Sunday 14 July 1996
Our last letter left us in Ventspils in Latvia with plans (fulfilled) to visit Saarema in Estonia en route to Helsinki. We have now returned to Finland after a fantastic and memorable three weeks in Russia.
    Our culture shock came at Kronshlot, an excellent little harbour with old castle South of Kronshtadt, and from June 1996 being used for Customs clearance (NB no longer, 1998/9), a great improvement as it avoids the necessity of entering the St. Petersburg docks followed by a difficult shallow water passage to the yacht clubs on the Neva delta. We moored against a wooden pier that elsewhere would have a sign " Dangerous Structure - Keep Off"; we were also made to wait from 0300 to 1100 for clearance (and charged $20 because it was a holiday).
    We entered the Central Yacht Club, a large basin outside an imposing modernistic three storey building (built for Moscow Olympics but dropped in favour of Tallinn), but there were only a handful of mainly unmanned yachts here and security seemed non-existent, so we made a tricky passage round to the Baltic Shipping Company Yacht Club (now called St.Petersburg Sea YC), which was welcoming, busy and secure with a 24 hour guard and dogs. Indeed we felt more secure here than in our home marina! We soon discovered that not only were the only foreign yacht to be going to the International Festival celebrating the 300th Anniversary of Peter the Great starting the Russian Navy at Petrozavodsk (Lake Onega), but the only yacht coming from St. Petersburg. They then started planning how we could get to Petrozavodsk! This wasted two days, but permitted visiting the Hermitage and St. Isaac's Cathedral. We would need a pilot through the bridges, river atlas, river VHF (different frequencies) and a tow if we were to get to Petrozavodsk for the start. We began to think the charges would be horrendous, but they only wanted $198 complete against the $250 advised to us in England. And this included 75 litres of diesel given by the tow-boat. Other diesel we bought from ships, a useful contribution to their petty cash. One asked how much we wanted and how much we wanted to pay! Another gave us enough fish for two meals. At 1000 Roubles per litre it worked out at 60p per gallon. The official price is about 1400 Roubles.
    The passage through the eight bridges against 3 knots increasing to uphill cruising through 5 knots in some bridge-holes, between 0200 and 0400 was exciting with the engine flat out most of the time. The English speaking pilot was excellent, indicating the direction of the strong cross currents at bridges. The radio would not transmit however so he used VHF Ch. 8 to talk to the 14 eastbound ships that would overtake us between bridges, and 15 westboundships that passed while we waited half way! A pilot is clearly essential unless the passage is made with mast down during the day. We tied up alongside one of the few stone quays after dropping the pilot, but were woken by a ship requiring its use, and moored alongside this. We had to wait until 1600 (another wasted day) for our tow by a small ex-navy ship with a party of school children, keen to practise their English, on board. We were then towed at 8 to 9 knots up the Neva, sleeping while our tow anchored just into Lake Lodoga, before being allowed to sail, with loaned chart, across the lake. The lakes Lodoga and Onega are the largest in Europe, and Onega the junction to the canalized routes to the White Sea, Black Sea and Moscow. The tow caught us up in the Svir delta and towed us up the Svir through two locks (rise 15 and 12m) to a village at its mouth on Lake Onega where we sailed North while they rested, again catching us up to tow us into the commercial harbour in Petrozavodsk. Their second officer piloted us into the Marine Centre where we were welcomed by cannon fire!
    Hardly had we settled before we had to dress overall, flying a Frigate-sized Red Ensign from the mizzen mast, and left to join the local boats (and one genuine visitor from Moscow), off the pier. We then watched a mock battle between two schooners fitted with cannon firing broadsides at each other, and the naming and the launch of a one-sixth model of Peter the Great made by the Marine Centre. We then anchored in lines off the esplanade, our position being called on a PA system. The boats all let off their (presumably) time-expired pyrotechnics before a sail-past the pier. On return we were invited to a banquet in their wood-lined hall built in the hold of a moored ship, and seated at the top table. After the meal there were many speeches, vodka and brandy flowing freely,and I asked an interpreter (who had translated a Swede's address) if she would do the same for me. So I was able to make a shortspeech of thanks, tell them what a beautiful country they have, and present them with the Cruising Association burgee. Margo danced with a charming Ukranian general! Quite a day!
    We visited Kizhi island by hydrofoil with its huge wooden minareted church and collection of other ancient churches (with the icons from the original church) and farmhouses moved from other places with working demonstrations of weaving, etc.
    Then followed planning for our return, requiring river atlas, River Radio (which died before it could be used!) and arrangement for meeting our pilot. This was very pleasant and we were able to visit some real villages, 50 years or more behind the times, but with lovely animals (cows and goats come to be stroked), lots of dogs and very friendly people. At the first lock we entered after a ship, but the wash from its burst of power on starting broke off a centre cleat (one can only tie up to a single floating bollard) but I mercifully got under control again before hitting the lockside or back wall (below the guillotine gate towering way above). The second lock was against us so we tied alongside a tug who called the lock for us; enter and moor below the control tower. We had the lock to ourselves. With the current with us the St. Petersburg bridges were a doddle, but once again ships proceeding at 10 knots had to pass us between bridges, so a pilot is essential. The magnificent buildings of St. Petersburg glowed in the "white night".
    Back at the Baltic YC we completed our sightseeing, mastering the aged and filthy 71 bus (as senior citizens we were told it was free for us!) to the magnificent Metro with escalators 150 metres long (they had to go down to 60 metres to find a solid bed) and trains every 2-3 minutes. We used hydrofoils to visit Peterhof with magnificent palace and newly restored world's largest fountain complex on a brilliant summer day. Sadly few Russians can afford these hydrofoils. Russia is again a two class society of well-off and poor; academic staff get $100 per month. Nearly all yachts are owned by companies, trade unions or universities. The yacht from Moscow was owned by a university department and got semi-useful assignments to pay for new Volvo, masts etc.
    We made many friends, and hope some will stay with us. The boat from Moscow hopes to visit London next year, and asked us to arrange an official invitation to get visas.
    We spent the last night on Kronshlot after a slight contretemps. We must leave within 2 hours of clearance. No, we were old, and we were staying the night. A compromise was reached; a guard would return our passports at 0500 and check we had no stowaways! Don't be late, we said, and at 0500 precisely we were politely handed back our passports (but not boarded). We were lucky to have a light east wind for the passage to Haapasaari, an island near the border, for the next day we had a gale and horrendous passage with huge seas through the archipelago and one-mile visibility (totally dependent on GPS and radar) to the shelter in a narrow channel between Pellinki island and mainland. It was great to see the GSM signal re-appearing as we approached Haapasaari, and for this to ring before we had had a chance to make a call! The family had been worried about not hearing from us (although an Englishman working in St. Petersburg took some mail back to Heathrow to post), but a $20 phonecard only lasts minutes, and use of a telegraph office requires knowledge of Russian.

Ray and Margo Glaister Made separate file 29 November 1998