Russia:General
From Skipper2Skipper
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General
Russia, as you are well aware, is enormous and has enough sailing to fill several lifetimes. It is a tremendously beautiful country, but is not for the fainthearted. Not in terms of sailing, although sailing at the North of country can be just that, but it is the official idiocy that makes life difficult for a foreign, as well as a native sailor. It boggles the mind, occasionally, but with careful planning and readiness to put away some of the budget for payment of random fines/bribes, you can really enjoy sailing there.
With the collapse of Soviet Union, sailing has been one of the last things on the mind of Russian reformers, but it is getting slowly addressed as life improves. Unfortunately, while the countries themselves have undergone a profound process of liberalisation, rules affecting the movement of foreign vessels have seen only a limited relaxation compared to the Soviet past. In this respect Russia is the worst culprit and formalities for visiting yachts are just as cumbersome as in the past. Foreign vessels, and their crews, continue to be viewed with a high degree of suspicion and the officials one has to deal with can be just as difficult and unpleasant as their Soviet predecessors. After an initial outburst of interest, the number of cruising boats visiting Russia has levelled off as sailors realise that visiting Russia on their own boat is perhaps not worth all the aggravation.
Inland Waterways
Foreign vessels are not allowed to visit the inland waterways of Russia. No permission can be obtained, although it can be applied for. All requests are rejected, with very little feedback. Should this be allowed, the passage from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, or vice versa, would be possible. The Russian Inland Waterways Act, passed by Stalin in 1936, prevents all foreign vessels from using these inland waterways. Some foreign yachts have managed to sail from St Petersburg to the Black Sea, but this was done with 'special permissions', God knows how you get those. The Act has been amended slightly to allow foreign vessels to transit the 30 mile canal from Vyborg to the Saimaa Lake in Finland or to be able to reach some inland ports, such as Kaliningrad. Any requests, however, to take a yacht through the extensive inland waterway system are invariably turned down. In 1997 Boris Yeltsin ordered to open the distance of the Inland Waterways(IWW) from Belomorsk to St Petersburg for non commercial foreign pleasure boats. Although still in force on paper this order was much bureaucratized since 2005 when the new Minister of Transportation decided to change the regulations which concern getting a permit to sail through the IWW.
Visas and Entry
All foreign small boats should pass through customs and frontier control to enter Russian yacht-ports. Crews are prohibited to leave yachts (motor-boats), unload or take aboard any cargo until the control has been passed through.
Approaches St.Petersburg
On passing St.Petersburg Receiving buoy (60°01,6'N; 29°25,9'Е), the captain has to inform the control point "Kronshtadt" (fort "Konstantin") using VHF channel 6, call sign "Granit" about:
- approximate time of arrival;
- name of vessel;
- ensign;
- sail number;
- home port;
- crew size.
Approaches to Fort Konstantin
59 59,6'N; 29 42,4'Е
When navigating from E along Kronshtadtskiy Korabel'nyy Fairway, on passing obstruction buoys ## 9 and 10, located in "gates" of entering Bol'shoy Kronshtadtskiy Roads, have to turn left to NW and follow along the northern part of the dam with the distance about 1 cable to enter the fairway 352,4° - 172,4° coming along fort Konstantin. The fairway is protected by light buoys. Navigating along the fairway is allowed 24 hours.
Overall length of mooring line is about 70 meters with depth from 2,0 to 4,5 meters.
Registration of arrival
Arrival of small boats is registered on the control point "Kronshtadt" (Kotlin island, fort "Konstantin", 59°59,6'N; 29°42,4'Е) from 8.00 am until 11.00 pm.
To pass through frontier control the captain has to present the following documents:
- crew list - 2 copies;
- documents, identifying members of the crew;
- invitation.
- Passports for all aboard with valid visas in them for this port of entry
On arrival to the Yacht Club, the control point "Kronshtadt" (fort "Konstantin") should also be informed.
Even if not always rigidly enforced, many of the restrictions introduced during the Soviet era have remained basically unchanged, so one should not expect the same kind of freedom of movement as is enjoyed by land tourists. Although foreign yachts can now enter Russian coastal waters, obtaining visas and permission for entry remains complicated. An invitation from an authorised body, such as a yacht club, is essential. Russian consulates will issue visas for all those named in the invitation with dates of birth and passport numbers for the period and the ports stated in the invitation. A vessel which takes shelter or stops in a port not specified in the visa can expect difficulties. (There are three Russian ports in the Eastern part of the Gulf of Finland which can be visited by foreign boats. It is enough to specify St Petersburg in your visa to be able to visit the other two).
Foreign vessels are only allowed to visit ports which are listed on the visa or official invitation. Only the most important ports of entry are listed here, although it may be possible to obtain permission to visit other ports as well.
One needs to apply for a double entry business visa to visit both Kaliningrad and St Petersburg or/and other Russian Ports.
Continuation of movement. IMPORTANT!
