The first yacht of the Russia in the Baltic project has arrived at the port of Kaliningrad

The first yacht of the Russia in the Baltic project, Yulia, arrived at the City Port in Kaliningrad on June 30. In 2026, eight yachts from St. Petersburg will arrive in Kaliningrad, two of them will go on a return trip.

The Festival of Marine Culture is held for the fourth year in a row on the initiative of the Peterhof State Museum-Reserve and the Museum of the World Ocean.

"Our task is, first of all, to preserve the maritime culture, the continuity of generations, education and the transfer of knowledge about how to do this," said Diana Shvachko, representative of the organizing committee of the Russia in the Baltic project.

She noted that the autonomous transit between cities takes from four to five days, which requires professional skills from the crew. According to Shvachko, yachting in Russia is becoming more feminine: 80 people participate in the current regatta, of which 35% are women. Specialized seafaring classes in St. Petersburg are engaged in personnel training, where students take a course in navigation and shipping before major trips.

The captain of the yacht Yulia, Viktor Onishchenko, who is participating in the project for the second time, spoke about the difficulties of the journey over a distance of 600 miles.

"The transition was difficult. Initially, there was a stormy westerly wind coming out to meet us. We had to go against the waves, against the wind. Since they had to maneuver in a small space, they had to go under the engine or change their maneuver. It slowed down the movement," he explained.

Onishchenko added that his team consists of five people. He also emphasized the uniqueness of the project, as there are few regattas over such long distances.

"I am very glad that we have revived this tradition between the two Baltic cities to celebrate this campaign," added Alexander Vakhromeev, Director of the City Port.

Marine regiment: the Russian Navy has strengthened the protection of merchant ships

Tankers flying the Russian flag may begin escorting mobile firing groups.

On June 25, celebrations of cruising sailing yachts on a non-stop cruise to Kaliningrad within the framework of the Russia in the Baltic project took place on the Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment. The start of the crossing was given by a horn from the icebreaker Krasin.