From 10 to 17 July, the third consecutive year in Saint-Petersburg at various venues in the city events were held as part of the main Maritime festival North of the capital, “Baltic yacht week”. According to tradition, entrance to all events was free. Organizers: Committee for tourism development of Saint-Petersburg, Saint-Petersburg sailing Union.
The start of the festival gave Marcellin schooner “Lady L” and a beautiful ship stylized as a ship of the 18th century. Sailboat moored on the University embankment and was opened to the public for two days. During this time he was visited by 1.5 thousand people. On 12 and 13 July in the format of the open ramp on the promenade des Anglais worked unique sailing ship “Poltava”, an exact copy of the first battleship fleet Nevsky, Peter the Great, in the design and construction of which was attended by the Emperor himself. The festival is completely free, it was visited by 2 thousand people. July 15, the baton open ramp took another Grand sailing vessel “Hope”, built over 100 years ago and performing for over 35 years, the role of the main symbol of St. Petersburg festival “Scarlet sails”. The crew this day visited 1 thousand persons.
Friday and the weekend guests of the festival took beach of the Peter and Paul fortress. For three days there has been a “Sea village” with a themed master-classes, cinema lectures, a yacht exhibition, the exhibition of educational programs of St. Petersburg, yacht equipment, demonstration performances of sportsmen-windsurfers. In addition, residents and visitors could watch the competition of professional sailors in the waters of the Neva took place the fifth stage of the all-Russian regatta “national sailing League”, which was attended by 20 renowned teams. Here all days of the festival worked as a photo exhibition “St. Petersburg – the sailing capital of Russia”, telling about sailing in the Northern capital nowadays.
Great entertainment was prepared by the organizers of the festival guests on Saturday evening. Performed on the stage a cover band Chest, a sextet of Cuban Yoel Gonzalez Philoritmica and well-known musician and singer Maxim Leonids, one of the creators of the legendary bit-Quartet “the Secret”. Artists on the stage was replaced by the beautiful sailboats on the water, illuminated by neon lights. Accompanied by classical music, they performed for the audience “Ballet of sails”. The final chord was the fireworks. For the evening show was watched by more than 80 thousand people.
The festival hosted the largest themed conference in the city, which attracted the attention of a wide range of yachtsmen, members of government and business. The conference was organized by the publishing house “Kommersant” in St. Petersburg. Speakers of the event agreed that yachting infrastructure of St. Petersburg today considerably lags behind the majority of coastal European cities. While the city has all opportunities for development in this direction: a long Maritime tradition, a tourist attraction of the city on the Neva, the interest of the residents of St. Petersburg marine theme. To solve this problem, according to experts, requires a common action and a single control center. In addition, important financial support of the city and the elaboration of formats of public-private partnerships on which to build a system of yacht infrastructure in European cities.
The festival was held on open days at River yacht club of trade unions and sailing school “Krestovsky island”. Visitors could get acquainted with the yachting infrastructure of the city, as well as to ask questions about teaching sailing in St. Petersburg.
“This year we made the festival even more diverse. Significantly expanded, the coastal part, where guests could test themselves in the role of a shipbuilder, sailor, yachtsman, to learn more about sailing culture firsthand in the lecture hall and to join this exciting sport from many different perspectives. The festival for free visit opened the sailing ship “Poltava”, one of the most ambitious projects of reconstruction of the ship in the world. Not surprisingly, wanting to climb on Board were many. A large audience we managed to collect and business program. I believe that such meetings are very important for the development of the industry. We feel from year to year the festival gains momentum, and are confident that in the foreseeable future it will become one of the largest yacht festivals in Europe”, – says Sergey Alekseev, President of Saint-Petersburg sailing Union.