On passing frontier and customs points yachts have to come to Kronshtadtskiy Korabel'nyy Fairway and follow the leading lights of Kronshtadt Roads (its direction 271,3° - 91,3°) and navigate along it up to Srednyaya harbour leading lights (its direction 289,0° - 109,0°), then follow Perekhodnyy leading lights (its direction 135,1° - 315,1°), then going in the opposite direction follow to open part of Sankt-Petersburgskiy Sea Channel and Nevskaya inlet.
In the daytime lights of Bol'shoy Kronshdadtskiy Roads are merged with city buildings, thus they are hard to distinguish. Starting from Bol'shoy Kronshdadtskiy Roads up to Malyy Kronshdadtskiy Roads the Kronshtadtskiy Korabel'nyy Fairway runs between Kronshlot island and southern sea-wall of Kronshtadt port Kupecheskaya harbour. Have to take this into consideration to avoid mistaking water space towards S from Kronshlot island for passage. Since Srednyaya harbour leading lights are very hard to distinguish in the daytime, it is recommended to pass between Kronshlot island and Kupecheskaya harbour southern sea-wall, keeping to the harbor sea-wall and being guided by buoys, fencing sandbank near Kronshlot island.
Navigate along Bol'shoy Kronshdadtskiy Roads, Srednyaya harbour and Perekhodnyy leading lights under engine, while navigating along Kotlin island (Kronshtadt port) deviation from lights is possible to both sides within the fenced part of the fairway.
Kronshtadt is a military port. It is prohibited to enter the port for vessels without a special permission.
In Eastern part of Kotlin island there is a Passazhirskaya harbour, formed by two moles, coming forward SE from the shore. Yachts and small boats may approach internal sea-wall of southern mole, which is called Sankt-Peterburgskaya Pier, depths in the harbor are 4 - 4,5 meters. A dredged fairway, fenced by unlit buoys and equipped with leading line of Sankt-Peterburgskaya Pier (its direction 130,3° - 310,3°) leads to the harbor. The centerline light buoy of Sankt-Peterburgskaya Pier is located at 2,8 cables to SE from extremity of Passazhirskaya harbour northern mole.
Facilities
These are getting better and better, at least in the more popular cruising areas, such as St Petersburg. There are adequate pontoons in the main yacht clubs, and the prices are very reasonable, a lot cheaper than in Europe. But, do not leave the boat full of electronics unattended for the night. You might not have much left after you come back
The best facilities for foreign boats is at the St Petersburg Sea Yacht Club. There are two YCs that claim to be the oldest YC in Russia, namely: Sea YC (St Petersburg) and Central River YC (St Petersburg). The Central River YC (St Petersburg) is the biggest in Russia, it has the easiest access from the sea and is closer to the city centre. Depth limit: Sea YC– 2.5m, Central River YC – 4.0m.
Yacht building is gathering pace as there is a great demand for cruising boats. Most yacht building still happens in Ukraine, but Russia is catching up slowly. Although not up to western standards, repair facilities are good, as local mechanics are used to improvising when spares are not available. The situation regarding marine supplies and spares is gradually improving. Locally produced parts are perhaps a good alternative to consider, local yacht clubs should be able to advise.
Provisioning can be quite difficult as the yacht clubs are often out of town. There is usually a good selection of fresh produce which is better quality in the markets than in the large stores. Water is readily available, but the quality is sometimes questionable, so it should be treated; bottled water is widely available. Fuel is difficult to obtain, so it is best to order some via a yacht club or agency. There are two regular floating fuel stations at the Central River YC (St Petersburg).
Cruising Areas
Russia has three main areas which can be visited by a cruising yacht. The Black Sea coast is now very much diminished following the independence of Georgia and Ukraine, which also includes Crimea.
The main attraction on the Baltic coast is the historic city of St Petersburg, built on the banks of the River Neva and considered the most beautiful Russian city. The sea area between St Petersburg and Kronstadt, inside a man-made seawall, is a popular cruising area for Russian sailors. A highly enjoyable detour can be made into the Finnish Saimaa Canal which gives access to Saimaa Lake. The Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad has been open to tourists since 1991, a small region of Russia squeezed between Lithuania and Poland and separated from the rest of Russia.
The Far East is more remote and less accessible to cruising yachts, as several sensitive areas are closed to foreign shipping. Weather considerations would probably deter most cruising yachts from sailing to the Arctic ports, which involves a long detour around the whole of Norway.
Weather
The climate varies greatly in this vast country, from the subtropical in the southern republics to Arctic conditions in the northern regions. Conditions along the coasts are less harsh although even in the Baltic Sea, winters can be very cold with freezing temperatures for several months. Summer weather in the Baltic Sea is very pleasant with white nights in June and good sailing breezes. Winters along the Black Sea coast are milder, and the summers are very hot; because the Black Sea is virtually landlocked, the winds alternate between land and sea breezes.
