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ACCESS TO RUSSIAN WATERS
Alan Logan
The USSR is dead; the Cold War is over; foreign yachts are now free to cruise all of the coastal and inland waters of the Russian Federation -- right? WRONG! While private foreign sailing and motor vessels for the first time in decades have access to major Russian ports, the vast inland waters remain officially closed. These are the largest bodies in the world that have not yet been explored by the international cruising community.
Historically, the Neva, Dvina, Volga, Don, Ob, Amur, Lena and the other large rivers emptying into the seas and oceans surrounding Russia provided the major access to its heartland. These were the invasion and trading routes used by the Vikings and other conquerors. But the Volga boatmen struggling to pull heavy barges against the raging rapids are no more. The major rivers have been tamed at the price of thousands, if not millions, of lives of forced labourers, the Soviet regime under Stalin built canals, massive dams and huge locks. In western Russia, the resulting network of two inland seas, several large artificial lakes, rivers, and canals now connect the White Sea to the Baltic and to the Black Sea. After the winter freeze, fast hydrofoil ferries, barges, ocean freighters and passenger ships (drawing less than 13ft and with a vertical clearance under 41ft), ply this network. Bordering this vast nautical highway are some of the most interesting historical and cultural cities of ancient Russia. Many were closed to foreigners under the Soviet regime; some are more accessible by water than by railroad and the still inadequate road network. Every community has its loading dock. Foreigners are still a rarity along the waterways and on the over 3000 miles of coastlines on the inland seas and lakes; they are warmly welcomed by the people emerging from centuries of isolation.
For security and in an effort to isolate his people from external influence, Article 5 of the Russian Inland Waterways Act passed by Stalin in 1936 prevents all foreign vessels from using these inland waterways. It has been amended slightly to permit foreigners to transit the 30 mile canal near Vyborg to the extensive Saimaa Lake in Central Finland and to enter short distances in some waterways to Kaliningrad or other designated inland ports.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, many foreign yachts have requested permission to enter Russia's inland waters. All such requests have been systematically rejected on the basis of Article 5. The law, however, has been repeatedly violated in the past three years by yachts taking advantage of the confusion and breakdown of central authority. In 1992 a British sailing vessel, Moorhen, and a Dutch boat, Wakame, were the first foreigners to transit the 2500 miles from St Petersburg to the Black Sea along the Volga and Don rivers. They were strongly supported by local yacht clubs and regional authorities. Occasional tows against strong currents, repairs, fuel and access through the thirty-six locks on the way was arranged by Russian friends with occasional distribution of vodka. Another British yacht, Wild Goose, made the passage from the White Sea in the Arctic to the Black Sea. The next year a German vessel, the Maria C, reportedly reached the White Sea from St Petersburg.
Other foreign vessels which had sailed hundreds of miles in the hope of making the passage were turned back, either in St Petersburg or in Rostov-on-Don on the Sea of Azov in the south. In 1993 a German yacht had actually reached Lake Onega before being forced to return. A French canal barge, EuroOdyssey, sponsored by French television, did not get beyond St Petersburg.
Matters improved slightly in 1994. A German made the southern transit from St Petersburg by the subterfuge of leasing his 49ft catamaran to a Russian yacht club and sailing under a Russian flag with a Russian skipper. He oiled his passage with the usual distribution of vodka but provided few other benefits since he sped through in about a month. A flotilla of sixteen foreign sailing vessels, mostly Dutch but including three English and Norwegian boats, sponsored by the Netherlands Association of Coastal Sailors, made the passage from the White Sea to St Petersburg as part of the First `Round Scandinavia"' rally. With the assistance of the Netherlands Consulate in St Petersburg, the Association had obtained the support of the Karelia Autonomous Republic and of the Russian naval commander of the Baltic fleet.
Armed with a letter of authorization from the White Sea -- Baltic Canal authority, the fleet arrived in the White Sea. There haggling began over the cost of transiting the canal to Lake Onega. An initial demand for $1100 (around œ700) per vessel was eventually reduced to about to about $300. This passage occurred without the approval -- or even knowledge -- of the Department of River Transport in Moscow. The local canal authority was clearly taking advantage of the weakening of Moscow's authority to replenish its operating funds depleted by budgetary austerity measures.
Also in 1994, at the urging of the Karelia Government, Russian Prime Minister Chernomydryn signed an `executive order' allowing `small foreign sailboats' to transit Russian waters to take part in the June-July 1994 `International Blue Onega' sailing festival and regatta. This order, coordinated with several ministries and security agencies, contained onerous restrictions and was issued at the last minute. About three foreign boats showed up. Virtually the same order was issued by Chernomydryn in 1995 but no vessels came. (Imagine if Prime Minister Major or President Clinton had to sign an executive order for foreign vessels to participate in regattas in the Solent or Chesapeake Bay!).
In 1995 Concordia, a 36ft German steel sloop, made the first passage from the Black Sea to the Baltic. With a nominal Russian skipper and flying a Russian ensign, the two month journey encountered no problems, but the owner's wife complained that there was not sufficient time for human contact and tourism through this fascinating area.
