40 crews of cruising yachts took part in the new international regatta “Baltic Wind”, which was held from 07 to 15 August 2021 in the waters of the Eastern part of the Gulf of Finland!
This year, due to epidemiological restrictions, the regatta route passed only through the territory of Russia. Starting from St. Petersburg, the yachtsmen visited the island of Gogland, the islands of the Vyborg Bay, the coastal cities of the Leningrad region of Vysotsk and Primorsk.
This regatta brought together yachtsmen from different clubs, cities, athletes and tourists, professionals and amateurs.
The regatta was held within the framework of the “30 miles RusFin” project of the Russia-Southeastern Finland cross-border cooperation program, whose tasks are to develop yachting, yacht events and infrastructure for a comfortable and safe yacht trip in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, to organize a network of marinas and parking lots for a comfortable and safe yacht trip on the territory of Russia, as part of the oldest regatta – “St. Petersburg Sailing Week”.
All participants were divided into 3 test groups:
1. Yachts of the L6 class – 12 yachts,
2. International class yachts ORC-15 yachts,
3. Free class yachts (yachts not included in the first 2 groups)- 13 yachts.
In total, it was planned to hold 9 stages, consisting of five sea and four port races, but the weather made its own adjustments.
The regatta started with a strong east wind and rain, and the organizers had to cancel the first race St. Petersburg-Kronstadt.
The participants started on August 7 late in the evening from fr. Kotlin immediately on the island of Gogland. The late start was necessary so that the participants of the regatta could enter the border zone already in the daytime, without violating the instructions of the border authorities. After a while, the rain stopped, the wind subsided a little and the yachts, driven by its passing direction, were able to moor in the cozy bay of Suurkulyan-Lahti on the island of Gogland in the morning of August 8. After lunch, a group of small tourist yachts came up, starting from the city of Vyborg, with an intermediate parking on the island of Long Stone. This new route was designed specifically for yachts less than 9 meters, so that they could safely get to the island of Gogland, and later to Kotka (Finland).
The meeting on the island of Gogland was marked by an award for the first stage of the regatta and a traditional party. A new tradition was also established – to celebrate the anniversaries of participating yachts. The 40th anniversary of the yacht “Ariel”was celebrated on the island.
On August 9, a short race was scheduled near the island, but due to a weak wind, it was canceled and all participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the magic island.
On August 10, the third stage of the regatta was launched at dawn. A huge rainbow, like a gate, let the yachts into the sea, which was not visible because of the sails of numerous participants. A tailwind allowed the crews to quickly get to the city of Vysotsk, where the regatta participants were located at the berths of a new specially equipped marina for the regatta and in a cozy natural bay on the island of Maly Vysotsky.
The new marina became the prototype of a parking lot for a small fleet with a border crossing point, which will be organized within the framework of the “30 miles of RusFin” program in 2022.
Dinner was waiting for the participants of the regatta.
On August 11, it was not possible to hold a port race due to the complete lack of wind.
On August 12, the yachtsmen gathered for a race on the route Vysotsk – Primorsk. Before the start, the participants of the regatta congratulated on the birthday of a Full member of the St. Petersburg Maritime Assembly, the last commander of the Warsaw Pact fleet and the former commander
Twice with the Red Banner Baltic Fleet of Admiral Vitaly Pavlovich Ivanov. The race was dedicated in his honor.
A weak tailwind was able to bring the fleet to the cozy harbor “Koivisto” in Primorsk, where everyone settled down, decorating the horizon with the flags of the regatta.
On August 13, a port race was held on the route Primorsk-mayak Vyborgsky-Primorsk. The wind was changeable. The race started with a wind of 10-12 knots, then the wind subsided and changed direction increased to 20 knots, quickly bringing the participants to the finish line. In the evening, an award ceremony was held for the participants of the regatta for the Vysotsk-Primorsk stage and the race for prizes of the Administration of the Vyborg district municipality. The prizes were presented by the head of the Administration, Valery G. Savinov. After that, the closing ceremony of the tourist part of the regatta was held with the awarding of the yachts of the free group from the North-Western Institute of Management of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation. Vladimir Shamakhov, Director of the Institute, curator of the Baltic Wind regatta, congratulated the winners and participants of the regatta.
