Russia at last
A long, hot and windless trip from Tallinn finally, finally brought Blue Dove to St Petersburg. En route we stripped off for much needed douches in the Gulf of Finland. Sailing through the barrage into…
A long, hot and windless trip from Tallinn finally, finally brought Blue Dove to St Petersburg. En route we stripped off for much needed douches in the Gulf of Finland. Sailing through the barrage into…
We flew to Moscow, ostensibly to spruik our book. For me Russia is becoming less unfamiliar territory now. The more so given my new, rudimentary understanding of Cyrillic. Conquering my fear of the sprawling…
Well, we’re off. After 3 days of rigorous and tiring negotiation and 4 hours of paperwork on board this morning, we were given clearance to leave Russia by the Port Captain and officers from the…
This is a long post but I feel the need to set down some aspects of Russia’s dark underbelly. They have loomed larger here than elsewhere, as we had been warned they would. Our epic,…
This grand memorial to 1.4 million wasted lives looms over the factories lining 40 km of Volgograd waterfront. Standing in silhouette against the sunset Mother Russia is theatrical, overstated, profound and deeply moving. We walked…
This is not about the effects of old age on a bloke’s physiognomy but advice to readers about a wonderful opportunity to make money in Russia. I had not realised the devastating impact of perestrioka…
We have just tied up at Archangel’sk customs wharf after a long trip upstream against a 4 knot current. Low wooded shores, tea-coloured water, sand flats and only an occasional commercial ship. Clearly we are…
How sad to farewell this remarkable man. Larger than life, he was filled with enormous energy, enthusiasm, practical skills and an irrepressible sense of fun. Why is it that people like him shuffle off, not…
On the far north of Lake Ladoga lies Valaam Island, home to one of the holiest of Russian Orthodox monasteries. A rich collection of churches, sketes and shrines dating from the 14th century dot the…
Since St Petersburg we have encountered just 2 yachts. Both of them small Russian boats with modest outboards. It is quite extraordinary that such wonderful cruising grounds are so empty of yachts. So Priozersk came…
We first met Russian yacht Apostol Andrei at Barentsburg (Svalbard) in 2012. A surprise and a delight to come across Nikolai Litau and his robust ice breaker yacht again here in SPB. Such a contrast…
Stuck in Tallinn waiting for a break in the relentless easterly winds, we wander the streets of the old town. Apart from its location, I cannot recommend the Old Town Marina. Scores of cruise ships…
It is calm and foggy here in Pavilosta and I have time to roll up my sleeves and make confessIon. Reading back through the tainui.org website I finally see what it is that Little Miss…
Finally, some fine sailing. They say that cruising in small yachts is great 1% of the time, tolerable in 30% and miserable for the rest. Our 2 day passage from Bornholm to Klaipeda in Lithuania…
Tied up between fat red fishing boats in the old harbour, it feels snug. NW squalls whistle overhead and the fishermen advise us to sit tight. It is finally sunny though. The towering masts of…
I purchased Tainui in 2000. In the spring of 2005 Dave, Ian and I sailed south from Hobart to Macquarie Island, New Zealand’s subantarctic islands (Campbell, the Aucklands and the Snares), Stewart Island and the fjords…
Back in Moscow with Maxine yet again. After Falmouth it is wet and chilly here, but our little nest is cosy. In addition to reconnections with friends, there have been Cartier Bresson and Brancusi exhibitions,…
We were more than ready to leave Belfast. After a week of cold rain Blue Dove was blessed with sunny skies and a steady northerly for a 7 knot reach across the Irish Sea. She…
Here in Belfast it is grey and cold. Once again I have fallen between tectonic plates. I should go sightseeing but weather aside there is something unappealing about Belfast – the people are friendly but…
Oh, and there’s a minor birthday postscript – as an added celebration of this new decade of mine, I have just put down a deposit on a new yacht! She is a pretty a little…
Here I am in Moscow, yet again miles from the sea! Last time here it was -26 deg C, but now the days are long, sunny and warm. Fur coats are stashed and bling things strut,…
Our Tainui Volga presentation at the Chekhov Institute attracted a full house. We spoke informally, in English, with slides. Giving these lectures it is always a challenge deciding what your audience wants to hear and,…
Our paths first crossed in Svalbard and tonight, after a lengthy internet interview we dined with veteran yachtsman Nikolai Litau. He’s one of those sailors who make (or is it “makes”?) you realise how unimportant your…