In contrast to inland waters, Russian coastal waters are now relatively open. However, an invitation from an authorized entity (usually an established Russian yacht club) is still required. Russian consulates will issue visas for all those named in the invitation (with dates of birth and passport numbers) for the period and for the ports and inland towns stated in the invitation. The name of the vessel, its size and date of arrival must also be stated. A vessel which takes shelter or visits a port or site not specified in the visa may encounter difficulties with the authorities. As a result, the number of yachts going to Russia remains small given the thousands of vessels cruising the Baltic and Mediterranean in summer. In contrast, Estonia encourages yacht tourism and reaps the benefits.
The waterways and lakes of Russia are widely used for sport and recreation. Despite growing water pollution, attractive beaches and coves are filled with bathers and fishermen during the summer months. In addition to thousands of small outboard-powered craft, used largely for fishing, there are many sailboats on the larger bodies of water and near big cities. These are owned primarily by sporting clubs, factories, trade unions or associations, but the number privately owned by emerging `bisnuzmen' is increasing. The boats are manned by avid yachtsmen who compete in frequent regattas sponsored by many yacht clubs along the waterways. These experienced sailors are eager for contacts with their foreign counterparts and deplore the continued prohibition of foreign flag pleasure vessels. Russian yacht clubs, municipalities and commercial interests also desire the revenue from foreign yacht tourism in view of shrinking government subsidies and economic dislocations.
The Baltic Shipping Company Yacht Club in St Petersburg and the Karelia Government and Polar Odysseus Club in Petrozavodsk, in particular, are taking energetic measures to open Russia's waters. The latter sponsored the `Blue Onega' festivals in 1993 and 1994. They hope to organize a squadron of foreign vessels to pass en mass from St Petersburg to Lake Onega to participate in Petrozavodsk's celebration of the 300th anniversary of Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian navy. (See opposite).
A senior official of the Foreign Economic Relations Section of the Department of River Transport of the federal Ministry of Transport told me in July 1994 that his ministry opposed amendment of Article 5 to permit foreign flag vessels in Russia's inland waters. Exceptions can be granted, but only at the initiative of a responsible government entity such as the Karelia Government. The Department of River Transport is responsible for the operation, security and control of all water transport within Russia, he said. Small pleasure vessels -- Russian or foreign -- are a burden that interferes with its primary responsibility, which is commercial transportation. He recognized that foreign yacht tourism could bring economic benefits to the communities and cities along the waterways as it has in the Greek Islands and other areas, but insisted that his Ministry `is not responsible for economic development'.
He was aware that some foreign yachts had been transiting Russian waters and felt these `illegal' passage-makers could get into trouble. He also recognized that vessels of three independent former Soviet republics bordering the Caspian Sea and now flying `foreign flags'' transit Russian waters to the Black Sea; this access is provided by international agreements concluded or being negotiated. Such international agreements take precedence over an internal Russian law. I noted that if Russia became a signatory to an international convention providing for free passage of pleasure vessels, such a treaty would presumably also take precedence over Article 5. The official made no comment.
Another official at the Department of River Transport told me that exclusion of foreign flag vessels is necessary in order to preserve Russia's freight and passenger fleet. He claimed that allowing foreign commercial vessels through the Saimaa Canal and some other waterways had already harmed Russia's merchant marine. All countries, including the US, protect their merchant fleets from foreign competition. I pointed out that foreign pleasure vessels do not compete with commercial shipping since they carry neither freight nor paying passengers. American inland waters are totally open to foreign flag pleasure vessels and even to commercial shipping as long as freight is not carried from one American port to another under the Jones Act. I gave the officer a copy of the US Department of Transportation brochure entitled A Summary of World Cabotage Practices showing how fifty-three countries protect their merchant fleets without damaging yacht tourism.
I expressed the hope that if Russian authorities do permit entry of foreign flag pleasure vessels, transit and canal fees would be reasonable. Passage of a sufficient volume of yachts is desirable to provide economic benefits to the canal authorities and to local communities. The official cited an astronomical figure as possible transit fees. These would exclude all but the most affluent yachtsmen from Russian waters as surely as Article 5. He cited the expense of operating the large locks, particularly on the Volga-Don Canal. In this relatively dry area of southern Russia the canal has limited water storage capacity. Hence, water has to be pumped at great expense from the Don River to provide water to operate the locks. During Soviet times the government paid all canal costs as a subsidy to water transport. Now with budgetary austerity and efforts to establish a free market system, users of the waterways are expected to finance the operation and maintenance of the locks. He noted that the administrator of the Don-Volga Canal once threatened to close the canal since fees from passing vessels were not enough to pay the electricity bill for the pumps.
I pointed out that Western Europe and North America give priority to commercial shipping and expect pleasure vessels to transit canal locks with commercial vessels or in groups as possible. In this way, the cost for individual yachts can be reasonably low.
