"Apostle Andrew": September news

The news from "Apostle Andrew"

September 30, 2004
The port Zeebrugge, Belgium.

At 2:00 p.m. (local time) the yacht "Apostol Andrey" entered the harbour. Unfortunately the crew did not manage so far to make up for two days behind their own schedule
The stay in Belgium will last three days. On Saturday on the initiative of Eddy De Busschere, Secretary of the Belgian Polar explorations (the yacht arrived in Belgium thanks to his invitation) there will be a meeting of the two famous skippers. The crew of Nikolay Litau will visit Willy de Roos, the first sailor who succeeded in the North West Passage in 1977 on his ketch "Williwaw". For this unique achievement Willy de Roos was awarded a prestigious English Medal for Seamanship. Nikolay Litau was also awarded with this Medal in 1999. A special Expert Commission of the Royal Cruiser Club nominated the round-the world voyage of the yacht "Apostol Andrey" (with passing across the North East Passage on a sailing yacht for the first time in the history of seafaring) as "the outstanding achievement of the world's yachting". The yacht "Apostol Andrey" with its skipper Nikolay Litau visited the north of Canada in 2002.

On Sunday morning the yacht "Apostol Andrey" will take course to Madeira.

September 29, 2004
The North Sea...

"We are sailing in the North Sea among the oil platforms. For the first time in the course of two weeks we had a fair wind, but it failed down by night and in the morning it turned into a contrary wind. 90 miles are left to the entrance to the harbour. If we do not manage to reach it with a fair wind we will use our diesel.

Yours, Litau"

September 27, 2004
We are leaving the Kiel Channel...

A short message from Nikolay Litau:
We are leaving the Kiel Channel. In half an hour we will moor in the Brunsbuttle Lock, then – Elba, and afterwards we will sail with a favorable wind to the North sea. 300 miles are left to Zeebrugge and we hope to reach it on Thursday

September 24, 2004
The yacht "Apostol Andrey" arrived in Kiel

On September 24, 2004 in the afternoon the yacht "Apostol Andrey", being two days behind of the schedule, arrived in the German port Kiel. The delay is caused by the adverse weather in the autumn Baltic, as at this time the contrary winds of gale force were prevailing in the Sea. During the ten days of maneuvering the yacht passed 1150 miles instead of 770 miles, which separate St.Petersburg from Kiel along the general course. The speed of the yacht did not exceed 5 knots during these days.

In Kiel the yacht "Apostol Andrey" will stay till Sunday. They have to make some repair weeks, in particular to find out why some ceilings of the yacht' premises are nonhermetic. Then the yacht will enter the North Sea through the Kiel Channel and will lay its course to Zeebrugge, where the crew plans to arrive on October 2, 2004.

September 22, 2004
Approaching Kiel.

We spent the weekend, just maneuvering neat Gotland. Today the wind is still contrary, of the gale strength. That's why our movement is slow and boring. May be we will reach Kiel tomorrow by night. We will have to stay there for a couple of days, making some repair works.

September 17, 2004
Everything is going on as usual…

Everything is going on as usual… One sheet broke, grinded by a carriage. New carriages do not take into account the direction of traction of the ropes, designed by a designer Konyukhov. Now our boatswain is sawing them with his file, though today is his birthday.

The Gulf of Finland did not give us any time to relax. The fresh West wind sometimes reached 15 m/sec. But we managed to keep our tempo. We have sailed 300 miles from St. Petersburg, entered the Baltic Sea and are now sailing by the wind to the south along the Saaremaa Island.

Gradually we begin to get rid of sea-sickness. Today poor Zhukov for the first time had his meals. Chief mate was eating rather inertly. But our boatswain Semenov eats as usual – as two men.

08.12.2004