March 1, 2004

THE “NADEZHDA” LEFT HONG KONG

The sailing ship “Nadezhda” owned by the Maritime State University, making her round-the-world voyage, left Hong Kong on February 29. The crewmembers and cadets had a very interesting program in the port of Hong Kong. The famous Hollywood actor Jacky Chang visited the “Nadezhda” and wished her “sails filled with the wind” and “universal peace”. The ship is to cross three seas and call at Shanghai, Pusan and Nagasaki.

Press Service of the Maritime State University

Photos have been presented by Professor O.A.Bukin

| photogallery |

“NADEZHDA” ON SOLOMON ISLANDS

During WW2 the Solomon Islands were a strategically important part of the Pacific. Bloody battles of the US and UK Navies with the Japanese were fought there. In 1942-43 about 58,000 US paratroopers landed there. About 50 shot down aircraft are lying under water around the islands.

The city is dusty, lack of monuments strikes one's eye. But those who are keen on virginal nature and quietness can be pleased.

The aboriginal population does not only dance and sing, but also breeds crocodiles. They worship sharks, as they believe that their ancestors reincarnate into sharks

Leader of the voyage V.M.Kononov

The photo has been presented by O.A.Bukin, head of the research expedition.

REPORT OF RESEARCH LEADER FOR ONE YEAR'S WORK IN EXPEDITION

The first result is a great volume of data of comprehensive studies of the World Ocean.

The combination of modern technologies of research with an opportunity to make measurements in the most interesting parts of the World Ocean made it possible to approach the global questions. The materials obtained in this Expedition will serve as subjects of research for a long period. We sent some papers to scientific journals right from the ship. Later there will be conferences, articles and theses based on the results received in this project.

Research leader of the round-the-world expedition

Professor O.A.Bukin

ANNIVERSARY OF THE ROUND-THE-WORLD VOYAGE

January 25, 2003. On that clear winter day the training sailcraft “Nadezhda” owned by the Maritime State University named after admiral G.I.Nevelskoy sailed off for a long, round-the-world voyage. The project was dedicated to the bicentenary ofmthe first round-the-world voyage of Russian sailors commanded by I.Kruzenshtern and Yu.Lisyansky on board the sloops “Nadezhda” and “Neva”.

Rounding the Earth following the Kruzenshtern's route is not an end in itself. Three tasks were set for the Expedition: giving practical skills to the Maritime University cadets, making Russia popular globally and doing a set of research.

One year has passed since.

On January 25, 2004 the “Nadezhda” will sail off the Fiji Island and head for the Solomon Islands. More than 40,000 miles have been covered three oceans have been crossed, scores of the seas and foreign ports were visited, storms and calms occurred, as well as hundreds of cases when work involving all hands was announced. The round-the-world voyage is divided into some stages. The first one is from Vladivostok to St.Petersburg. Having left the port of registry, the “Nadezhda” with 165 persons aboard (including the crew, cadets, teachers and researchers) sailed along the route Pusan (Republic of Korea) – Singapore – Colombo (Sri Lanka) Aden (Yemen) – Suez Canal – Gibraltar – Gdansk (Poland) – St.Petersburg.

Though the first stage was not the most exotic one, everyone who took part in it has a lot to remember: a ceremony of paying tribute to victims of the Russo-Japanese war in the Tsushima Strait; crossing the equator; the Pacific, then the Indian Ocean; two months in tropics wioth their calm and heat, flying fish and the Southern Cross Constellation. Passing through the Arabian and Red Seas coincided with the breakout of hostilities in Iraq, when the region of the “Nadezhda” sailing was declared a zone of hostilities, but, despite some mass media reports, the situation was not dangerous. Having passed the Mediterranean, we had a good rest in Gibraltar – a British city in the Spanish territory. We got into the Atlantic through the famous “Herculean Posts” – the Gibraltar Strait – on April 18. Then the sailcraft rounded the British Isles from the west and north – that was the route I.F.Kruzenshtern took when he retuned to St.Petersburg in 1806. The “Nadezhda” reached 60degrees N, which made it possible to test cadets' endurance under stormy conditions, heavy rolling and pitching and low temperatures. Then the “Nadezhda” sailed in the Baltiic , where in early May she called at Gdansk, Poland, her birthplace. The first stage finished in St.Petersburg on the eve of its tricentenary. The “Nadezhda” berthed at the Lt. Shmidt's Embankment, not far from the monument to I.F.Kruzenshtern.

The Far Eastern sailcraft stayed 40 days in St.Pete. A lot of sights: museums, parks, palaces, theatres, cathedrals could be seen… In late June the crew was changed partially and the cadets completely: the fourth-year navigation cadets were replaced by 94 third-year engineering cadets of the Maritime state University and 5 cadets of the Pacific Higher Naval Institute. On July 1, 2003the “Nadezhda” left St.Pete to sail farther to the west. It was the beginning of an intermediate stage of the round-the-world voyage.

SALT SPLASHES OF THE BALTIC

The port of Delfsail, Holland, situated on the shore of the North Sea, was the first port of call. There on July 1014 a tall ship festival called “Delfsail-2003” took place. Up to 100 participants from Russia, the Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Mexico, Indonesia, Great Britain and Holland gathered there. It was a great event for townsfolk: we got an impression that all the population of Delfsail crowded in the port. All the sailing ships were open for visitors. Sometimes it was difficult to get on board the “Nadezhda” even for her crew members because of numerous visitors. The program of the event was varied and intense. The main item was a parade of all the crews on July 12. The procession was about one km long, looked bright, colorful and had national features of every participating country. The cadets from Vladivostok wore their best uniform and marched to the drum beat under the Russian flag.

The “Nadezhda” left Delfsail on July 13, 2003. On July 19 she arrived in Gdynia, Poland. There an international regatta called Cutty Sark started. Its route was laid within the Baltic: Gdynia - Turku (Finland) - Riga (Latvia) – Travemunde (Germany). The regatta was to be held on July 20 – August 24, 2003, including stays in the ports. About 100 sailing ships of various types and classes from 20 countries gathered in Gdynia. There were only 13 big ships of class “A”, like the “Nadezhda”, including the biggest training sailcraft in the world, the 4-mast barque “Sedov” from Murmansk. The regatta started at 18 hours on July 22, 2003. There were crews' parades in all the ports, sports competitions, excursions, lots of guests on board (particularly in Latvia). The “Nadezhda” took the seventh place in her class of ships, which is not bad in general (the “Mir” from St.Pete took the first place).

The “Nadezhda” left Germany for Gdansk, where her repair was to be done. She stayed in Gdansk exactly one month, left it on September 26, 2003 and on the following day arrived in Kaliningrad. There on September 28, 2003 she was seen off for the second half of her round-the-world voyage.

THE WAY BACK HOME IS SHORTER THAN THE WAY FROM HOME

The “Nadezhda” left Kaliningrad for Great Britain, where the ships for the Kruzenshtern Expedition had been built.

London. Tower, Big Ben, Westminster, Trafalgar Square, Greenwich, Hyde Park are the words well-known since childhood, now they became real buildings, places and notions.

Then there were famous Canary Islands, where the “Nadezhda” stayed in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife on October 16-21, 2003. There are beautiful beaches, almost tropical vegetation, splendid volcano Teide 3715 m high, from which one can see all seven Canary Islands.

After we sailed from the Canaries, one of the longest passages began – across the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro. The Atlantic Ocean was crossed during 19 days and nights – the coast of South America was seen on the night of November 9. On the early morning of November 10, 2003 the “Nadezhda” approached the Gulf of Guanabara on whose shoes Rio de Janeiro is situated.

The arrival of the Russian sailing ship was a real event for Rio. There was a festive meeting, scores of journalists, reports in papers, on TV, hundreds of visitors from officials to schoolchildren of different ages. During the stay in Rio de Janeiro bus excursions around the city were organized for the crew and cadets. The main local sights were shown, including the Corcovado Mountain with the sculpture of Christ on top, a modern cathedral built in the form of a truncated pyramid and the famous Copacabana Beach. One could see with one's owns eyes a huge bowl of Maracana, the world biggest stadium, visit a zoo, a botanical garden, rise to the Sugar Head 400 m high and admire a remarkable view of the city and bay.

The “Nadezhda” left Rio de Janeiro on November 15, 2003. It was Brizil's Independence Day. The “Nadezhda” with all her sails set sailed along the shore where a lot of people gathered. It was farewell with Rio. On the same day we crossed the Southern Tropic.