On August 14, it was decided to go straight to St. Petersburg and the participants, having said goodbye to the Vyborg yachtsmen, took the start of the last stage of the regatta. A fresh wind blowing up to 20 knots after a while increased to a stormy 36 knots, “compensating” the participants for the calm time. The crews confidently coped with the bad weather and, with the exception of two yachts that had problems with the rigging, were able to return to their home bases without losses.
On August 18, the closing ceremony of the St. Petersburg Sailing Week and the Baltic Wind regattas took place with the awarding of the winners and prize-winners.
Winners and prize-winners:
Class L-6
I place – “Nika”
II place – “Argo”
III place – “Neptune”
ORC Class
I place – “Astrid”
II place – “Uncle Fyodor”
III place – “Frigate”
Free class
I place – “Malva”
II place – “Veya”
III place – “Junga”
In addition to the prizes for seats, the yacht “Loko” was awarded the Regatta Cup for speed, and the three winners were awarded a new prize established specifically for the regatta – the Big Cup of the Winners of the regatta “Baltic Wind”!
The regatta was marked not only by the largest number of cruising yachts, but also by the number of yachtsmen who came to it from different regions of Russia.
The silver medalist in the ORC class-the crew of the yacht “Uncle Fyodor” – came from Yaroslavl. Ilya Poskonnov, the yacht’s captain: “For our crew, the Baltic Wind regatta was the first regatta in the Baltic Sea. We were preparing for the race, not knowing what to expect: an unfamiliar water area, unfamiliar rivals-everything created a feeling of pleasant excitement before the start. Now, after the completion of the last stage, we can say with confidence that it was worth it! The most interesting fight, good organization, friendly attitude between athletes.
Separately, I want to say that during the excitement of the race, it is important to have time to see the beauty of the sea, which showed itself both calm and raging, and at the start of the second race gave us a parting message in the form of a full rainbow over the island of Gogland, through which the yachts were going.”
The crew of the yacht “Leonidiana” arrived from Togliatti. Captain Shevchenko Vladimir: “Our boat took part in the regatta on the Baltic Sea for the first time in its history. Considering that her captain had never taken part in such events, it was decided to go with friends anyway. The boat had a mixed crew, 4 people of the team arrived from Togliatti, experienced yachtsmen, three crew members from St. Petersburg. I really liked the regatta, despite some negative and offensive moments for beginners, but the positive emotions from communicating with people, crews, the water area (previously unknown to any of the crew members) overshadowed everything, it was just a holiday of sails and friendship for us. Each stage opened up something new, we got to know our boat and its character and capabilities better. We were just enjoying this fight, and I think that many people appreciated our work. Although we didn’t get any prizes, but I think we gave pleasure, and in a kind way “rubbed the nerves” to the famous captains!) Thank you all for this holiday! And I’m thinking of correcting myself, the first pancake is like a lump, but I repeat, the holiday was not spoiled.”
The most experienced crew – winner in the L6 class is the yacht “Nika” St. Petersburg, captain Vadim Manukhin: “This year our yacht “Nika” participated simultaneously in two competitions included in the program of the XXV St. Petersburg Sailing Week (SPN): in the Russian Championship in the class “Cruiser yacht L-6” and the regatta “Baltic Wind”. Five races were held with a total length of 220 nautical miles on the general course.
I am satisfied that this year our yacht became the winner of the Russian championship in the L-6 class for the sixth time. The fight at the distance among 12 “sixes” was intense. And although the top three were determined almost immediately (“Nika”, “Argo”, “Neptune”), the intrigue in the fight for the 2nd and 3rd places remained until the very last finish. The last storm race showed that yachts that were not included in the final prize three can also win against the leaders (“Neva” and “Kareji”).
