Tall ship leaves Jakarta for the U.S.

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's tall ship KM Dewa Ruci left Jakarta for the United States on Saturday to join an international tall ship competition, Gold Rush Race 1999, in California in July.

The ship is scheduled to arrive in Surabaya on Monday. Its official departure will be launched by Navy chief Admiral Widodo AS on April 19.

"We will depart from Surabaya on April 19 and arrive in San Francisco on July 2," Dewa Ruci's chief Lt. Commander Darwanto was quoted by Antara as saying.

The competition, which will be joined by dozens of tall ships, is aimed mainly at commemorating the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold in California. The competition is scheduled to take place from July 5 to July 9.

According to Darwanto, the ship conducted final preparations at the shipbuilding company PT Dok Koja in North Jakarta, prior to its journey to its naval base in Surabaya.

The ship, with a 70-member crew and 40 cadets, will sail across the Pacific Ocean with stopovers in Sorong, Irian Jaya; Senjavin Island, Micronesia; Kwajelin and Kiribati, Christmas Islands; and Honolulu, Hawaii.

The ship is scheduled to end its official visit to the U.S. on July 19 and arrive back in Surabaya on Sept. 23. (01)