1. round russia and norway 2014 map
2. A.    Denmark to Russia, 23 May to 13 June
3. CREW 1: John Bryden (Skipper), Alasdair and Cathel Hutchieson + another       
   1. Skive, Denmark: Start Approx 23 May 2014
   2. Aalborg, 24 May
   3. Hals, 25 May
   4. Anholt,  26 May
   5. Copenhagen, 27 May
   6. Bornholm or Christiansø, Denmark, 28 May
   7. Utklippen, Sweden, 29 May
   8. Kalmar, Sweden, 30 May
   9. Visby, Gotland, 31 May
   10. Visby to Kardia, Estonia, 500km or c 275 nm 55 hours non-stop. 1 to 3 June
   11. Kardia to Tallinn, Estonia, 250km or 135 nm 27 hours non-stop  3 to 4 June
   12. Tallinn to Helsinki, Finland: 150km or 81nm 16 hours non-stop 5-6June

   Crew Change Helsinki: Douglas and Preeya Bryden join crew from Helsinki to St Petersburg, approx. 5 to 14 June.

   13. Helsinki to SANTIO Finland, close to Russian border. Exit EU at Santio on 9/10 June. Approx 78nm (16 hours, possible stop en route)
   14. 10/11 June Santio to Vyborg, (leaving at 0600) Approx 45nm, approx 9-10 hours sailing.. Sail through a narrow passage between islands near the old military base at Vystock to VYBORG where there is a Russian Customs and Immigration pontoon where one can stay overnight. The new pontoon has protective fendering. The check in procedures will take about 2.5 hours. etc., hence the early start from Santio.
   15. Vyborg to St Petersburg. Approx 78nm (16hrs). Arrive on 12-13 June, depending on weather.
   16. Arrive St Petersburg, Russia: 12-13 June, (Enter Russia at Vyborg as above  and go through the PRIMORSK CHANNEL and continue to Kronshstadt and then to Central River Yacht Club where Vladimir Ivankov (Our Agent and CA/ RCC Representative) is arranging a berth in advance. The yacht club has a few cabins and is near to the METRO, with 4 stops to town.
   17. Change crew in St Petersburg. Stay in St Petersburg a few days for tourism, to stock boat, and to go through boat inspection.

   B. Through Russia to Archangelsk, taking the Baltic-White Sea canal from St Petersburg to Belamorsk, and then on to Archangelsk.

   Vladimir Ivankiv is our agent for the Russia section, and has been very helpful indeed. He is also the CA local representative in Russia/ St Petersburg[1]. Sergey Alexandrovich Bazylevich has kindly agreed to join us as our official Russian speaking qualified sailing pilot for the whole trip to Akhangelsk. Vladimir Ivankiv[2] has also helped many EU boats to undertake this trip, and will also arrange the necessary pilot for the bridges in the Neva River, which is a further requirement.

