THE ZAMNA ARRIVES IN NEW YORK HARBOR
09-09-2009
Peace Boat Celebrates Innocence and Beauty of Cozumel
New York, September 9, 2009 — The Zamna, the hand-made artisan ship of peace, which set sail on this maiden voyage on August 26th, will arrive in New York’s Chelsea Piers on September 10th, 2009 at 1 PM. Traveling aboard the vessel, will be a 12-year-old Maya child named Tony Angulo who has been named Ambassador of Peace by the Island of Cozumel, recently declared the Island of Peace by the International Committee for the Banner of Peace, a non-governmental organization affiliated with the UN.
Traveling under the banner “The Child, the Sea, Peace and Cozumel,” the ship seeks to deliver a message of universal peace and acceptance to the world. The ship, whose name means Father of the Gods in Maya is a unique handcraft wooden master piece of 100 feet long and three masts, and was built by a team of 40 Mexican ship makers and will be commanded by Captain Vital Alsar an experienced and skilled sailor, from a fishermen family. Twelve types of woods were used to make it and it features windows stylized after the shape of the windows found in Chichen Itza, whose pyramid was also replicated with the ship’s lights. The word Peace is written in 24 languages on its sails.
The Zamna’s visit to New York’s harbor is a unique stop in its trip as it is the city where the Roerich Pact, wich seeks cultural preservation, was signed in 1935 by 21 countries in the Americas. The International Committee for the Banner of Peace is part of the pact. In 2010 Cozumel will be host to the organization’s first Intenational Peace Conference where the Pact is expected to be rectified and other countries will be added.
Cozumel has no record of any warlike conflict since the ancient Maya. It is an island surrounded with people who thrive on the ocean’s turquoise waters, cherish its natural richness, and embrace it as a mecca for cultural and ideological encounters and boasts a thriving cruising industry, deep sea diving on the second biggest reefs in the world and a wealth of activities, perfect for any traveler including three archeological zones: Gervasio, the Royal Castle and el Cedral.
A welcoming ceremony will be held upon the ships arrival on at Chelsea Pier # 59 at 1 PM. As part of the ceremony Carlos will symbolically exchange the peace flag, whose previous recipients include the Dalai Lama, with local children. He will also be present at an evening reception where he will bestow the Mexican flag to the city of New York. A special VIP reception will follow on the boat where Ambassador Ruben Beltran, General Consul of Mexico in New York, and Mariana Pedrero, Director of the Mexico Tourism Board in New York and Juan Carlos Gonzales Mayor of Cozumel will be present.
The Trimaran Zamna will remain anchored at the Marina for 4 days and will be open to the public.
The Trimaran Zamna will then leave the Americas for Europe on a trip that is expected to last 4 and a half months, before reaching its final haven, the Port of Pireus in Greece. In its route, the ship will stop in 15 countries including Spain, Portugal, Italy, Tunisia and Egypt on its way to the final destination in Piaro, Greece.
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