Our journey upriver through St Petersburg was spectacular. We had rafted alongside a huge river barge and took on our pilot at 2 am. Blue Dove, the only yacht, joined a procession of commercial behemoths heading up the Neva. There are 8 bridges through the city, which open in sequence between 2 and 5 am only. Their lighting provides perfect counterpoint to the historic buildings along the shores.
A long night for us both, the moreso as we had not slept during the day. After the Finland bridge we lay to a vacant cruise ferry wharf, dropped the pilot off and collapsed into bed, knackered, for a couple of hours.
Approaching the Neva
rafted up and waiting for the pilot
the bridges open
The Winter Palace