   1. Gather in St Petersburg approx. 13^th/14th June. (Vladimir says the port is closed for a week in the second half of June, and will tell us precise dates in the autumn of 2013).
   2. NB CREW CHANGE IN ST PETERSBURG around 14-15 JUNE. John Bryden’s daughter Tanera Astley, her husband Robin and his two (sailing) grand-daughters Veyatie and Pollaidh will join the crew here, as will Karen Refsgaard, John’s wife, and Sergey Bazylevich.
   3. Leave yacht club approx. June 16^th at night when the bridges are open in the River Neva.
   4. Visit the Medieval Fortess “Oreshek” founded in 1323 by Prince Yuri of Novogrod. This is located on a small island at the mouth of the Neva River. The Fortress was in Swedish hands for many years until 1702, when it was captured by Peter the Great and re-named Shlisselburg. It was used as a notorious political prison for almost 200 years. It contains a museum: about June 18^th
   5. We head for the eastern part of Lake Onega to see the ancient rock paintings or petroglyphs which are carved on the surface of the coastal cliffs. These depict animals, birds, fish, boats, people and ‘mysterious characters’. The Onega rock shrine has 1,200 images over 20.5km of the coastal area. Approx. June 22-23
   6. We visit Kizhi Island, one of the 1650 islands in Lake Onega and a UNESCO world heritage site. There are 89 wooden buildings of the XV-XX Centuries including churches, houses and famous ensemble of the ancient churchyard and the Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus (XIV Century). The Church of Transfiguration was built without a single nail and is 37 metres high. The temple has 22 domes with crosses, covered with a silvery scale: June 24-25
   7. NB CREW CHANGE at Petrozavodsk, Karelia at the NE end of Lake Onega. There is train and flight to and from St Petersburg. There are also hotels. Train takes just under 5 hours. At the moment we are assuming this will be around June 26^th.
   8. Tia Bryden and Rory Bryden  join John, Karen, Sergey and possibly Larissa, Sergey’s wife, for this section.  It is likely that we will call again at Kizhi Island on the way North.
   9. The White Sea-Baltic Canal (Belamorsk Canal) is 227 km, in length and links the lakes and seas together. It has 19 locks and was built by GULAG prisoners in the 1930s in less than a year. It passes through a large part of Russian Kerala. The canal also has 5 hydro power plants, 19 flood gates, 15 dams, 19 locks, 33 artificial channels and 19 dams. All along the canal multiple monuments have been built to honour the prisoners who had died during the construction, including a wooden church in the village of Povenets.
   10. After exiting the canal at the port of Belamorsk on the White Sea we have a day sail to the Solovetsky Islands, said to be the ‘pearl of the White Sea’. It has an original and unique nature and interesting historical and cultural monuments. There are 6 large islands and over 100 small islands. Solovki is famous for the Solovki monastery with its heavy stumpy towers and conical board caps on top. It was a prison camp from 1923, but has operated as a monastery again since 1990. The Solovki complex was added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites in 1992. (Exit canal around 30 June, visit Solovetsky Islands approx. 1-2 July).
   11. Sail to Arkhangelsk, arriving July 5^nd – 6^{th July}. (stay 3 days at the Yacht Club, and meet Alexander). We  clear out of Russia. We will wait for a good weather window, but it seems that the Barents sea is either calm with no wind or windy with always a chance of storms and significant seas (but less so in July). Storms seem to be 24 hour affairs. Passing ‘The Throat’ from the White sea to the Barents Sea may be the most difficult, and we must watch for wind again tide here.
   12. NB CREW CHANGE IN ARCHANGELSK AROUND 7/8 JULY. ALASDAIR, COLL AND CATHEL HUTCHIESON WILL JOIN JOHN HERE AND SAIL ROUND TO TROMSO OR PERHAPS BETWEEN KIRKENES AND TROMSO.

    