It is good to be back in St Petersburg. Here there is little of the bling and those camel-vulva lip augmentations which are so common in Moscow. People are more open and friendly and the…
Tell me this. What kind of climate is it, when you can come out of bitter cold and into a cosy bar, disrobe and then gratefully warm your hands round a properly chilled chardonnay? It…
Last night, at the Royal Australian Naval Sailing Association, I attended friend and sailor John Vallentine’s launch of his new book, “Sailing Through Russia — From the Arctic to the Black Sea”. It is a great read…
What next? 40 years old, and after 12 years at sea, any cruising yacht will require a major refit. Tainui is no exception. In Sydney she will be given a new engine (John Deere, probably),…
If you’re in London, and curious to hear Little Miss Perfect’s account of our trip through Russia, you may like to attend her Cruising Association lecture. Details can be found at http://www.theca.org.uk/node/28774. I can make no…
After 25 years living in Russia, Little Miss Almost Perfect was banned from that country last year. Her egregious offence had been to incur a parking fine in Moscow. It was duly paid, and on…
The marina at Palma is big (1,000 yachts), hot and very expensive (120 euros per night). Little Miss Perfect arrived like a breath of fresh air. She immediately armed herself with scouring pads, and threatened…
We have been dawdling south among the hundreds of islands in the Kornati group. Low, rocky and often uninhabited, they offer a lifetime’s exploring. The cold rain and headwinds have given way to warm, gentle…
At noon, central Venice is unbearably crowded. Morbidly obese Amercans named Chuck and Darlene with Very Loud Voices; bewildered and tired backpackers with dangling sneakers; Japanese parties with matching cameras and all making V signs;…
Jasper is a keen soccer player and after much effort he managed to infect us with a modicum of interest in the game. Sadly he has had to fly home to Sydney, back to his…
For 15 years Chris has extolled to me the virtues of solitude. I am learning slowly, but still I dislike the company it provides. Blinged up in her Russian attire Maxine has flown home to…
I have been reading “Darkness at Noon”. The 3 hour crossing to Corfu from Igoumenitsa passed quickly with cockpit discussions about Number One’s great purges in the 1930’s. It is ancient history for my young…
The Gulf of Corinth lies east-west and we have had fresh westerlies whistling into our faces, between the snowy tops of Mounts Parnassus and Olympia. A slow slog against short little seas. But at least…
All boat owners know them, but the last week has been a particularly bad one for this old man. A week when a small list of fix-up jobs turns into a marathon; when everything you…
(Chris) Whoever heard of Dalaman? Fortunately, the travel agent had, and she duly sent me off into that long dark night of the soul that is the airport/terminals/plane trip from Sydney to Turkey, there to find a…
At 4.30 we slid into this gorgeous little bay and tied up in the centre of town. A jewel of a place. Brightly painted cottages climb steep rocky hills on all sides and tavernas line…
Well, we’re off at last. Slipping along the coast over a wan glassy sea,Tainui is at last doing once again what she was built for. All the stresses and anxieties of comissioning are behind us.…
Another late start. We do them so well. The 70 mile trip to Bodrum was a sleigh ride in flat water with warm sun. With Tania’s expert touch the dead remains of my casserole ascended…
Sipping coffee I watched brilliant little emerald kingfishers swooping over the water. Pasha and Tatiana were shopping and Rosie was planning today’s meals. It is cold and a fresh northerly is blowing. This breeze has…
We turned south into the Bosphorus just after dawn. There were more AIS targets on the chart plotter than I had seen since the entrance to the Elbe. But across the separation zone things went…
In Eregli a passing shipping agent drew my attention to our tattered Turkish courtesy flag and warned that the Coast Guard would not take kindly to it. Yet another thing to do, I thought. But he…
Amasra’s gale lasted 2 days. Tainui, safely moored, rolled in the surge and heeled to the gusts while driving rain hammered the decks. I slept or read Neal Ascherson’s splendid book on the Black Sea.…
After her beery farewell at Rostov’s Library Restaurant (much recommended), Jen has flown off to Jordan for her next adventure. How sad to see her go. Back on board Tainui we have done nothing but…
Our consensus view is that the Don is the most beautiful of rivers. Quiet and tortuous, lined with deciduous forest, it encourages languid silence on board. I am sure it has been doing so for…