The expedition "Under the flag of Russia and the pennant of the Federal Agency For Fishery (Rosrybolovstvo)" on the Rosrybolovstvo sailboats, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica and the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, got caught in a severe storm in the Atlantic Ocean. Earlier, the “Sedov” and “Kruzenshtern” barges, as well as the “Pallada” sailboat, took part in the 200-mile joint regatta.
From November 2019 to December 2020, the training and sailing vessels of the Federal Agency For Fishery - the “Sedov” barge and the “Pallada” sailing vessel – are circumnavigating the world; and the “Kruzenshtern” barge is making a transatlantic passage. The project aims to strengthen international cooperation, expand humanitarian and cultural interaction. The crew was formed from cadets of maritime universities in Russia. Future sailors, on practice, delve into the essence of maritime affairs; and plunge into history, visiting the ports of significant places and monuments associated with the events of the Second World War. During stops at ports, expedition members also hold events dedicated to the liberation of countries from fascism and the acts of bravery of the Soviet soldiers. The project is supported by the Kaliningrad State Technical University and the Russian Geographical Society. In particular, festive meetings of sailing ships in Russian and foreign ports are organized by the Russian Geographical Society.
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On February 19th, “Sedov”, “Kruzenshtern” and “Pallada” met in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Falkland Islands area. On February 21st, a 200-mile regatta was held. It was dedicated by the sailing fleet of Rosrybolovstvo to the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica and the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The first to arrive to the given coordinates was “Kruzenshtern”. With a difference of 12 minutes, “Sedov” reached the finish. “Pallada” took another ten minutes for the organizers to mark the end of the regatta. After the race, “Pallada“ and “Sedov” headed for Cape Town (South Africa) and “Kruzenshtern” for Montevideo to sum up the results of the regatta and to prepare official events in Buenos Aires.
A storm began on the day of the regatta. A member of the expedition on the “Pallada” sailing ship, a representative of the media group of the Russian Geographical Society, director, Leonid Kruglov, said that for three days after the memorial race, “Pallada” had been rolling heavily. Jackstays were pulled all over the ship; walking or standing on the deck was possible only by attaching to them with safety harness.
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“Wind gusts reached 26 m / s. The ship’s roll angle was about 48 degrees, that is, “Pallada” would periodically lay on its side. We lost five of the 26 sails. It was impossible to sleep because furniture, paintings, televisions, teapots, and small items were flying across the ship. The “Pallada” team includes cosmonaut, Sergei Ryazansky, and he says that all this could be compared to the state of zero gravity," said Leonid Kruglov.
Fortunately, the storm ended, “Pallada” continues sailing, none of the crew were injured.
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“Now we are sailing in the conditions of a calm sea. There is no exhausting rolling and heavy listing - everything is calm, rocking steadily, the sun has appeared, and the weather has warmed up to over 20 degrees in the shade. The Atlantic Ocean can also be friendly to sailors,” said frigate captain, Nikolai Zorchenko.
The “Pallada”`s crew celebrated Defender of the Fatherland Day with traditional morning formation and congratulations to the captain of the frigate, as well as a concert program.