Prime Minister Vladimir Putin toured the Mir training vessel, which came first in the Gdynia – St. Petersburg leg of the international sailing regatta, Itar-Tass reports
“This is the speediest sailing boat in the world. The regatta lasted for two and half days. We sailed on the starboard tack alone and could not display all of our best qualities,” ship physician Leonid Karabutov said.
In his words, the regatta has drawn the largest sailing boats of the world. It is comparable with Formula 1 car race, the doctor said.
The Mir was built in Poland in 1987, and thousands of cadets have been trained on its board.
The premier was shown the deckhouse and photographed on the bow. He also spoke to the crew.
The cadets told the premier that they were dreaming of a round-the-world voyage.
The captain said that the Mir annual voyages lasted for five to six months. “Our visit to St. Petersburg is a lucky chance. As a rule, we do not return home until October,” he said. The cadets said that they continued their studies at the sea.
The Mir crew is international. It is made up of citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Baltic republics.
Salaries of Russian sailors are not large, some crewmembers told the premier. “Cash is not the sole comfort of people who choose the naval career,” Putin remarked. “There is a fiction character, Gobseck. Money was all he cared about, he lived an unhappy life and died like everybody else. A man must enjoy his life and his occupation,” the premier said.
The crew presented Putin with the Mir model. He signed up in the guest of honor book and said that the Mir “is not only the symbol of St. Petersburg but also the school of mastery and courage.”
The boat has covered over 200,000 miles in various regattas and training voyages and visited seaports of Europe and America. Traditionally, the ship is visited by mayors, Russian consuls and ambassadors in foreign seaports.
Each April-October, the Mir sails in the Baltic and North Seas and visits from 15 to 20 seaports.
Cadets of the State Maritime Academy and other naval schools are trained onboard the Mir. As a rule, the ship visits St. Petersburg for ten to twelve days for celebrations of the city day.
Earlier in the day Putin and St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko attended the Gdynia-St. Petersburg sailing regatta award ceremony.
Putin stressed the significance of the regatta of training ships. “Stronger relations between peoples and countries, direct humanitarian contacts, tolerance, respect and understanding of various cultures have always been the main idea of this regatta. Each year the regatta unites thousands of boys and girls and ties their friendship with a strong marine knot,” Putin said.
“Poland, the starting point of this regatta, has a good saying: ‘the sea knows best who your friend is’. Successful navigation depends on personal qualities of each crewmember. Self-control, courage and responsibility play a special role. I am confident that you will overcome any difficulties and enjoy the fair wind,” he said.
International regattas of training ships started in 1956. Sailing boats longer than 9.14 meters are eligible to take part. No less than half of crewmembers must age from 15 through 25.
This year the regatta involves over 100 sailing boats from 16 countries, among them Russia, Sweden, Norway, the UK, the Netherlands and Austria.
The regatta has three legs. Thanks to the rotation of crews, from 3,000 to 5,000 young people take part in the event.