The dare-devils from the Mission Bulgaria – around the world are: Pavel Doychev, Gavril Gyurov-Gitsata and Captain Dacho Dachev who has crossed the Atlantic three times, and now lives in the small Black Sea town of Tsarevo; he has also been director of the local harbour. Pavel Doychev is a stuntman, a swimmer and script-writer… He lives in Fazanovo village, again on the Black Sea and organizes art and film festivals there. Gavril Gyurov-Gitsata is also a stuntman, a diver and marine cameraman. Like the other two, he has opted for a rustic life, though he does not live by the sea but in the mountain – in a small village called Karpachevo.

“Sailing is not an end in itself, it’s not just a question of saying: Yes, we sailed across something or other,” Pavel says. “To my mind, what is most important of all is that while we are sailing, we meet different people and tell them about our country, about its folklore and archaeology. Our other dream is to have everything that is happening streamed live online, so that it may reach Bulgaria.”

Using modern technology is key, as it is with the help of technology that Mission Bulgaria will develop into an educational reality show for the rising generation. But how can a round-the-world trip reach out to people, and most of all the young? With the help of the Internet, of course. If everything goes according to plan, on September, 15, 2014 when the mission starts, the show will be launched tracing the yacht’s progress. So, anyone interested can see where the yacht is landing and read up on any remote destination. For the time being 17 countries will be expecting the three travelers – among them Argentina, New Zealand, Brazil, China, Mexico. The Bulgarian National Radio is media sponsor to Mission Bulgaria – around the world, an adventure that will go on for approximately two years. The crew is not setting any deadlines, so the speed of the yacht adventure will depend on the whims of nature. So, how will Bulgaria be presented to the world?

“We shall be taking with us souvenirs, flags, T-shirts,” Pavel Doychev says. “When we have meetings with the Bulgarian communities abroad they will be waiting for us together with local people. We shall stop at different ports and we shall organize different parties that will include presentations of Bulgaria and of our journey.”

The special highlight for foreigners is called rakia for beginners. The rakia or brandy on offer will have two versions – the original rakia with an alcohol content of 50 percent and the milder version – 25. The milder version is for all those unaccustomed to the fiery Balkan taste.

One of the mission’s ideas is to popularize regatta sailing. Few people in Bulgaria are into this sport, all the more so that it is quite expensive. To promote it, the people from the Bulgaria around the world foundation want to set up several centres along the Bulgarian Black Sea coastline where children of all ages will be trained by instructors in summer, free of charge.

English version: Milena Daynova