigation of the globe. The aim of their journey, named the ‘Millennium Odyssey’, is to raise awareness of Lithuania’s heritage and contemporary culture, and to invite all the world’s Lithuanian communities to celebrate this momentous occasion on all five continents.