The resistance to opening Russian internal waters to foreign yacht tourism is symptomatic of the economic problems facing Russia. On the one hand, local interests want to take advantage of removal of restrictions and progress to a free market system to establish contacts with passing foreign yachtsmen and to derive economic gain by creating employment and providing goods and services. On the other hand, a bureaucracy entrenched in Moscow draws on laws and attitudes from seventy-five years of Soviet rule to maintain central control and to legitimize its present functions. This bureaucracy can not perceive a conversion of these functions to encourage and facilitate an expanded use of the inland waters for foreign yacht tourism as a means of justifying its continued existence and providing economic benefits to the country as a whole.
With the weakening of central authority and discipline and the traditional ingenuity of Russians to circumvent Moscow's control, some foreign vessels will continue to circulate inland waters. Only the most daring, however, will go hundreds of miles to enter enclosed and still forbidden waters and risk being forced to turn back or possibly worse. While such visits will continue and will enrich human contacts, the economic benefits will be minimal and restricted to a few yacht clubs and individual Russians.
Even if Russia were suddenly opened to foreign yacht tourism, the economic gain would be relatively modest but would reach hundreds of small communities from the sale of goods and services. Some Russians would be hired as interpreters or pilots. The excellent canal chart books and VHF radios with the special Russian frequencies for inland waters would be purchased or rented. The payment of reasonable transit and canal fees would certainly be more helpful for the financially- trapped canal authorities than the present occasional bottles of vodka for individual lock keepers. Unlike traditional individual or group tourism, Russia would not have to make additional capital investments to receive foreign yachts -- present mooring facilities and docks are adequate, and the waters are well marked and buoyed.
The potential volume of foreign pleasure vessels interested in entering the waters of the fascinating and historic heartland of Russia is hard to judge. Some of the thousands of small pleasure vessels in northern Europe might wish to cruise lakes Ladoga and Onega to visit historic cultural sites, such as Kiji and Valaam, or to enter the Volga-Balt Canal to visit sites on Moscow's `Golden Ring' or in Moscow itself. Some, tired of enduring the short cruising season in the Baltic, might well take advantage of a safe `nautical highway' to the sunny cruising grounds of the eastern Mediterranean.
The restrictive tenor of the 1994/95 executive orders permitting a few small boats to reach Lake Onega is not an encouraging sign. An early opening of this `highway' is unlikely. If Russia moves to a genuinely more politically and economically open society, however, central authorities may eventually respond to the desires of Russian yachtsmen and local communities to remove restrictions. The international cruising community and the Russian people will be the beneficiaries.
One of the most active promoters of cruising to and through Russia is Russian Travel Ways of the Baltic Shipping Company Yacht Club in St Petersburg. It provides the following services to foreign yachtsmen:
Issues invitations for Russian visas;
Assists in clearing entry of yachts to St Petersburg (now affected at Kronstad);
Provides berthing at the club with water and electricity;
Arranges entertainment and tours of St Petersburg and Russia generally;
Assists in formalities for passage in inland waters;
Provides covered winter storage;
Helps in boat repairs and acquisition of equipment and supplies;
Offers Russian charter boats for inland waters or Gulf of Finland.
Contact: Alexander Maximadji, Director RTW
Yacht Club of Baltic Shipping Company
Nab Martynova 92
197427 St Petersburg, RUSSIA
Tel: (7)(812) 186 3935; Fax: (7)(812) 230 7585 or 186 8544
Those interested in cruising to Lake Onega -- particularly to participate in the 1996 squadron to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Russian navy at Petrozavodsk -- can contact Victor L Dmitriev, President of the Polar Odysseus Club in Petrozavodsk. Victor is a wooden boat fanatic and has supervised the construction of several antique vessels which have travelled as far as Spitzbergen, Gibraltar (via the Mediterranean) and Bristol, England. He helped organize a Wooden Boat Show in Petrozavodsk in 1994 and is building an antique sailing boat museum at his Sea Centre near Petrozavodsk. He was the driving force behind the `Blue Onega' festivals and regattas in 1994 and 1995. He has support and funding from the Karelia Government and Petrozavodsk municipality in his efforts.
Victor is actively preparing for large scale foreign participation in the `Blue Onega 96' celebrations and is confident that he will obtain the necessary permissions for an unprecedented gala entry through St Petersburg toward the two inland seas.
Contact, preferably in Russian:®IP3¯
Victor L Dmitriev, President
Polar Odysseus Club
PO Box 680
185020 Petrozavodsk
Karelia Republic, RUSSIA
Tel: (7)(81400) 51929 or 12382; Fax: (7)(81400) 61694
I have been working since 1988 to open Russian waters and made the first foreign yacht visits to several Soviet/Russian ports in the Black and Baltic Seas. (See Return to the Black Sea, FF 91/1, and Exploring the Eastern Baltic, FF 92/2). I have important Russian contacts, speak the language and have explored the waterways from St Petersburg to Rostov. Having sold my yacht Katy II I would be prepared to accompany a vessel hoping to make the passage to Onega, and to help coordinate participation in `Blue Onega 96' for those not wishing to cope with the Russian language and uncertain communications.
Contact: Alan LOGAN
11 Andrews Road
ESSEX CT 06426, USA
Tel: (1)(203) 767 1913; Fax: (1)(203) 767 0857
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