We passed through the open road bridge at 6 am. Old Gorky lay ahead, looking pretty wonderful, I must say. In the mist, at the junction of the Volga and Oka Rivers, a bold fortress stands on the headland.
Noble domes (sorry, Chris!) and neoclassical merchant buildings, the river busy with commercial traffic, beyond the shoreline a busy cityscape. It is quite exciting.
We motored gently downstream, the shores lined with huge noisy factories. Past the first two marinas, filled with small motorboats. Rounding a wooded island, Tainui crept across a 2.5 m shoal into a calm, narrow channel and anchored off Rybachiy Yacht Club until a berth was made available for us. The water is deep and our hosts friendly.
To me this feels like a milestone, but as Dirk said, every night since he arrived has been a milestone. We have doubled all our lines in anticipation of a week-long visit to Moscow. The yard manager assures us that the winds will be light. We are the first yacht the marina has other than a catamaran from Moscow a couple of years ago.
A planning meeting ensued. As chair I had great difficulty maintaining order. Dirk, in particular, was difficult to manage. Such are the trials of leadership.
2 thoughts on “At last a rest for Tainui”