Sailors attacked by sharks off Cairns return to Russian after completing trip

Two Russian sailors whose yacht was ripped apart by sharks off the Queensland coast last year have finally made it back to their homeland.

Two Russian sailors whose yacht was ripped apart by sharks off the Queensland coast last year have finally made it back to their homeland.

Russian Geographical Society adventurers Evgeniy Kovalevsky and Stanislav Berezkin, who had to be rescued after their inflatable catamaran was attacked by up to 20 cookie-cutter sharks off Cairns last September, sailed back into Russian waters this week, three years after embarking on an around-the-world odyssey.

The Russians, along with a French crewman, were sailing from Vanuatu to Cairns as part of an epic circumnavigation voyage when their 9m vessel was mauled by the shark pack and sank “like Titanic”, Mr Kovalevsky later told media.

Russian sailors Evgeniy and Stanislav Berezkin return home.

They had to be rescued by the crew of a Panamanian cargo ship about 800km off the North Queensland coast and were eventually brought to shore on the Sunshine Coast by water police.

The Russians launched a fundraising campaign for a replacement vessel, this time a hard-hulled yacht, which they found in Townsville and set sail again – only to be denied entry to other Queensland ports because of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine.

The sailors finally arrived home this week, after setting sail from St Petersburg in July 2021 on a voyage to trace Russia’s first circumnavigations in the 19th century.

Mr Kovalevsky said he and Mr Berezkin had “accomplished something unique and heroic”, surviving not only the shark attack but also two crashes and successfully passing through war zones including the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea and Black Sea.

“The expedition is very important because we did it for ourselves, for our friends, for history,” Mr Kovalevsky said overnight Tuesday.

Stanislav Berezkin and Evgeny Kovalensky and crewman Vincent Etienne at Mooloolaba last year after a shark attack off Cairns. Picture: Lachie Millard

The sailors said it was a case of “delayed happiness”, as their boat was moored 300m offshore awaiting Customs clearance before they could walk on Russian soil again.

“I haven’t seen my native country for so many years (but) today my joy is dulled from fatigue,” Mr Berezkin said.

“I am happy that we are back – our expedition is already in its fourth year – and I will finally see my family, friends (and) loved ones.”

An expedition spokesperson said Mr Kovalevsky had met with locals in all 32 countries they visited “and destroyed stereotypes about our country”.

The sailors will be given a mayoral reception in Anapa, a town on the northern coast of the Black Sea.

Originally published as Sailors attacked by sharks off Cairns return to Russian after completing trip