ONLY THE PACIFIC IS AHEAD

It was November 26, 2003. In the morning we approached the Falkland Islands. The temperature was about 4-5 degrees above zero, it snowed from time to time and a very strong wind blew. It was spring. The islands were almost barren, blue and red and their pinnacles were not very high. We entered the Stanley Bay on whose shore Port Stanley is situated, a local administrative centre. The main purpose of the call is replenishing of fresh water supplies, but we encountered difficulties there: there were no water pumps to raise pressure of water. On November 28 we left the Falklands, having taken only 40 tons of fresh water on board. We headed for the Cape Horn. It is a notorious place for seamen: strong winds, waves up to 10 m high, a lot of ships perished there.

On December 1, 2003 in compliance with the schedule we saw the Cape Horn. The weather was unexpectedly favorable. In commemoration of a lucky passage the ship master broke a bottle of champagne against the starboard anchor. On that day the “Nadezhda” reached the southernmost point of her round-the-world voyage and entered the Pacific Ocean. We headed for Valparaiso, Chile, to get some fresh water.

The stay in Valparaiso lasted from December 11 to 14. The town is relatively small and hilly. On December 12-13 all the crew members and cadets went to Santiago, the capital of Chile, where they were shown a hippodrome, the downtown, a cathedral and La Moneda Palace.

We took fresh water, fuel oil, provisions and also four fir trees and New Year decorations in Valparaiso. New Year is coming. On December 14 we left Valparaiso and sounded three blasts as if saying good-bye. The Pacific Ocean is lying ahead.

We saw the New Year in at sea. The weather was cloudy, it rained at times and the ship was rolling. Everybody was invited to the deck, where a New Year tree had been installed and decorated, music sounded and tables had been laid along the sides. Father Frost and Snow Maiden came, everyone enjoyed himself: sang songs joked and danced. After 2 a.m. a heavy rain stopped the event.

On January 7, 2004 the “Nadezhda” arrived in the port of Papeeti on the Island Tahiti. Having replenished fresh water supplies, on January 12 the sailing ship headed for the Island Fiji, where she is to arrive on January 22. On January 25 she will sail to the Solomon Islands. Then there will be Hong Kong, Shanghai (China), Nagasaki (Japan) and Pusan (South Korea). On March 29-30, 2004 the “Nadezhda” is to come back to Vladivostok.

MSU Press Service

After reports made by journalist I.Yegorchev

Who is making his round-the-world voyage on board the “Nadezhda”

| photo gallery on the anniversary of the round-the-world voyage |

December 7, 2003

THE NADEZHDA COIVERED 30 THOUSAND MILES

Today, on 07 December at 16:25 ship's time the Nadezhda covered 30 thousand miles. At least 14 thousand miles are ahead. Thus, she completed 2/3 of her route.

It was hard labor to cover that route during 10 months of our voyage. We found a lot of friends in every port. Though one third of our route is lying ahead, but after we climbed up the “mountain” of Cape Horn, we rolled down with acceleration. The sea is calming down. The most difficult period is left behind. Vladivostok is getting nearer.

The Nadezhda Shipmaster V.N.Vasilenko

The Pacific Ocean, Chilean coast

December 4, 2003

THE NADEZHDA AT CAPE HORN

Everyone knows about unpredictable difficulties one encounters near the Cape Horn. This is why the ship was thoroughly preparing for them. Everything was secured on deck, the relevant equipment was checked. Even the bridge was made habitable for low temperatures for the first time in the Nadezhda's history. Taut ropes were laid on deck and bowsprit. Part of new sails used most frequently were replaced with those tested in many storms.

The time to check up all those steps came when we were passing the “roaring 40-s”, i.e. south of Latitude 45 deg. South. Everything we had to experience at the approaches to the Falkland Islands was the echo of the hurricane that raged at that time near the Cape Horn, when the wind velocity reached 30 m/sec and waves were 10 m high.

Unpredictability of the Falkland weather was clearly seen when we were leaving the berth of the naval base Mary Harbor. We started unmooring when the wind velocity increased suddenly up to 19 m/sec, the anchor dragged and the ship leant against the berth with her starboard bow. After the wind slackened, the tug helped us sail away from the berth. When we left the Mary Harbor Bay, we anchored under the lee of the Island and inspected the outer hull thoroughly. A hole 55 mm long was detected in the forecastle in the way of frame 110, 2 m above the water. In the penetrating wind the hole was welded. We weighed the anchor and proceeded to the Cape Horn.

A strong head wind 16-18 m/sec with squalls up to 26 m/sec and waves 5-6 m high made us alter course constantly using slanting sails. To reduce the impact of the wind and waves we had to round the Island Los Estados from the north and sail through the Strait Le Mer separating the Island Los Estados from the Fiery Land.

Only on the night of 30 November when 80 miles were left to reach the Cape Horn the wind and waves slackened suddenly. The horizon cleared out the bright sun appeared and we could not believe we were approaching the Cape Horn.

On December 1 at 10:00 we set all the sails made good a course of 304 to pass the meridian of the Cape Horn. At 11:25 we crossed the meridian of the Cape Horn from the east to the west. After lunch a bottle of champagne was broken against the starboard anchor in honor of passing the Cape Horn.

After dinner we held a meeting. About half of the cadets had their left ears pierced in memory of the event.

The unusually favorable weather somewhat disappointed those who expected hardships.

V.N.Vasilenko, the Nadezhda shipmaster

November 20, 2003

THROUGH STORMS TO FALKLANDS

The training sailer Nadezhda continues her round-the-world voyage in the South Atlantic. At present she is passing from Brazil to the Falkland Islands.

At present there are 169 persons on board, including 98 MSU cadets.

On 17 November the Nadezhda crossed the meridian of Vladivostok, i.e. she covered exactly halfway. Near the Island of Santa Katarina the Nadezhda set all her sails and headed for the south.

On 19 November we got into a severe storm.

November, 19. Ivan Yegorchev from the Nadezhda.

November 18, 2003

THE NADEZHDA: HEADING FOR CAPE HORN

The Nadezhda left Rio de Janeiro on 15 November, 2003.It was a holiday – the Day of Brazil's Independence. On the same day we crossed the south tropic.

We will remind that the Nadezhda is a training sailer owned by the Maritime State University, making her round-the-world voyage in memory of the first Russian Navy round-the-world voyage made 200 years ago. The Nadezhda left Vladivostok on 25 January, 2003 and is to get back to her port of registry in late March 2004.

On 17 November, 2003 we approached the Island of Santa Katarina, set all the sails and headed for the south. The TV group shot their film about the Nadezhda from the inflatable boat Zodiac. When the boat was about to be raised on board, she drew water and three persons fell overboard. The ship made gyration, coming back to the people and within 10 minutes all of them were taken on board (by the way, the sea water temperature was 24 degrees). All are safe and sound, but the camera needs special attention after being submerged in the Atlantic water.

We are to call at Port Stanley on the Falkland Islands on 25-27 November.

17 November, 2003. Ivan Yegorchev from the Nadezhda.

November 17, 2003

THE NADEZHDA IN RIO DE JANEIRO

Making her round-the-world voyage, the training sailer Nadezhda crossed the Atlantic Ocean from the Canaries to Brazil during 19 days and nights. On the morning of 10 November we approached Rio de Janeiro. We took a pilot aboard, left the Sugar Head Rock on our starboard side and saw in the distance the famous statue of Christ high above the city. The Brazilian naval sailer Cisne Branco saluted us with her flags at half-mast. The sailors waved their caps, the orchestra performed an anthem of Brazilian Navy. The Nadezhda moored traditionally – to the sounds of Russian folk songs – in the very centre of Rio de Janeiro.

There was a meeting with official speeches. Then journalists were invited to the press conference held in the Nadezhda mess-room.

There were a lot of visitors on board during four days of our stay there.

Bus excursions were organized for the crew and cadets to see the city, including the famous beach Kopakabana. Many of us had an opportunity to bathe and get sunburned there. We could see the sculpture of Christ which is 30 m high, the world biggest stadium, cathedrals and monasteries, a zoo and botanical garden.

The members of a research expedition, teachers and 70 MSU cadets visited the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

The Nadezhda left Rio de Janeiro on the morning of 15 November, 2003. It was Saturday and the Day of Independence. Therefore quite many people saw the full-rigged Nadezhda passing along the famous beaches. We parted with Brazil and are heading for the Falkland Islands and Cape Horn.

