On the eve of the Scarlet Sails, the Russia in the Baltic project is planned in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg begins preparations for the Scarlet Sails Alumni Celebration. On the eve of this event, the launch of the Russia in the Baltic 2026 project is planned. This was reported by the RNB press service.

It is known that on June 25, the ceremonial departure of cruising sailing yachts on a non-stop trip to Kaliningrad will take place on the Lieutenant Schmidt embankment. A horn from the icebreaker Krasin will give the start of the transition. The sailboats will act as symbolic ambassadors of St. Petersburg, the cradle of the Russian sailing fleet. The press service noted that the idea of the project belongs to the Peterhof museum-reserves and the Museum of the World Ocean (Kaliningrad).

"The sea voyage connecting two Russian coasts and two cities across the Baltic Sea — St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad — is our tribute to the maritime tradition originated by Peter I. As a museum, we keep it very carefully and honestly, but we also develop it — every year the number of participants accepting this challenge of the elements is only growing. And we are glad that we have new partners who are ready to put their soul into this bold idea," said Roman Kovrikov, CEO of Peterhof.

Autonomous navigation in the Baltic Sea has been held for the fourth year. It involves 10 cruising yachts, and they will be accompanied by the training vessel Yuny Baltiets with cadets from the Admiral Senyavin Maritime Technical Academy. The length of the route is about 530 nautical miles (over 1 thousand km), the crossing will take 4-5 days in one direction.

"Any voyage requires careful preparation, especially in the current difficult conditions. The level of competence of the captains and crews should correspond to the level of difficulty of the Baltic crossing — this is our task as an educational institution for the training of yacht captains and the conducting party," said Vladimir Kuchinsky, Director of St. Petersburg Maritime Classes and head of the naval campaign headquarters.

It is noted that the flotilla will arrive in Kaliningrad on June 30. Later, on July 4, there will be a regatta dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the region and a sail parade, and on July 5 the yachts will sail back. In July, they will attend the regatta in memory of Admiral Ricord at Fort Konstantin in Kronstadt and the closing ceremony of the project in Peterhof. The organizer of the trip is the NGO "St. Petersburg Nautical Classes" with the support of the city administration and the participation of the Headquarters of the Russian Geographical Society in St. Petersburg.

Russia in the Baltic 2026 is a complex of socially significant events aimed at preserving Russia's historical and cultural heritage, reviving interest in amateur navigation and long–distance sea voyages, as well as maintaining stable cultural ties between the two Baltic regions.

Going ashore: graduates met the brig Rossiya and heard the Katyusha volleys

The grandiose celebration "Scarlet Sails" in St. Petersburg was dedicated to the theme of victory

The governor of the city, Alexander Beglov, announced on March 31 that this year's "Scarlet Sails" will be held on June 27. He noted that St. Petersburg has already begun preparations for the holiday.

In 2025, the graduation celebration was held on the night of June 29. More than 100 thousand schoolchildren from all over the country and from abroad came to see the unique spectacle. The holiday was revived after a long-term hiatus in 2005 on the initiative of ROSSIYA Joint Stock Bank, the government of St. Petersburg and Channel Five.