The editor of sailing magazine Yacht Russia wrote this amazing article about our trip. It is in Russian. But the automatic translation works reasonably well. https://www.yachtrussia.com/articles/2014/11/24/articles_69.html?fbclid=IwAR1_eILpBPBP-u8MwNCWcRNUMT2Wtu1TkpRSiGmxjFVnXP95vVOAYRkdmUE The post Yacht Russia – in Russian appeared first on Sailing through Russia ..read more

Last year, I sailed twice on Kruzenshern, the first time as a trainee, the second time to instruct. It was a long-held little girl’s dream after I had been on Kruzenshtern as a child, taken by my father who was an avid yachtie. Groups are mostly Russian with a few Germans thrown in who join Kruzenshtern since she used to be a German ship. A challenge for me being Dutch and having to teach in Russian. Peter the Great took the Dutch language with him when he introduced sailing terminology into Russian. For me and endless source of confusion. Some meanings got lost or changed in translation ..read more

The editor of sailing magazine Yacht Russia wrote this amazing article about our trip. It is in Russian. But the automatic translation works reasonably well. https://www.yachtrussia.com/articles/2014/11/24/articles_69.html The post Yacht Russia appeared first on Sailing through Russia ..read more

Cruising guide & travel tale is available through Arthur Beale in London (UK). http://www.arthurbeale.co.uk/ The post Arthur Beale appeared first on Sailing through Russia ..read more

Cruising guide and travel take “Sailing through Russia” is now also for sale through Bookharbour in the UK. https://www.bookharbour.com/sailing-through-russia-from-the-arctic-to-the-black-sea The post Bookharbour appeared first on Sailing through Russia ..read more

Kaliningrad is back on the map! Most useful for a sailor. Let’s hope that this part of the Baltic gets less deserted! Kaliningrad Cathedral Starting from July 1, 2019, nationals of 53 foreign States may be granted an e-visa to enter the Russian Federation through the border crossing points, located on the territory of the Kaliningrad region. ⠀ •An e-visa is issued within 4 calendar days, including week-ends and bank holidays. • There is no need for any invitations or confirmations. Just fill in the application form on the website http://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/klgd_home.html. • There is no ..read more

After Saint-Petersburg, City Marina in Tallinn is a breath of fresh air. The marina captain is expecting me. Last year he did not speak Russian, not even when I asked him. This year he fortunately does. Makes the conversation a whole lot more fluent. He makes my day when he tells me that I can have my Russian gas bottles filled in Tallinn. There apparently is a place that will do that. I sailed into Tallinn, damaged as usual. Those 40+ knots of wind smashed my elbow which I not immediately noticed. Off watch I was in so much pain, there was no sleeping without some serious painkillers. Iain, m ..read more

Four more days in SPB, in Krestovskiy Marina. It is the usual with not terribly clean facilities and no water to bunker. But it had shore power and friendly marina people. It’s a tad far from the centre but so is any other marina here. At least it is quiet unlike the opposite River Marina. The closest restaurant, called Sunday, is next to the marina and the food is good. You’ll like especially it if you are into bling and cosmetic surgery. First Bridget left for home, then Dirk too. Iain would stay on for the sailing to Tallinn. He even went shopping to make us a stew that would keep us going ..read more

A very talkative cab driver drove Bridget & Iain the next morning to the station from where they took the train back to SPB. They will do some more sightseeing whilst Dirk and I will sail Blue Dove down through the river Neva towards SPB. And they’ll join us again for the night when we will be going through the bridges. Talkative cab driver turned out to be most useful. He drove me round to get the gas bottles filled (I have Russian gas bottles). He did talk the ears off my head but the job got done. The only bridge across the Neva river that needs opening for us (Kuzminskiy Bridge) is fre ..read more

Unfortunately we had to turn down the invitation to join the monks at breakfast. This decision was aided by my dislike of the ubiquitous porridge. But we also had a 12-hour sail ahead of us and I want to arrive in daylight. I had noticed that not all navigational marks had been returned yet to the water and was not sure either about whether they would be lit. I was also worried about lack of gas and the cold during our trip. I had two people on board who are – to putting it mildly – very indifferent to sailing and had only joined for their parters’ sake who happen to love sailing. At the other ..read more