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Phoenician replica readies for Mediterranean crossing

A team of 20 rowers will next week aim to cross the Mediterranean Sea in a replica Phoenician-style "bireme" ship from Turkey to France.

The Kybele boat -- named after an Anatolian goddess -- will leave the Turkish village of Foca near Izmir and travel 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) to the ancient port of Marseille in southern France.

Rowers, comprising students and members of the "360 Degrees Association," will sleep on benches in the biremes wooden 20-metre-long hull and use the boats cotton sails to try and keep it moving forward.

Read entire article at http://www.hurriyet.com