Circumeuropa 2024. The road taken by Vulpea on land, towards the sea.
by Cosmin Jitariuc
Circumeuropa 2024 is the second part of the expedition that began in May 2023, a project that aims to reopen international shipping to and from Timisoara. It is the dream of those of us who identify with the Circumeuropa project. We are the ones who want to show that you can leave the city, from the cathedral, by boat on the Bega, to any part of Europe and, why not, of the globe.
2023, the year Timisoara was European Capital of Culture, was the starting point for the Circumuropa project. We took part of the culture from the west of the country to Europe. And we marked several firsts. We reopened the waterway from Timisoara to Serbia and from there to the rest of the world.
In 2023 our expedition stopped in Lefkada, Greece. And in 2024, also in May, we set off from the same place to close the circle on the water around Europe.
We left Timisoara after a week of working on the boat and preparing „Vulpea” (The Fox) for the trials to come. We didn’t expect so many.
“I can’t wait to see „Vulpea” on the water. I think the way to Greece is the hardest part,” Cosmin said, but he didn’t know what was next.
Cristina Popa, doctor and skipper, is the newest member of Circumeuropa crew, but also one of the most important supporters of the project since 2023. This year she climbed the Vulpea for the toughest leg: Lefkada – Marseille
“I find it extraordinary what is happening and what the Circumeuropa expedition has set out to do,” says Cristina.
On Sunday, we left somewhat exhausted from the week of preparations, which had worn us out physically and financially.
The first incident took place not even 500 kilometres from Timisoara: the car that was towing the Vulpea on the asphalt route caught fire on the highway in Serbia. We thought our expedition would stop here. It was a fire in the true sense of the word, with the intervention of firefighters, police.
We stood on the side of the highway connecting Serbia to Macedonia for more than 6 hours. The procedures in case of such an incident take time and it was even more complicated because Serbian policemen speak very little English. We were towed to a small town near the motorway, Razanj. It took another 5 hours or so before another car arrived from Romania and picked up „Vulpea”.
In the meantime, we had a unique culinary and cultural experience. Our hunger got the better of us and we searched the few dark alleys for a place to eat. And we found a Serbian restaurant, full of history. A young man, a good English speaker, ran the place. And although there was a notice at the entrance stating that UK or US citizens were not allowed in the restaurant, the menu was also in English. On the walls were pictures of Serbian heroes from the two World Wars, and the young man happily told stories about each one, as well as the symbols displayed in every corner of the place. And the food was very good.
Around 23:00 Serbian time, the second car from Romania arrived. We tied up the trailer on which „Vulpea” was and set off again.
Fatigue caught up with us pretty quickly and we soon took refuge in a parking lot where we slept for a few hours. We, the three members of the Circumeuropa crew, climbed onto the Vulpea and slept there. A short and deep sleep. The first on „Vulpea” in 2024.
It seemed like nothing could happen. We set off further and by 7:00 in the morning we reached the border between Serbia and Macedonia.
We sat in a queue at customs. „Vulpea” was in front of us towed by the new car. We were in another car in the back.
“I don’t think so… I have the impression that it hit the minibus in front”, said Cristi, who was driving the car we were in.
We got out and we saw the tow hook of the minibus in front stuck in the mask of the car towing the boat. We gasped.
“After what we’d been through I didn’t think anything else could happen. And yet… I hope we make it to Greece safely,” Cristina said, as we tried to find a solution to the problem.
After 2 hours of blocking the traffic in the customs because we blocked the car queue, we managed to leave. Our driver had to dismantle the towing hook on the minibus in order to remove it from the car mask. We managed to continue on our way, without many other major incidents. We stopped a few more times because the engine of the car towing the boat was getting hot, and after the incident in Serbia we were very cautious.
We arrived in Greece at about 8PM, almost 36 hours after leaving Timisoara.
“It was the longest journey from Timisoara to Greece that I have ever experienced”, said Cosmin happy that we finally reached our destination.
Paleros is a town in Greece, 30 km from Lefkas. There we stopped for the last round of repairs and upgrades for “Vulpea”. We checked in at the campsite of Alina, a Romanian who has been established in Greece for many years. From here we drove to Lefkas to get the necessary things for the security of the boat. We bought a life raft and four life jackets, the latter to be able to move safely on deck even in rough seas or at night. But this affected the not-so-large budget of the expedition. In terms of “trinkets” we can mention a marine anchor with chain, compass for the deck, mooring lines and other items necessary for safety on the boat. None of them very cheap.
Mihai Pătrașcu, our crewmate and the one with whom Cristi dreamed and thought up the Circumeuropa project, more than 18 years ago, also arrived.
For five days we painted the boat, raised and adjusted the mast and fixed the engines.
Because it couldn’t be simple, we depended on the schedule of the tractor driver who was going to launch the “Fox” on the water and who was also working in the field with the machine. Initially he told us that he could only help us the next day, Saturday morning. But around nine o’clock in the evening he informed us that maybe around ten o’clock, and not on Saturday. So, in a hurry, we put our personal luggage on board, stowed our car and with great trepidation, we towed the boat down to the water.
It was a success, until we got unhooked from the trailer and started floating. We tried to start the new engine… it started… but it was belching smoke worthy of a highway fire. We were drifting very close to shore. Panic among the crew, panic among the people who helped us get the boat in the water. The same old engine from last year was our salvation. It started flawlessly and we made it to the port of Paleros, half an hour’s sail away. We found a spot, and tied up the “Fox”. Then we saw on a sign that it said, that it was forbidden to moor boats on weekends in that place. But nobody had any business with us.
That’s how the Fox ended up on the water and us, with our nerves frayed, on board.
Circumeuropa 2024 is about to start.
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