In terms of organization, the regattas went well. There were awards for individual stages and treats at intermediate parking lots. An action in memory of Soviet soldiers was held on the island of Gogland. And the weather in general was favorable for racing and recreation in between.
At the same time, I see that it is becoming more and more difficult for today’s organizers to hold such competitions every year. I am referring to the ban for the second year in a row on the traditional race around the island of Gogland, on the entry of yachts into the vast areas of 105 and 107, on sailing in the dark.
However, the regatta took place. And it pleases.”
The Chief Judge of the Baltic Wind regattas and the Russian Championship in the L6 yacht class, held as part of the St. Petersburg Sailing Week, Alexey Chegurov: “It was an interesting job. The weather conditions brought us surprises, forcing us to constantly work on routes and start times. There were protests, excesses at the start, but there were no accidents. Working on such large cruising regattas requires experience and constant tension. Our judging panel coped with this.”
The director of the Baltic Wind Regatta, Valentin Naumov: “All our experience gained during cruising races was involved in the regatta. The organization of the racing process, parking lots and shore events kept us constantly in good shape. We started working on the preparation of the regatta back in February, but you can’t foresee everything. Since I acted not only as a director, but also as the captain of one of the largest yachts in the fleet, I was able to experience all the results of the organization and quickly change something. In general, I am happy with how everything went. I hope that next year we will be able to go abroad and hold a full-fledged international regatta.”
Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Baltic Wind Regatta Freiman Boris: “The organization of such regattas is a complex and difficult process. We have a well-coordinated team that was able to ensure the success of our enterprise. Obtaining approvals, working with participants, finding funding, organizing coastal programs – all these are stages of a long journey that ended with a successful finish. And even if this year we were not able to go abroad and host foreign yachtsmen, even if we were not always lucky with the weather – this did not prevent us from making a new beautiful regatta with great potential. The participation of not only athletes, but also tourists, and people who join the sail, the development of existing parking lots and the organization of new ones within the framework of the “30 miles of RusFin” project allow us to look to the future with optimism. I am happy for the success of our team and I want to thank all the participants and everyone thanks to whom this regatta took place: sponsors and partners, members of the organizing committee and representatives of the administration of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. The best picture of the day is the island of Gogland, covered by the sails of yachts going through the rainbow.”
The regatta was held with the support of the project “30 miles RusFin” and the NGO “Union of Support for Owners of Small Vessels”.
The general sponsor of the regatta is the Novoselye Group of Companies (Novoselye Group of Companies), which builds houses and develops villages. Housewarming since 2011. The project of the GC Novoselye residential quarters of the project “Residential complex Novoselye: City Quarters” – the winner of the “Location Rating-2019” and the recognized leader in the competition “TOP residential complex ‘2020”, is located right on the border with the Krasnoselsky district of the city, in the village. Housewarming.
The general sponsor of the St. Petersburg Sailing Week is Gazprom PJSC.
Regatta Partners:
– CJSC “Sparkling Wines” is the oldest and largest producer of sparkling wines in Russia,
– Yacht Gift – a store of sea gifts from St. Petersburg.
– The company “Prosail club” – professionally teaches yachting, has a license to teach and certify future helmsmen and captains.
Information partners of the regatta:
– The St. Petersburg TV channel is the largest television channel in the North-West.
– Yacht Russia magazine is one of the most authoritative publications in Russian on yacht topics, an information partner of the largest Russian and international yacht exhibitions and a number of Russian and international regattas.
– “Yacht Radio” is a volunteer project, the only radio on the Internet for yachtsmen in Russian, an information partner of the largest Russian and international yacht exhibitions and a number of Russian and international regattas.
– Tarpon magazine – a magazine about yachts and people on yachts.
Press service of the Baltic Wind Regatta.