By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Jan 14: The restoration of the historic Russian sailing vessel Pilgrim in Sarawak is “cultural diplomacy at its purest,” former senator Jaziri Alkaf Abdillah Suffian said, describing the episode as a powerful reminder that trust between nations can be built through genuine human encounters rather than formal agreements.
“This is cultural diplomacy at its purest,” Jaziri said in a reflective account of the vessel’s journey and rescue. “It does not always begin with treaties or speeches, but with genuine encounters—sometimes even with a damaged vessel in need of help.”
The Pilgrim is a historical replica of a White Sea lodya from the 16th to 18th centuries, built at the Polar Odyssey Maritime Centre in Petrozavodsk, Russia. Since 2017, she has been circumnavigating the globe under Captain Sergey Sinelnik, an Honoured Traveller of the Russian Federation and a member of the Russian Geographical Society.
“She has crossed the equator twice, visited 21 countries and sailed more than 23,000 nautical miles,” Jaziri noted, adding that the Pilgrim’s route spanned Europe, the Atlantic, North America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Borneo, and eventually Sarawak.
“The Pilgrim is more than a ship,” he said. “She carries a floating museum of Russian wooden architecture and shipbuilding, with models spanning centuries of maritime history.”
According to Jaziri, Captain Sinelnik regularly delivered lectures at ports of call, introducing audiences to Russian maritime heritage. “Everywhere, the reception has been warm—proof that culture speaks a universal language,” he said.
The voyage took a dramatic turn last year when the Pilgrim struck a rock in the Oya River in Mukah, tearing a large hole in her hull and leaving her stranded. “For months, the question lingered—repair and continue her voyage, or leave her as a memento and tourist attraction,” Jaziri said.
He said he had “discussed the matter at length” with Mukah MP Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib, as the damaged vessel lay in disrepair within her constituency.
“What followed was a story of true friendship,” Jaziri said. “Thanks to a generous donation and the extraordinary skills of Sarawak’s boatbuilders, the vessel was eventually restored.”
He added that although the Pilgrim has since departed Sarawak and crossed the Malacca Strait, “the spirit of cooperation remains.”
“Sarawak, where seafaring and boatbuilding are woven into local identity, welcomed the Pilgrim not as a stranger but as a kindred spirit,” he said.
Jaziri stressed that trust is built when people recognise authenticity and respect heritage. “Trust is built when people share traditions,” he said. “The Pilgrim shows that trust between nations can be carried across oceans, plank by plank, sail by sail.”
Looking ahead, he floated the idea of building a Malaysian-made replica of the Pilgrim. “Imagine a wooden vessel crafted here, sailing as a living museum and symbol of friendship between Sarawak and Russia,” he said. “It would enrich cultural tourism and stand as proof that cooperation and trust are not abstract ideas. They are things that can be built—plank by plank—and carried across the seas.”
In a world where dialogue is increasingly strained, Jaziri said the Pilgrim’s story offers a timely lesson. “She proves that culture can travel, trust can be built, and cooperation nurtured in the most human of ways,” he said. “Bridges between nations are not only forged in conference halls, but also on the decks of wooden ships, under sails carrying history and hope together.” — DayakDaily
