Getting ready for The Tall Ships’ Races Baltic - 2009

This summer St. Petersburg is to welcome a famous international regatta The Tall Ships’ Races Baltic 2009. Over a hundred sailing ships from different countries will moor at the Lieutenant Shmidt embankment, more than 3,000 foreign crew members will discover our city and the maritime celebration itself will last for four days – from July 11 till July 14.
 
Preparation of this international project has taken much effort and time. All the four ports to welcome the competition – Gdynia, St. Petersburg, Turku and Klaipeda – worked without cease now joining their efforts and helping each other and then competing in some aspects. St. Petersburg started getting ready in three years before the event – from the very date a contract was signed between St. Petersburg Governor V.I. Matvienko and TSR organizer Sail Training International. Now 2 months are left till the event and it is early to estimate the efforts made. Nevertheless, let us try to describe major achievements of our city by the current moment.

As in all things everything started from activists. St. Petersburg yachtsmen deadly competing with each other at the city level suddenly teamed up and sailed off to other states and ports with the flags of St. Petersburg TSR leg onboard their yachts. St. Petersburg invited sailboats from all over the world. The target was – 10-15 A-class vessels (the largest sailboats) to moor at Vasiljevski island by summer. As of today, there are 20 sailboats there and they will be available for the public. People will be able to walk along the embankment and visit eminent masters throughout the day.

As a counter to other ports ever participating in the Races, St. Petersburg sends to the sea 200 young people aged from 15 to 25. Application forms were filled at the website of the Race as the youth of the city was informed about a possibility to participate in a real adventure. Agitation was carried on everywhere – almost in all high schools, at maritime and youth exhibitions throughout 2008 and in early 2009. And TSR advertising found its audience. Over 500 applications from young Petersburg residents gave an impulse to four meetings where detailed information about the Race and the terms of participation was provided. Serious preparation started from February 2009: contracting, development of methodics, training and testing. 200 young people brave enough to contend with obvious difficulties and persistent enough to prove they are worthy to ship out will now have the following schedule: April 24 – S-day – sailors select their sailboat! It may be either small yacht or that tasting a real race and responsibility or the world’s fastest sailboat Mir or Yuni Baltiets, a big vessel for small sailors. May, June – meeting the crew, spring repair of yachts, procurement of visas and then long awaited voyage to the Gulf of Finland, getting used to listing and rocking, learning the ropes. In late June some of the sailors brought up by the city itself will leave for Poland. We will learn more from them later. Young participants are sure they have made an important decision as recollections of youth will be precious in the future and the salt-water nature is to stay forever with those who used to run under sails.

TSR organizers are not to neglect one of the most important events of St. Petersburg naval life – Central Naval Museum celebrates its 300-year anniversary in 2009. The celebration is to be held at Rumyantsevski slope of Vasiljevski Island. A berth will be placed there as a continuation of a berthing line for TSR participants. The vessels moored at the berth, from replicas of historical ships to up-to-date racer yachts will demonstrate the evolution of Russian shipbuilding. Apart from this, mobile exhibits will be placed by the museum on the bank.

Crew parade at St. Petersburg streets will be a kind of a gift the seamen give to each welcoming port. Trumpets and drums will be a background for young people from different countries dressed each in their own way and greeting a hospitable city and its residents. After the crew parade distribution of prizes for the first race will be held at the stairs of the Naval Museum. Chief executives will congratulate those having demonstrated the strongest will to win and having not frightened the luck in the naval contest. The main prize of the Race is the Friendship Trophy. The name is self-explanatory – a plate annually moving from hand to hand is a dream of any crew as it is a symbol of the Race’s essence. For over half a century seamen from all over the world get together to withstand stormy winds and pay the tribute to the friendship of naval youth from different countries.

The entire fleet of the Race could be seen in the Gulf of Finland on July 14, the day it leaves St. Petersburg. Sightseeing motor ships will ensure the best opportunity to watch small and large yachts spreading sails and crews making farewells to our city.

Anastasija Ostapova