With Israel’s airspace closed due to the ongoing war and commercial flights grounded indefinitely, some Israelis are turning to the sea to leave the country or return home. On Saturday, as tensions remained high, skipper Anna Sirotchenko sailed from Haifa toward Cyprus with seven passengers aboard a chartered yacht.
Her passengers included a father and his three children who live in Dubai, along with three crew members. The yacht is expected to reach the port of Limassol on Sunday, with a return trip planned for Monday carrying seven Israeli nationals.
“There were a lot of people reaching out, trying to get back,” Sirotchenko said. “Couples who left for vacation and left children at home, someone who got a reserve call-up, people with babies. But I can only fit 10 people and have 10 life vests.”
The one-way, 24-hour voyage costs about 3,000 shekels ($800) per person, covering yacht rental, fuel, food and water. “The yacht isn’t mine,” she said. “I rent it as a skipper and take care of everything.”
The sailboat, 14 meters (46 feet) long and 3.5 meters wide, has four double cabins and three restrooms. It can run on motor power when there’s no wind. Departures are cleared by Israeli border control, with officials boarding to inspect and stamp passengers’ passports.
Sirotchenko said she may offer additional crossings depending on demand. “Right now, I don’t know. They say the skies will reopen Tuesday. We’ll see.”
A professional bookkeeper from Bat Yam, Sirotchenko, 45, discovered her passion for sailing as a child in Ukraine, boating between islands with her father. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her daughter took an introductory sailing trip, which reignited her childhood dream.
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She earned her Israeli skipper’s license in just four months and later obtained international certification in England. Now she balances part-time accounting with skippering trips around the world. In December, she plans to lead an island-hopping tour in Thailand.
Sirotchenko said training to become a skipper is more affordable than many expect, with courses ranging from 6,000 to 12,000 shekels ($1,600 to $3,200). The physical demands are modest, she added.
“People ask if women can skipper a boat. Absolutely,” she said. “When I trained in England, there were many female skippers. In Israel, maybe 10% are women, and that’s a shame. The courses provide knowledge and confidence.”
She acknowledged seasickness can be a challenge but noted it’s manageable. “There was a woman in my course who suffered from it but didn’t give up. She took medication and kept going.”
Sirotchenko recalled one difficult moment while sailing the Canary Islands, when her engine failed and she had to reach shore under sail alone.
“But for me, the sea is life,” she said. “Sometimes I stand there and think, ‘Wow, I’m steering a yacht.’ It’s an incredible feeling.”