The Gutenberg Bible and visas
It is no coincidence that today is the anniversary of the completion of the Gutenberg Bible. While our Volga prose is perhaps less earth-shattering and not quite complete yet, it nearly is. And the end…
It is no coincidence that today is the anniversary of the completion of the Gutenberg Bible. While our Volga prose is perhaps less earth-shattering and not quite complete yet, it nearly is. And the end…
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…
From our Volgograd berth we sped 35 km down the Volga in warm sunshine with 2.5 knots of favourable current. The beginning of the great Volga-Don Canal, marked as it is by an imposing statue…
As I have said, the Voga-Don Canal is a busy commercial waterway. But we have found the lock-keepers helpful, friendly and efficient. We squeeze past huge tankers, bulk carriers and barges with sometimes only metres…
Chris wrote to me expressing the hope that my crew would instill in me some much needed feminine sensibility. Now, after 3 days of constant bullying, the girls have managed to discover the warm, sensitive…
Management of the constant stream of commercial shipping on the inland waterways is a complex choreography, run with calm efficiency by the lock keepers and dispatchers. Larger vessels need to be locked one at…
Like all of the reservoirs, Tsimlyansk is an imposing body of water. A wonderful place to sail, if you had a mast. But if there is any breeze, motoring in shallow waters with steep chop…
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…
Today is Fathers’ Day and my present was the best low calorie cake known to father. My candles were Belomor Gulag cigarettes. I believe I was the only father in the entire world with this…
There have been ugly rumours of violence on Tainui. These are without foundation. True, Maxine has been hideously scarred by an unfortunate sequence of nasty accidents – I repeat, accidents. Her bruised body looks like…
A rich sunrise this morning gave the Don a Monet look. Now a blustery west wind is bringing squalls up river. We arrived in Rostov-on-Don at 6 last night. Another milestone in Tainui’s journey. Here…
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 departure from Rostov was interrupted for an hour while Maxine and I dived over the side and groped in chilly water with the propeller, which had become fouled by a mooring line. In the…
Tainui’s mast was lifted off the deck and swung across to cradles ashore both gently and efficiently by Ivan. This lovely bloke knows boats, cranes and the petty worries of a tired and elderly sailor.…
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,…
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…
The 200 mile passage from Azov to Kerch’ in Ukraine is divided into two equal parts.The first leg of our crossing was a gentle square run with everything poled out, warm sun, good food and…
Looking back at Azov as we motored down river I was sad to be saying goodbye to all those wonderful ships. The short stretch of the Don below Azov is just as beautiful as the…
With the return to Tainui of Rosie and the arrival of lovely Beth, as a male I find myself seriously outnumbered. I am unable to win arguments and…
Readers will know that yesterday was annual Kerch Day. Despite wandering thunderstorms and intermittent rain there was a festive spirit in the town – tooting car horns, fun rides, concerts, WW2 re-enactments and streets full…
Maxine’s efficiency, humour and enthusiasm, her overall competence as seaman, navigator, translator, ship manager and negotiator are beyond doubt. But she is not a perfect person. Little Miss Imperfect, as Bill has noted. Maxine’s Achilles…
It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of dear old Mike. He died peacefully last Sunday after a long struggle with metastatic carcinoma of the colon. He fought his illness with characteristic…