16 November, 2003. Ivan Yegorchev from the Nadezhda.

October 31, 2003

UNIVERSITY UNDER SAILS

The Nadezhda set out for her round-the-world voyage with 90 3rd-year navigating cadets of the Maritime State University named after Admiral G.I.Nevelskoy on board. Their classes began in late January, 2003, right after the departure from Vladivostok, and went on in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic up to their arrival in St.Petersburg and also during their stay there. There were small intervals only during stays in foreign ports. The curriculum of the shipboard term is quite intensive, it will end with preliminary exams and then exams, just like on the shore. In late June the cadets and teachers were replaced, as it had been planned.

Future ship engineers and their teachers, as also some navigating cadets of the Pacific Naval Institute named after S.O.Makarov (as an experiment) arrived in St.Pete by a chartered flight. On July 1, 2003 the Nadezhda left St.Pete and on the same day classes resumed. They lasted while the Nadezhda sailed in the Baltic and North Seas, breaks being only during the stays in ports and frequent sailing drills during the races. Naturally, the cadets also studied during a one-month repair in Poland. A partial replacement of the teachers was done again in late September in Kaliningrad. Before that V.N.Popov was the chief leader of the training, Y.M.Gurov took over after Kaliningrad.

At present there are 93 3rd-year engineering cadets of the MSU and 5 PNI cadets aboard the Nadezhda. Six teachers are holding classes, there are two company commanders and one leader of training from the PNI. As a rule, the time-table is compiled for a week. There are usually 4-5 classes per day, interrrupted only by sailing drills. In all, there are eight subjects the cadets are learning at sea, like ship's auxiliaries, general arrangement of ship, details of machines and basics of design, thermodynamics and English; future officers from the PNI are being taught special subjects related to navigation. All the cadets passed a preliminary exam in shipboard training, now they are taking the other preliminary exams and annual projects. On November 1, 2003 the first exams for the 5th term will be held. After the ship calls at Rio de Janeiro, where a partial teachers' replacement is planned, the 6th term will begin.

More details about the cadets' life. The company making a round-the-world voyage aboard the Nadezhda is company #21. Here it is divided into three masts, headmen of every mast and their deputies have been appointed. Besides, like on shore, there is a headman of the company and his deputy. The cadets are accommodated in orlops, 11 boys in one room. There are shower-rooms, lavatories, a mess-room and a classroom. The cadets tidy up public areas, corridors and orlops.

During the voyage every day begins for the cadets with physical exercises and for this purpose they have to get up 10 minutes earlier than all the crew – at 6:50. The physical exercises are done on deck and are cancelled only during storms and races. At 7:30 there is breakfast, at 7:50 morning inspection and line-up for flag hoisting. Naturally, those who kept watch at night are not woken. At 8:00 there is a bell ringing according to an ancient marine tradition, then to the sounds of a trumpet the Russian flag is hoisted ob the main mast. At 8:10 the cadets get assignments to work. Afterwards, the groups allotted to two masts have classes, the third one takes over the duty to do deck work.

Every day of the voyage has an established schedule: at noon there is lunch break, at 13 line-up before going to classes and work, at 17 dinner break, then there are autonomous studies, at 19:30 tea-time, then till 22:30 personal time. At 22:30 there is a night roll-call and going to sleep. The public areas and the corridors where the cadets are accommodated are cleaned 4 times a day. But it seems that clean-up takes place continuously, there is always a cadet with a mop there.

Every day one of the headmen has a duty to look after the living accommodation. He heads all the cadets on duty for the day: in all 10 cadets. Another 6 cadets keep watch in the engine-room during 4 hours, then there is an 8-hour break Six more boys keep watch on the bridge. The headman in charge of the living accommodation is to see that they get up on time, have a meal and take over. Naturally, the company commanders see that the boys would have an equal number of watches and duties. Everyday potato peeling is also done according to the schedule.

Certainly, the boys find time to read (the ship's library is always full of the cadets), to sunbathe, to listen to music and to take part in sports. Now, in addition to preparations for their exams they are thinking of the coming Neptune' Festival with its traditional sea baptizing. The equator is to be crossed on November 2. None of the cadets has ever been to the Southern Hemisphere. So Neptune and his companions will have a lot to do.

As to the question what for a future marine engineer should handle sails, I will quote the MSU Rector V.I.Sedykh's words. In one of his interviews he answered it in such a way,“Only the people who understand, recognize and, the main thing, are not afraid of the sea should work under extreme conditions. When at the age of 16-20 one has to climb to the height of 50 m at sea, walk there, operate the sails or have courage enough to jump down from the Nadezhda into the ocean, at a first glance it looks like something secondary for training a marine specialist who studies the marine engine, design, electronic communication means etc. But the sailing ship makes it possible step by step to make a man out of a boy, a man able to work in a stormy sea without fear.” As it seems to me, no one can express it more exactly and convincingly.

Ivan Yegorchev. 29 October, 2003. The training sailcraft Nadezhda, the Atlantic Ocean.

October 23, 2003

THE NADEZHDA: FROM CANARIES TO RIO DE JANEIRO

Making her round-the-world voyage the training sailcraft “Nadezhda” called at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the Canary Islands. She stayed there from October 16-21, 2003 according to the schedule compiled in advance.

We saw the Island of Tenerife on the morning of 16 October. Unfortunately, the famous volcano Teide Kruzenshtern had admired was completely covered by heavy clouds. The northern coast of Tenerife is a conglomeration of rocky summits and cliffs where rare patches of poor verdure can be seen. One can hardly believe that banana trees and date-palms grow here. As we are approaching, we can identify green valleys, small towns, a road along an oceanic precipice, hotels and beeches, yachts and launches at the shore…

We approached the port of Santa Kruz de Tenerife after 17:00 on 16 October and took a pilot aboard. Two tugs towed the Nadezhda past the breakwater and berthed near the town centre, side by side with the sailing ship Kruzenshtern, Kaliningrad. Thus, speaking in a lofty style, the famous seafarer met his ship again 200 years later. After 19:00 of the same day part of the crew was granted a leave of absence. Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a small, very clean, verdurous town with plenty of pedestrian streets, shops, cafes, small public gardens with fountains, as a rule. The majority of people strolling there are tourists mainly from the countries of Northern Europe.

A stable climate (Average Air temperature is 25 deg. C) and warm transparent water attract many vacationers there. When we stayed at Santa Kruz de Tenerife no less than ten cruise liners and ferries arrived at and left the port. The Canaries is a Spanish territory, but no language problems arise – one can make oneself understood in English and even in Russian.

On 17 October, 2003 about 11:30 ship's time there was a video telephone conversation with Russia's Prime-Minister M.M.Kasyanov. The video camera was installed in the mess-room of the Nadezhda, where the ship's officers and MSU cadets gathered. To hold a communication session, M.M.Kasyanov arrived at the Chief Marine Coordination Centre, Moscow. He greeted all those present and at once asking to excuse his ignorance in seamanship (“I am no sailor, can make a mistake…”) wished the crew 7 feet under the keel and favorable wind. Then he said that the Government was following our voyage and asked to convey his best regards to the crew, cadets and teachers and wondered about the situation on board. Shipmaster V.N.Vasilenko reported about the voyage in general, ports of call en route, reminded of the historical background of the present round-the-world voyage and told about the cadets' training process. Then M.M.Kasyanov said good-bye and once again wished everybody good luck on his behalf and on behalf of the Russian Government. The session lasted about 8 minutes, visibility and audibility being good.

There are few sights in the Canaries, but one can bathe in abundance at the yellow and black sandy beeches or in sew water swimming pools with artificial islands and genuine palm-trees. After cold London 28-29 deg. in the daytime and 23-24 at night seemed a paradise. Many crewmembers went to Puerto de la Kruz, a small town on the other side of the Island Tenerife. There is a historic Botanical Garden there Kruzenshtern had visited during his round-the-world voyage. The Garden is small, cosy and beautiful, there are many rare plants there from all over the world. Two museums (The Museum of the Canaries and the Columbus Museum) are situated on another island – La Palma: enigmatic inscriptions inscribed on stones are located on the islands of Homer and Ierro. Another interesting place is an entertainment centre “Loro Park” in the same town Puerto de la Krus. It is a kind of a zoo where various animals are gathered: there are a Planet of Penguins” and an Island of Tigers, a Crater of Leopards and a Country of Monkeys, a Dolphinarium and an Aquarium, here one can see the world biggest collection of parrots, crocodiles and turtles, there are a movie centre and children's playground in this territory.

Some crewmembers visited the volcano Teide, the main object of note in the Canaries. Its total height is 3715 m. The volcano is active, its last eruption occurred in 1909: then the stream of lava climbing down the north-western slope was 5 km long. In 1705 lava destroyed a big part of the port city Garachiko. The peak Piko de Teide is in the centre of a more ancient crater shaped as a huge stone bowl surrounded by a toothed rocky wall 74 km long. All this territory with the total area of 13500 hectares is a National Park Las Kagnadas de Teide whose flora includes 50 endemic plants.

Excellent asphalt roads lead directly into the old crater of the volcano Teide. It takes about 2.5-3 hours to reach it from Santa Kruz de Tenerife. The rapid change of vegetation from coastal subtropical to mixed and then purely pine forests covering the lower part of the volcano slopes seemed interesting. Still higher there were rocks of fantastical outlines with small bushes and lichen on them and then the realm of total stone began: lava fields and congealed streams, rocky domes and screes, mainly of brown and black color. In the centre of this landscape there is a yellowish-grey cone of the volcano with an aerial ropeway leading from the height of 2500 m to 3550 m.

It takes 8 minutes to go up, a return ticket costs 20 euros, however, one can go down, walking along a steep stone path. One can rise without a ropeway, but it takes a trained man 2-2.5 hours and an ordinary person more than 3 hours. Acclimatization is required to climb to the height of over 3 km. Paths are laid in both directions around the crater from the upper station of the ropeway. It is not allowed to get inside the crater where there is a lava lake – one should enter one's name in advance and get a special permission. Bu the impression is very strong even without it: there is conglomeration of pumice, tuff, lava, blocks of sulphur and strong hydrogen sulphide smell. One has to breathe more frequently at this height, the air is very dry, there is a ringing on one's ears and one's legs can be barely felt. The instruction in different languages (including Russian) does not recommend one to stay near the peak for more than 1 hour. It is cold, especially if one is exposed to the wind – the temperature here is about 7-10 deg., although the sun is hotter than at the foot of the peak. From the volcano height all the old crater can be seen with its canyons, rocks and roads, the shore of the island behind it with clouds, farther the ocean and all the seven Canary Islands.

Moscow correspondent K.Samursky left the ship in Santa Krus de Tenerife. One of the cadets left the ship too due to his illness, he was sent via Madrid and Moscow to Vladivostok. Now there are 166 persons aboard, including 98 cadets, 10 teachers and 7 members of a research group. So, after a good rest in the Canaries the training sailer Nadezhda resumed her round-the-world voyage. We sailed off Santa Krus de Tenerife on 21 October at 23:00. The departure was traditional: to the sounds of “A Slav Girl's Parting”, with cadets lined up alongside the ship. On the same day the cadets resumed their classes, members of the research group resumed their watches at their instruments. Now the ship is to make one of her longest passages to Rio de Janeiro lasting about 20 days and nights, across the Atlantic Ocean. At noon on 22 October the Nadezhda covered 22900 miles, another 3380 miles are to be covered to reach Rio de Janeiro. The air and water temperatures are the same – 26 degrees Centigrade.

Ivan Yegorchev. The training sailcraft Nadezhda, the Atlantic Ocean, 22 October, 2003.

October 16, 2003

We are passing from the English Channel to the Canaries practically on the same dates as the Kruzenshtern Expedition, the only difference is that we arrive on 16 October, not on the 21st, as it was 200 years ago. On the way we are passing the M.Amper again, making acoustic measurements and studies of biooptic descriptions in the near-surface layer, the apparatus is working continuously and the watches are being kept in due course.

Fig.1 shows the results of acoustic sounding made above the M.Amper (Fig.1a is a longitudinal section and Fig. 1b is the cross-section of M.Amper). It raises like a pike from a 4-km depth, the transverse size of the Mountain is only 2.5 km at the depth of 300 m (the measurements were made by P.N.Popov and V.P.Nalivaiko). Simultaneously with the work the Nadezhda changed her sails (Photo 2, the Nadezhda flying new sails).

The statement that every ocean has its peculiar color is just to a certain extent. The color results mainly from biological activity in the upper layer of the ocean and organic matter degradation. In general, biological cycles of phytoplankton community account for the content of organic substances in the ocean. Nature works everywhere in a similar way, but plankton development rates, its degradation and processes of organic matter decay are different, depending on many factors. One of the tasks of the Expedition second stage is to reveal the factors typical for color forming in different climatic and geographical zones. Water classification we offered finds its proof. Fig.3 shows 3D spectra typical of the North Sea water (results were submitted by P.A.Salyuk).

The Atlantic Ocean thermal equator is ahead (it is 5-10 deg. North of the geographical equator, there is the warmest water here, the average temperature is about 270 deg.C), this fact was observed for the first time by the Kruzenshtern Expedition.

In addition to its great scientific importance, the Expedition gave a mighty impetus to further studies of the Atlantic Ocean and Russian oceanographic explorations. A young midshipman F.Bellinsgausen made up charts and plotted the route for Kruzenshtern and in 1820 he headed together with Lazarev the famous Antarctic Expedition.

Cadets of the Military School brothers Kotsebu took part in the Nadezhda round-the-world voyage, “they got into the Expedition thanks to their well-known father's request and thanks to His Royal Highness permission”. In 1815-1818 one of them, Otto Kotsebu headed the expeditions on board the ships Ryurik and Predpriyatiye. He also made a round-the-world voyage, where well-known scientists E.H.Lents and E.I.Parrot took part. It is considered that comprehensive hydrophysical studies – measurements of sea water transparency – were carried out during that expedition for the first time in ocean research history. Academician E.H.Lents who took part in the second expedition too offered a hypothesis about an in-depth water circulation in the Atlantic in the meridional direction. Thus, a theory was laid down, later confirmed by numerous investigations, on in-depth Atlantic water circulation between warm equatorial and cold polar areas. E.H.Lents and E.I.Parrot proved that in-depth water can be cooled up to the temperature below +4 deg.C, which was a new idea for that time.

During that expedition Lents used a hydrostatic depth gauge for the first time for measuring depths. Later the same principle was used by Thomson to measure big depths in the ocean.

The Atlantic Ocean has been studied best of all the other oceans, since there are the best developed and most scientifically advanced countries. Nevertheless, the presence of Russian science in that area has always been noticeable, e.g., in 1960 the expedition on board the Mikhail Lomonosov discovered a powerful sub-surface current named after Lomonosov.

Many interesting areas and intensive work are lying ahead.

Research leader of the round-the-world expedition, Dr. O.A.Bukin (physics and mathematics), professor.

October 10, 2003

TELECONFERENCE WITH TRANSPORT MINISTER

On October 9, 2003 the first official telecommunication sitting took place, which connected the “Nadezhda” with Moscow, to be more exact the Chief Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (CMCC), where RF Transport Minister S.O.Frank arrived. The sailing ship from Primorye was in the Channel at that time, the video camera was installed in the mess-room. The Minister's interlocutors were the “Nadezhda”s shipmaster V.N.Vasilenko, the Voyage Leader V.M.Kononov, leader of the research expedition O.A.Bukin, the mate in charge of educational work V.S.Belyayev, chief leader of shipboard training Y.M.Gurov, #21 company commander O.N.Yershov and five cadets of the same company – third-year engineering cadets of the MSU named after Admiral G.I.Nevelskoy.

The sitting began at 15:30 GMT and lested 3-4 minutes. The quality of picture and sound was not bad. S.O.Frank wondered about our stay in London and the situation on board the ship. The master reported that everything was all right, the training went on, the “Nadezhda” was sailing on her round-the-world route according to the schedule. Then the Minister said that the sailing ship was being watched closely by Moscow journalists (by the way, some of them could be seen on the background). S.O.Frank also expressed his hope that in future modern video communication would be employed in the training too. In conclusion, the Transport Minister wished the “Nadezhda” happy voyage, favorable wind and no less than 6 feet under her keel. The video channel was engaged through the INMARSAT satellite with the help of a new station FLEET-77 installed aboard the “Nadezhda” during her repairs in Gdansk, Poland. Communication was provided by radio electronics mate L.A.Matveichuk.

As to the round-the-world voyage media coverage, it can be seen that at the second stage of the voyage journalists showed much greater interest to the ship and her crew. It could be noticed, when the “Nadezhda” was seeing off in Kaliningrad, where quite a few colleagues were present. Russian Ambassador in London G.B.Karasin also confirmed it: “The fact that you covered half of the globe and that Great Britain knows about the Russian expedition stay here is a good sign”. Y.Balakirev, editor of “Finances of the East” magazine, “Izvestiya” correspondent I.Popov, “National Geographic photographer K.S.Samursky were on board the sailing ship on her way from Kaliningrad to London. The latter will leave us in the Canaries, instead, a PHOTOLOOK sit artist will arrive who is going to spend a few months on board the “Nadezhda”. An NTV group is to join us in rio de Janeiro. On the whole, according to the Transport Monostry plans, journalists will be swapped at every stage of the voyage, in all there will be about 20 people including four foreign ones. Thus, a wide coverage of the event is secured.

Ivan Yegorchev, the “Nadezhda”

October 10, 2003

“NADEZHDA” IN LONDON

New messages were received from the Leader of the “Nadezhda”s Voyage, Vice-Rector Viktor Kononov.

We would remind that on September 28 the second stage of the round-the-world voyage began: on that day the “Nadezhda” sailed off Kaliningrad after she was seen off. London became her first port of call.

Interestingly, the sloops “Nadezhda” and “Neva” which 200 years ago made the first ever in Russia round-the-world voyage under the command of I.Kruzenshtern and Y.Lisyansky had been bought in London. Our modern “Nadezhda” is making her round-the-world voyage in honor of that event.

The sailing ship arrived in London on October 3. In the morning we entered the mouth which is in fact a very wide bay. Only 5 hours later the banks and buildings on them were seen. We called at the port flying new snow-white sails which were set in Gdansk during the repairs.

During two days, October 6 and 7, the cadets and crew, watch-keepers excluding, of course, were on leave, excursions were organized for them. You can imagine what impressions our boys had! They visited the centre of London, walked in Trafalgar Square, stopped at St.Paul's Cathedral where many celebrities are buried including legendary Admiral Nelson. They crossed the Thames using one of its numerous bridges, saw the biggest European vertical roundabout which lifts tourists' cabins to the height of 100 m. They stopped on the embankment and admired the famous castle Tower from the opposite bank. They also visited Greenwich, its famous observatory and, naturally, stepped over a zero meridian.

There were quite many visitors on board the Russian sailing ship. One of them was Ambassador of Russia in London Grigory Karasin. He made an entry in the Book for the Guests of Honor which reads, “My deep gratitude for your hospitality and the good emotions the “Nadezhda” is bringing to all the Russians and the other people, despite their geographical remoteness”.

On October 8 the “Nadezhda” will leave London. The next meeting with land will be on the Canaries.

Press Service of the Maritime University

September 30, 2003

“NADEZHDA”S ROUND-THE-WORLD VOYAGE–SECOND STAGE STARTING

On September 26, 2003, as it had been planned, the training sailer “Nadezhda” sailed off Gdansk (Poland), where it had been repaired during a month. On the following morning the Far Eastern sailing ship entered the sea channel leading to the port of Kaliningrad – the westernmost one in Russia. At about noon on September 27 the “Nadezhda” moored at Berth No.3 of the Seaport Kaliningrad. On the same day an excursion around the city was organized for the cadets and crewmembers; they visited the Baltic State Fishery Academy, the famous Cathedral, Immanuil Kant's grave and other sights of Kaliningrad. Those who arrived by air from Vladivostok: V.I.Sedykh, Admiral Nevelskoy Maritime State University Rector, V.M.Kononov, Vice-Rector, Leader of the voyage, and a research group of 6 persons headed by O.A.Bukinn, professor, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics.

The festive ceremony of the “Nadezhda”s seeing off to the second stage of her round-the-world voyage began at 10:30 a.m. on September 28, 2003. To take part in it, S.O.Frank, RF Transport Minister, A.N.Chilingarov, RF State Duma Deputy Chairman and President of Polar Explorers' Association, V.I.Kuroyedov, Navy Admiral, C-in-C of Russia's Navy, heads of the Baltic State Fishery Academy and the seaport of Kaliningrad, reps of local authorities and the Baltic navy. There were a lot of Kaliningrad and Moscow journalists, a naval brass band, two ranks of cadets formed up at the pier: those seeing off from the Baltic State Fishery Academy and those leaving for the voyage from the Admiral Nevelskoy MSU.

Farewell speeches were made, Russia's Transport Minister S.O.Frank presented V.N.Vasilenko, the “Nadezhda”s shipmaster, with a globe, on which he asked to plot the route of the round-the-world voyage and a camera. There were other gifts – e.g., A.P.Pimoshenko, BSFA Rector handed the “Nadezhda”s crew an album of photos “School under the Sails” and his book. A.N.Chilingarov in his speech recollected the famous traveler Y.A.Senkevich who was going to take part in some stages of the current round-the-world voyage. But just on the eve of his departure for Kaliningrad to see off the “Nadezhda” his sudden death broke those plans…

Then to the sounds of a march performed by the brass band, the cadets of the Maritime State University boarded the ship, followed by the distinguished guests and also numerous journalists. They got acquainted with the ship, numerous exhibitions and expositions telling about the Kruzenshtern and Lisyansky round-the-world voyage, the modern “Nadezhda” and the Russian Far East. S.O.Frank and A.N.Chilingarov had lunch together with the MSU cadets in their mess-room. Then those seeing off went ashore and at 12:25 to the sounds of the traditional march “A Slav Girl's Parting”, the “Nadezhda” moved away from the berth, having raised a new sail (upper foretop) with Russia's national emblem. She was accompanied by gracious yachts whose crews wished us 6 feet under the keel. At the outlet of the sea channel, in the vicinity of the town Baltiysk files of sailors were standing on shore, waving their caps…

Now there are 168 crewmembers on board the “Nadezhda” (including 99 third-year cadets of the Admiral Nevelskoy MSU Engineering Department) and two Moscow journalists. They are planning to call at London on October 3, 2003.

Ivan Yegorchev, aboard the training sailcraft “Nadezhda”

August 20, 2003

“NADEZHDA”S LONG MILES

We would remind that at present the “Nadezhda” is taking part in the final stage of the Cutty Sark Regatta held in the Baltic. The first leg of the Race was held along the Gdynia (Poland) - Turku (Finland) route from 22 - 28 July, 2003. In all about one hundred tall ships from more than 20 countries took part in it, the first leg result for the “Nadezhda” was the fifth place in her class.

The stay in Turku lasted from July 29 to August 3, 2003. All the Regatta participants lay along the embankments of the river Aura. The weather was sunny and hot, there were very many people walking there, both townsfolk and tourists. They had to queue for a long time to board all the ships including the “Nadezhda”. There were concerts, sports events, circus artists' performances on the embankments, various attractions, stands with souvenirs, beer, foodstuffs were installed, newspapers about the Regatta were distributed. The “Nadezhda” together with the Mexican “Quatemok” was marked as a ship that made the longest passage to Finland. Ships turned into floating restaurants were lying along the embankment, a ferry was plying continuously across the river.

Bus excursions around the town wit a Russian-speaking guide and a visit to the famous “Vyartsila” Factory were organized for the crew members and cadets. One could visit all the Turku museums, swimming pool, see the town churches and a genuine medieval castle gratis, as also use municipal transport. Many of the “Nadezhda” people went to a beautiful island of Ruisalo, the favorite place of the Turku townsfolk . One could bathe and get sunburnt there, pick up blueberry and red currants in the wood, go to the Botanical Garden and simply have a walk, admiring the yacht sails in the coastal area, huge cruise liners and sights of the neighboring islands. A party was arranged for the ships' crew members. Turku made a very good, festive impression on us. A final parade of the tall ships participating in the Regatta was a grand picture, especially if one takes into account hundreds of yachts and launches seeing the guests off and also thousands of people waving their hands literally from every rocky islet of numerous famous Finnish scurries.

The Turku - Riga passage was made in a mode of a pleasure trip and bore a name which can be translated as “a voyage in a company”. The ships participating in the Regatta made a partial swap of their crews, some took tourists aboard and set out to find way between the islands and rocks. 11 cadets from the Polish sailing ship “Iskra” and three German nationals boarded the “Nadezhda”, while 9 Maritime Academy cadets, one sailor and a sea cadet from a Russian sailing ship went to the “Iskra” fro some time. We left Turku on August 3, took an alternative course, passing through scurries ( having a pilot on board, of course) and on the same day at about 22:00 berthed at the port of Marienhamn on the Alan Islands. The islands populated with approx. 26,000 are an autonomy within Finland, having their own citizenship, flag, the language (Swedish) and even issuing its postage stamps. Marienhamn with a population of 10.5 thou. Is the capital of Alandia and a sole town on the islands situated amidst the Baltic approximately at an equal distance from Sweden and Finland. By the way, annually, mainly in summer there are up to 1.5 mln tourists there.

The town Marienhamn ( Maria's Harbor) was founded in 1861, when Finland was part of Russia and was named after Alexander the Second's spouse. At the beginning of the last century the world biggest sailing fleet was based on the Alands. The small town has its sights - two museums, including the Marine one (one of the best in the world) and a 4-mast sailing ship “Pommern”, also turned into a museum. Our stay on the Alands coincided with a centenary of that cargo sailcraft which back in the 30'es of the last century made commercial round-the-world voyages. A Festival of “Sailors' Work Song” was also timed to the “Pommern” centenary. It meant the songs with which in the past centuries sailors used to draw ropes, set sails etc. The Cutty Sark participants could take part in excursions around the town by a double-decker, sports events, a contest of drawings on asphalt, they could also attend all the musical concerts gratis. To my mind, the best place of recreation is the rocky shores covered with pine trees and groves of raspberry and blueberry. But it was a bit cold to bathe - it is altitude 60 deg. North…

The “Nadezhda” left Marienhamn on August 7 and on August 8 she arrived at the port Ventspils (Latvia). The stay lasted less than one day, but the crew members and cadets had time enough to take part in the crews' parade, walk around the town and visit a “Cadets' Ball” organized in the Olympic Centre. There were so many people wishing to visit the ship that at times it was impossible to pass along the corridors owing to a crowd of guests. The “Nadezhda” left Ventspils on August 9 and called at the port of Riga, the Latvian capital one day later. All the sailing ships planning to take part in the second leg of the “Ctty Sark” Regatta got together in Riga. Our arrival was very festive - an orchestra performed the Russian Anthem, ships sounded blasts, people gave welcome cries and applauded. Anticipating the further events we will note that there were unprecedented queues to visit the ship. When the entrance was stopped, those wishing to get on board were about to cry, talking the watch officers into letting them in “just for a short time”.

The “Nadezhda” was berthed at the River Daugava embankment, only 300 meters from the Old Town, that is why all the crew members spent their leisure time there, “in the narrow small streets of Riga”. Regrettably, the organ in the famous Domsky Cathedral was restored and we had no chance to listen to it. But in its absence the city was filled with sounds of music: various groups and orchestras performed in the open stages and there were a lot of amateur artists. There was a traditional parade of the crews, sports events, excursions around the Old Town and Ethnography Centre; for all those under 25 a separate “Youth Ball” was held. During her stay in Riga the “Nadezhda” was visited by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Latvia Igor Studennikov and Alexandr Rosenbaum, the well-known author and performer who sang right on the forecastle his song about “38 knots”, having taken cadet Kirill Mitrofanov's guitar. A group of teachers and cadets of the Maritime State University visited Valentin Pikul museum-cum-library, where they were received by the writer's widow and museum director Antonina Pikul (by the way, she is a god-mother of four ships).

During our stay in the Baltic the Maritime University cadets showed good resuts in sports. One should say that in all the ports the “Nadezhda” visited during the Regatta various sports competitions were held, sometimes almost comic, sometimes quite serious. It will not make sense to enumerate all of them, as the list would take too much space. Thus, the “Nadezhda” team took the second place in Gdynia and got a prize - a cup of impressive sizes. In Turku they took the first place in rowing, though the guys used a 14-paddle boat for the first time. Also there they finished first in “street orienting” (also quite new for the cadets competition), but as a result of not quite clear to us complicated calculations they found themselves in the 5th place. In Riga there were 6 competitions and they took the first place in volleyball, the second in tug-of-war and overcoming a zone of obstacles. Cadet Ivan Samko took the second place in the personal championship in darts, he got prizes for participation in three events in different sports.

For those who are especially interested we will enumerate the teams that competed in Riga on an excellent stadium “Skonte”. Volleyball: Ivan Samko (captain), Alexandr Antanavichus, Alexey Basmanov, Ivan Vitokhin, Konstantin Kononov, Roman Krylepov, Alexey Obruch, Andrey Razmeta, Semyon Ustinov and Dmitry Shumar. Basketball: Andrey Davydenkov (captain), Grigory Boltochka, Andrey Burdelo, Valery Loveiko, Anton Murzin and Yevgeny Yurichev. Tug-of-war: Bogdan Yevenko (captain), Alexey Gulyayev, Konstantin Kononov, Nikolay Lepyokhin (Pacific Naval Institute), Ivan Samko, Andrey Filippov and Alexey Khardin.

All the ships participating in the second leg of the “Cutty Sark Regatta left Riga on the morning of August 13, 2003. A great number of people saw the “Nadezhda” off the berth, despite the working day. People were everywhere: on the Daugava banks and breakwaters and launches, yachts, planes and delta-wing planes accompanied us up to the river exit. The Regatta patroness, Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga was on board the ice-breaker “Varme”, who welcomed all the participants of the Riga Tall Ships' Parade.

The “Nadezhda”s departure from Riga made a good impression. The Evening Riga' Newspaper wrote, “The Russian “Nadezhda” was also good. The ship glided onlight river waves to the “Slavyanka” sounds. Her sailors stood on deck in parade formation. It was surprisingly depressing. But the “Mir” left the harbor in a working way, to the squeaks of ropes and tread of sailors' feet on deck”.

The second leg of the “Cutty Sark” Regatta started from Ventspils. The start was given on August 14, 2003 at 17:00. At that time a very strong wind began, which made the start quite a sight - waves, foam, sailing ships and yachts heeled. But then we could not pay attention to the beauty around: sometimes the list reached 30 deg. Plus rolling and pitching lasted for two days and nights. We took alternative courses, turning constantly. On August 16 the wind dropped and the ships neared Travemunde almost at calm. The “Nadezhda” finished the race on August 19 at about 8 a.m., having taken the sixth place in her class of ships. The “Nadezhda” called at Travemunde (Germany) on August 20 in the afternoon. During our stay in that small port various sports events are planned, a contest “Draw your Dream” and excursions to Lubek to see a collection of federal frontier police, to the “Sea Life” Centre on the Timmendorfer shore, to the Aquapark and exhibition of sand figures. We are to stay in Travemunde till August 24 and go to Gdansk again - this time for repairs during a month. Then we will sail back to Vladivostok.

Ivan Yegorchev, the training sailer “Nadezhda”, August 20, 2003.

August 14, 2003

“NADEZHDA” IN FINLAND AND LATVIA

The training sailcraft “Nadezhda” finished her stay in Finland, where the results of the first stage of the Cutty Sark-2003 Sailing Regatta were summed up. The “Nadezhda” was the third to finish the race in her class of 12 ships, taking into account the Handicap factor she was placed fifth. In Turku the crew and cadets saw the sights and came to know numerous maritime traditions maintained by the townsfolk.

The “Nadezhda” was a success in sports competitions of the tall ships' crews: her placing was third in orienteering around the town and other applied sports. The Maritime University team won the race of yawls, having shown the best result in the history of this competition. (In all, 15 teams took part).

After impressive seeing-off, the “Nadezhda” sailed from Turku to Marienham, centre of the Aland Archipelago. Its population is only 10 000, but annually it is visited by up to 1.5 mln tourists. Our 4-day stay included excursions, sports events and numerous meetings with tourists and townsfolk. Practically all have to be the guides telling about our round-the-world voyage and distant Maritime Territory.

Latvia gave the Cutty Sark-2003 Regatta participants a warm welcome. On August 8 the “Nadezhda” together with the other ships called at the port of Venspils. The cadets took part in the Regatta opening ceremony and then in the party held in the Youth Olympic Centre of the town. On the following morning the “Nadezhda” left hospitable Ventspils and on August 10 the Russia's Natioinal Anthem was performed on the occasion of her arrival in Riga. Riga people boarded the tall ships including the “Nadezhda”, wished good health, happy journey and conveyed best regards to Russia. We felt Latvian people's interest to us, participants of the round-the-world voyage.

Ambassador Extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Russia to Latvia Igor Studennikov visited the “Nadezhda” and wished us happy journey. The famous singer Alexandr Rosenbaum was our guest too. We took photos with him, had a talk and before parting he performed his favourite songs for all the seamen. Riga Legislature Deputy, retired rear-admiral Yanis Lomchelis and leader of a local cossak organization M.Ustinov also paid a visit.

The great sea-story writer V.Pikul's Widow was our guest -of-honor. Antonina Pikul is a god-mother of four battleships now ploughing the seas. She showed the “Nadezhda”s delegation the writer's memorial museum-cum-library.

There were a great many meetings where we felt the Riga people's unimitable interest to us, Far Easterners, and our expedition.

The engineering cadets took part in sports events among the Regatta participants and won the first place in volleyball, the second place in the tug-of-war and obstacle zone crossing. They got prizes from the competition organizers at the closing ceremony of the Sailing Festival in Riga.

On the morning of August 13 the tall ships left hospitable Riga. Among the crowds of those seeing us off, standing along the piers and the Daugava banks, there was a Regatta patroness, Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga who inspected the parade from the ice-breaker “Venta” anchored near the sea gate. Then the “Nadezhda” headed for Ventspils Road, where on August 14 the decisive second stage of the Cutty Srak Regatta will start up to the German port of Travemunde. The “Nadezhda” crew is determined to show better results.

Voyage Leader Y. Gurov

July 16, 2003

THE “NADEZHDA” AT THE DELFSAIL TALL SHIPS' FESTIVAL

The “Nadezhda” took part in the Tall ships' Festival Delfsail-2003 in the westernmost port of the Netherlands Delfsail, where she had arrived after a nine-day passage from St.Pete.

The crewmembers and engineer cadets were greatly impressed by great attention paid by the crews of the other training ships: “the Mir”, St.Pete, “the Kruzenshtern”, Kaliningrad, “the Khersones”, Kerch, “the Dar Mlodziezi”, Poland, “the Guatemok”, Mexico, “the Devaruchi”, Indonesia, sailing ships from Great Britain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and other countries participating in the Grand Festival.

At the entry to the Ems River mouth where the port is situated we were waited for and accompanied to the pier by numerous yachts, launches, people who came to see the grand and beautiful tall ships.

Music sounded, orchestras of those meeting us jingled and all of them were exceeded by a folk song performed by N.Kadysheva, filling us with pride for our ship and Russia. The people standing along the bank of the canal leading to the port applauded to the “Nadezhda”, some dancing to Russian music.

After we moored, thousands of people visited the “Nadezhda”, other sailing ships and met us, the ship, saw the exhibitions of children's drawings, Sakhalin artists' paintings and Primorski artist's P.Kuyantsev's works. They filled the visitors' book with a lot of good wishes, part of them was sent to the University.

On Saturday, July 12 a parade of the Festival participants was held to the sounds of drums and orchestras. Numerous spectators greeted us along our route. The Festival ended with a carnival on the stadium and splendid performance by the orchestra of the Indonesian armed forces.

Every day at their spare time all the sailing ships' crews went around the town, made interesting bus trips to the Dutch capital Amsterdam, took part in sports events and admired fireworks at night.

We enjoyed everything in the beautiful country, including well-groomed drained fields, numerous rivers and canals, literally crowded with ships, launches and yachts. Scores of big and small sailing ships hoisting the Dutch flag took part in the colorful Festival. We have not seen so many sailing ships owned by one country in any other part of the world.

On the night of July 14 the “Nadezhda” unberthed and headed for the Baltic, where she is to take part in an intense and prestigious tall ships' race “Cutty Sark” we continue to prepare for.

July 2, 2003

MSU PRESS CENTRE INFORMS:

CADETS' SWAP ABOARD THE “NADEZHDA”

The cadets' swap took place on board the sailing ship “Nadezhda” during her round-the-world voyage. The second-year engineer cadets went by air to St.Petersburg where the “Nadezhda” is lying. Vladivostok met 90 third-year navigating cadets who took part in the first stage of the voyage (Vladivostok - St.Pete). They were away from home during five months. They covered 15190 miles, three oceans and called at 6 foreign ports.

The University looked forward to meeting them. “The plane arrived on time. The buses are on the way”, the MSU Rector was reported. “Everything is OK, the will be here soon”, their parents were calmed. The weather was nasty and windy. But when the buses appeared, bad weather was forgotten.

The boys were hugged by their parents, girls and friends. There were smiles, handshakes and joyful tears. But service is service. Company 10 lined up on the drill ground. The voyage instructor V.M.Kononov reported to the Rector about their safe arrival and successful completion of the first stage of the voyage. Vyacheslav I.Sedykh addressed the cadets. The company marched past the MSU leadership to the brass band accompaniment. Then the boys and those who met them gave vent to their emotions.

The boys will have a few days of rest, then they will have exams they had no time to take during their sailing term.

The sailing ship will resume her voyage with the engineer cadets on board. According to the preliminary plan, in summer the “Nadezhda” is taking part in the DelfSail Festival, Holland and the “Cutty Sark” Baltic Regatta along the Gdynia-TurkuiRigaiTravemunde route, her masts and spars will be repaired and sails sewn in Gdansk. In late September the second stage of the round-the-world voyage will begin. It will last 5.5 months. The supposed route is: London - Canaries - Rio de Janeiro - Cape Horn - Tahiti - Hong Kong - Vladivostok. The “Nadezhda” is to return to her home port in March 2004 - then the first Russian round-the-world voyage in the third millennium will be completed.

June 23, 2003

IVAN YEGORCHEV informs:

THE “NADEZHDA”: LINKING CENTURIES AND OCEANS…

During St.Pete's tercentenary celebrations numerous inhabitants and guests of the city drew their attention to the 3-mast sailing ship lying at the Lt. Shmidt Embankment opposite the Marine Cadets' Corps next to the monument to I.F.Kruzenshtern. She was the “Nadezhda”, a training ship owned by the Maritime State University named after G.I.Nevelskoy. The sailing ship arrived in the city on the Neva directly from the Japan Sea having left the Golden Horn Bay on a frosty day of January 25, 2003. It is far from the first voyage, but it can by no means be called an ordinary one, at least because the Vladivostok-St.Pete passage is less than half of the route planned. The “Nadezhda” is yet to cross 2 oceans, call at ports of different countries and to return to Vladivostok in March 2004, this time from the east, thus closing the round-the-world voyage.

Then it will be possible that the expedition of the Russian sailing ship devoted to the bicentenary of the first round-the-world voyage in the Russia's Navy history. As is known, it was made in 1803-1806by the crews of the ships “Nadezhda” and “Neva” under the leadership of I.F.Kruzenshtern and Y.F.Lisyansky.

SAILS OF THE 21st CENTURY

Now about the round-the-world voyage of the present-day “Nadezhda”, or rather on its first stage, the Vladivostok-St.Pete passage. In January-February 2003 the training sailcraft called at the ports of Pusan (the Republic of Korea) and Singapore. The crew and cadets, most of whom are making such a long voyage for the first time, got acquainted with the sights of those cities, local people visited the ship. On February 17 the “Nadezhda” crossed the equator in the South China Sea, a traditional lunch was held, where “charters of immunity” were handed on behalf of Neptune. Then the sailer passed through the Malacca Strait into the Indian Ocean and headed for Colombo (Sri Lanka). At that time the “Nadezhda” sailed in the tropics with all their typical features: calm and heat, little flying fish in the daytime and the Southern Cross Constellation at night. But you are right if you think the voyage is kind of a pleasure trip. Definitely, warm winter is a good thing, but only during the first 2 weeks. And then… Certainly, the “Nadezhda” living accommodation is air-conditioned. But imagine that you have to climb up the masts at 30 deg.C in the broiling sun. At times the temperature in the engine-room reached as much as 50 deg. What is it like to work in the galley next to the burning hot stove? Or in the laundry? Sea-water shower was our only salvation plus, of course, the cool of the night (relative, however - some 25 deg.).

The ship was crossing the Arabian and Red Seas, when the US started hostile operations in Iraq and all the region of the “Nadezhda” sailing was declared the scene of operations. Due to this reason visits ashore in the ports of Aden (Yemen) and Suez (Egypt) were limited. But in spite of reports by some Russian media, there was not any particularly dangerous situation, to say nothing of any real danger to the ship. When she was entering the Red Sea, a patrol plane without wing markings flew by her, in the Suez Canal huge transport ships and warships of the coalition were sailing in the opposite direction. Of course, military reports of various radio stations made a special background of that part of the voyage and also our relatives were worried…In the Mediterranean, where the “Nadezhda” entered on March 31, tropical calms and heat were quite suddenly replaced by stormy and comparatively cold weather in early April off the Italian coast the temperature was only +6-8 deg. At the scientists' request the ship passed through the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Italy proper, in the Tyrrhenian Sea we watched volcano eruption on the Island of Stromboli.

When we were approaching Gibraltar, the sun emerged from the clouds, at last making it possible to admire the blue color of the Mediterranean Sea, the temperature rose to 16-18 deg. The first and only emergency occurred there too. On the morning of April 12, one day before calling at Gibraltar, one of the cadets complained of a pang in his right side. The ship's doctor T.A.Ryzheva made a preliminary diagnosis of appendicitis and started treatment. However, towards the night the cadet's state of health became worse and the ship was to sail about 16 hours more to reach Gibraltar. Therefore, the shipmaster decided to call urgently at the nearest Spanish port which turned out to be Almeria. At 00.15 a message was received: the patient was delivered to hospital, his diagnosis was confirmed and he is to be operated on. At 2 a.m. on April 13 the “Nadezhda” made good the previous course. After a successful operation Mikhail was delivered aboard the “Nadezhda” in Gibraltar and he joined us in our voyage. The crew had a good rest in Gibraltar, as we stayed there from April 13 to 17. Our stay there was very interesting and learning, especially for the cadets. All those who wished took part in bus excursions, just wandered around an unusual city and those who felt particularly hardened even bathed in the Mediterranean.

We passed through the Straits of Gibraltar on the night of April 18. After we sailed unto the Atlantic - which was the third ocean in our voyage - the “Nadezhda” worked for science on the Mountain Amper. Then the sailcraft rounded the British Isles from the west and north - it was the route by which I.F.Kruzenshtern returned to St.Pete in !*)^. The present-day “Nadezhda” reached latitude 60 deg. North, which gave an opportunity to test the cadets' endurance in the stormy conditions, when the ship was pitching and rolling heavily at low temperatures. At last the ship entered the Baltic waters, where she visited the Polish port of Gdansk, the “Nadezhda”s birthplace. There she stayed from May 5 to 14, 2003. Excursions were arranged for the crewmembers and cadets. On May 9 there was a ceremonial line-up in honor of Victory Day; a group of Vladivostok sailors visited the cemetery where Soviet soldiers who perished in the spring of 1945 were buried and paid homage to their memory. But there came the end of the first stage of the round-the-world voyage - we are in holiday St.Pete. The tercentenary of the city on the Neva was celebrated by Vladivostok people together with people of St.Pete. The city on the Neva impressed us greatly - the museums, parks, palaces, theatres, concerts and, of course, “white nights”…

FIGURES AND FACTS

The first stage of the “Nadezhda” round-the-world voyage lasted from January 25 till May 21, 2003. She passed 3 oceans and 12 seas, called at 6 foreign ports, covered 15190 miles, most of them under sail, there were 298 times of sail work involving all hands.

FLOATING UNIVERSITY UNDER SAILS

This is the way the “Nadezhda” is sometimes called and there is no exaggeration in it. During her 10 training voyages thousands of cadets from Vladivostok, Nakhodka, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Nevelsk were accommodated on board the sailcraft. A lot of sailors of the Russian Far East had their shipboard training on board the “Nadezhda”. The training voyages were both short and long (in 1997 the “Nadezhda” reached Australia), but the round-the-world voyage is of course something special both for the crew and the cadets… The future navigators have known the sailing ship and her sails since they had a 3-week practical training on board the “Nadezhda” when they were freshmen. By the way, not all the 3rd-year cadets (in all they are 106) were selected for such an important voyage. Part of them were refused owing to their low academic results or disciplinary punishments, some had individual training aboard other ships. Alexadr P.Dombinsky, Deputy Dean of the MSU Correspondence Department, lecturer of the Navigation Department, Candidate of Technical Sciences, is a senior instructor of the “Nadezhda” shipboard training. During the voyage he is teaching nautical astronomy and mathematical basics of navigation. There are 7 more teachers and 2 companuy commanders. The curriculum of the shipboard term is quite intensive - every day including stormy ones there are 3 - 4 classes. Almost all the special subjects are being studied during the voyage - they are 9 including navigation, pilot, hydrometeorological support, naval training and English. The teachers are very experienced, e.g., Alexandr P. Dombinsky has been heading practical training since 1978.

On shore the cadets were divided into 2 companies. But aboard the ship they are divided into 3 groups of 30 people each according to the number of the “Nadezhda”s masts. When work involving all hands is announced they set and remove sails of their respective mast. The daily routine is as follows: while the staff of one mast is on duty, that of the other two is in class. Those who are on duty keep watch on the bridge, tidy up, work in the galley and in the mess-room. There are also 3 orderlies who are relieved every 4 hours and on man on duty during one day and night in the orlops. Every day including stays in port begins with physical exercises, then there is line-up at the stern, flag hoisting, work for some cadets and classes for the others. All this lasts till the evening roll-call and bedtime. Shipboard life style resembles that on shore a lot including the cadets' council sittings and the teachers' meetings. The cadets' and teachers' swap is to take place in late June. The term will be completed on shore - 6 more weeks after the return are allotted for classes, then there will be exams and, finally, vacation. The future ship engineers will board the“Nadezhda” and will stay there till the end of the round-the-world voyage.

During the voyage the cadets should, if I can apply a lofty style here, be imbued with a concept of sailors' fraternity, to learn by experience what a long-term voyage and shipboard everyday life is like. According to the “Nadezhda” shipmaster V.N.Vasilenko, one of the main tasks of the training voyage is to give future navigators the notion of ocean hugeness. Practical skills also mean a lot, since they differ principally from what can be learnt and understood in class. Plus to see foreign ports with your own eyes is not a weak argument. I'd rather say, these outwardly different aims were more or less achieved. It is unrealistic that all the cadets made bosom friends. Some became closer, the others were disappointed in their friends and had a quarrel. Life's like that and human relations become aggravated during a long-term voyage. But no doubt they learnt each other better, went through a course of real men. Although the results of practical training include not only preliminary exams and exams successfully passed, but also numerous punishments. How can we make do without them, frankly? They are also meant to bring up the cadets… But after the voyage all the bad things will be forgotten and the main thing - understanding that a young man was able to overcome difficulties, everyday life complicacies and even himself - will remain. “We did it”, every cadet out of those 90 can say with pride.

LASER UNDER SAIL

As I said earlier, one of the tasks of the round-the-world voyage is to implement a vast research program. A research group of 13 persons was assembled to take part in the voyage. They are scientists of the Maritime University and two FEB RAS Institutes - the Pacific Oceanologic Institute (POI) and the Institute of Problems of Marine Technologies (IPMI). The expedition supervisor of studies is Professor Oleg A.Bukin, Dr. of Physics and Maths, head of FEB RAS POI Laboratory of Laser Optics. By the Way, the “Nadezhda” can deservedly be called a research ship: it is her 5th research expedition and three of them were headed by O.A.Bukin. At the first stage of the current voyage 2 doctors of sciences (besides O.A.Bukin it is V.A.Bulanov from IPMT), 4 candidates and 5 post-graduates worked aboard the sailing ship. Three labs are equipped aboard: of laser fluorometry, lidar atmosphere sounding and acoustic ocean monitoring. Distanced laser and acoustic sounding of the sea depths was performed from the Japan to Baltic Seas. Fifty hydrological stations were carried out during the Vladivostok-Gibraltar passage, which was necessary to substantiate the data obtained. In addition, at the stations the acousticians studies the ocean depth by the instruments submerged in water, obtaining more specific information on its fine structure. Sea water samples were taken from different levels and their biotic features were found.

The most interesting thing (perhaps, from an amateur point of view) was that laser sounding of atmosphere was done continuously. For this purpose there is a lidar unit aboard, a hi-tech product. I should say that it was an impressive picture: a green ray of the laser stretching away into the black, starred sky on the background of the “Nadezhda” white sails, although its essence is not of a lyrical, but physical nature. According to O.A.Bukin, the work done at the first stage of the round-the-world voyage was an investigation of processes in the atmosphere and upper layer of the ocean, which influence weather and climate formation, as also bioproductivity. In particular, aerosol dynamics in the atmosphere is studied with the help of the lidar. The results of work in the tropical zone are especially interesting, as such studies were not done by anybody. Quite valuable data were obtained in this voyage, since measurements at the altitude of 20-30 km and more were taken for the first time. One of the significant results is that steady stratospheric aerosol layers were found at the altitudes of approx. 40 km. Naturally, all the data collected during the voyage need processing and analyzing. