hurricanes passing through the Atlantic.

And last night they took advantage of clear conditions to resume their voyage around the world which began on May 9 from the city of Volgograd.

Navigator Juyri Pokataev spoke for the crew as their 45-foot, steel-hulled ketch, the Aira 2 sat alongside Ordnance Island in St. George's.

He explained that the group -- which comprised of himself, Capt. Ruben Baytaun, first mate Alexander Banko, boatman Alexander Prosandeev and Dr.

Wadim Zakrevsky -- had undertaken the voyage as part of celebrations commemorating the Russian fleet's 300th anniversary.

As a stroke of coincidence, he continued, Volgograd's "sister city'' in the US was Cleveland, Ohio which happened to be celebrating the 200th anniversary of its founding.

The voyage has taken the sailors to St. Petersburg, through the Baltic and North Seas to England and across the Atlantic to Bermuda.

From here, Mr. Pokataev said, they plan to sail to New York and then onto Cleveland, Chicago, down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico and through the Panama Canal.

Once in the Pacific Ocean, he continued, they intend to sail to Australia, through the Indian Ocean, into the Red Sea, up the Suez Canal and then on through the Mediterranean and Black Seas back to Volgograd.

Mr. Pokataev said they hoped to be back home by September next year.

The voyage, so far, he said, had been event-free except for some engine problems and bad weather and the whole crew was upbeat and ready to get underway again.

But they are not just travelling for posterity's sake, stressed Mr. Pokataev.

The crew are passing the message of peace everywhere they visit and through both Russian and English written leaflets state: "We propose you -- with your relatives and friends, in loneliness or with your fellow travellers -- every day to think about peace, about peace in your soul, about peace for every alive creature and for the whole of our planet.'' It continues: "We ask you: after reading these words send the wish of peace for the whole world. "Your idea will flow in total flow, like a wave of peace-creation will go around the whole world and will clean our planet from criminals and wars.'' Mr. Pokataev added that he and Capt. Baytaun had visited Bermuda in 1992 under much different circumstances.

Then they were on board the Aira 1 then and were heading for the US to take part in a race in Columbus, Ohio.

But they experienced a great deal of difficulty in crossing the Atlantic and limped into Bermuda without any money, fresh food, water or even visas.

Thanks to the kindness and help of the Bermudian people, he said, they had a "beautiful time here'' and managed to carry on and reach the US.

He added that the entire crew wanted to thank all Bermudians for their hospitality and help on that voyage and this one.

This voyage is being jointly sponsored by American businessman David Cook and the Volgograd region's government.