   C. Archangelsk (Russia) to Tromso, N Norway via Kirkenes and N Cape.

   1. Leave Archangelsk around 8/9 July to benefit from long daylight and favourable July weather in Barents sea. Sail around the Kola Peninsula  to Kirkenes, after a good weather forecast. Entry procedures at Kirkenes for boat and crew. The sail takes about 3 days and 2 nights given a 50% probability of fair East or South East winds and current in July, but of course it is Arctic summer and the nights are light. The gnomic projection charts will be needed for this end of the trip.
   2. NORWAY, KIRKENES July 12^th to 13^th allowing for some shelter en route (Enter Norway: stay 2 days). Crew change in Kirkenes. Karen and Philomena de Lima will join for N Norway.
   3. Round N Cape (Norway) and home to Denmark. We do not need to round N Cape unless the forecast is good and time allows, as there is a ‘short cut’ through the Fjords to Hammerfest.  This part will take the second half of July and all of August. This section needs to be further elaborated, and there are many possible variations and. Skipper with Aldarion has already sailed as far north as the Lofoten islands (NW of Bodo), and back to Denmark, and the whole coastline is wonderful. At the moment all dates are still somewhat  approximate and we have not fixed Crew from Brønnøsund south yet!
   4. HAMMERFEST: July 24th. Crew Change. Ottar Brox and Kirsten Danielsen will possibly join the crew to Tromso. Helene Lie might also join the crew around this point. Hammerfest to Tromso is approx. 125nm, and with stops we allow 3 or 4 days depending on weather and stops.
   5. Tromso, Norway: Arrive July 27^th or 28^th (CREW CHANGE stay 2 days. Gill Stowell and David Hilton join the crew at this point). Tromso to Bodø is 311nm, and includes a visit to the Lofoten Islands for approx. 2 days.
   6. Bodø, Norway: Aug 8th (CREW CHANGE: Amelie Jouveneu joins crew here)
   7. Brønnøysund, Norway: Aug 14^th  
   8. Trondheim, Norway: Aug 17th (CREW CHANGE: David Gundry joins here)
   9. Alesund, Norway: Aug 21^st-22nd (CREW addition: Lisbeth Refsgaard joins crew here)
   10. Bergen, Norway: Aug 28^th – 29th (CREW CHANGE, perhaps)
   11. 30^th AUG Sail from Bergen to Tananger via Hardangerfjord
   12. TANANGER: 3^rd or 4^th September (CREW CHANGE: Birthe and Lasse Ebdrup join here to return to Denmark)
   13. Depart Tananger 5^th September depending on forescast.
   14. Arrive Mandal, S coast of Norway on 7^th or 8^th September.
   15. Cross from Mandal to Thyborøn, Denmark (west entrance to the Limfjord) approx. 9^th or 10^th September. If forecast bad, continue along S coast and cross to Skagen, continuing to Hals and Aalborg, entering Limfjord from East. This will take 3 days.
   16. Thyborøn, Denmark (the west end of the Limfjord): Sept 9^th or 10^th OR
   17. (alternative) Hals, Denmark: Sept 12^th or 13^th.
   18. Skive, Denmark: either Sept 11^th or 12^th (if enter at Thyboron) OR 13^th – 14^th if sail via Hals.^.

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Notes:

1. There must be some flexibility in dates due to weather and bureaucratic delays BUT visas for Russia are ONE MONTH.
2. Visas are essential for Russia, and need a letter of invitation, which has been organized for crew by Valdimir. It is VERY important to apply for the visa in good time, and to allow enough flexibility in dates – the authorities will not let you enter Russia before your Visa is valid, and you must leave before it expires!  Most visas are valid for one month, but this may change.
3. John Bryden will be the skipper for the whole voyage. In Russia, the same skipper must be there for entry and exit. It is also necessary to have an experienced first mate on each leg, and this person must have night sailing experience (even though it will be light all night for most of the trip). For the more challenging parts (e.g from Archangelsk to Kirkenes) I will need a strong and experienced crew who are happy to sail in shifts for 3-5 days.
4. Most of the route between Arkhangelsk and Brønnøysund is North of the Arctic Circle. Cold weather can be expected at times (even if we hope at the same time for a good summer, as is often the case in the North!), and preparations should be for a ‘Category 0’ (most severe) ocean voyage, also with very warm clothing. The other parts of the voyage will be Category 1 or 2. I have installed hot air central heating in Aldarion to complement the charcoal stove heater.
5. However, the trip though the canals and lakes of Russia usually takes place in warm sunny weather at that time of year (this year rain fell on only two days in the three week period, and the temperature was normally around 25C). It is possible to swim in the lakes, but not near towns! There are few marinas with showers etc in Russia, so be prepared! However, I have installed a hot and cold water system and deck shower, and Birthe Ebdrup (sailmaker and crew on the Limfjord Rundt race in 2012) has kindly tailor-made a deck shower curtain than hangs from the boom!
6. Crew changes must be well planned ahead of time, and I must have the crew list well ahead of the spring.
7. The Kola Peninsula when we are in the Barents Sea between the White Sea and Murmansk looks rather bleak and uninhabited, and somewhat short of shelter. We will try to wait for a good forecast, but in the end we can only have a 30 day visa without applying for an extension, which may be tedious!
8. The entire expedition is about 3800 nautical miles.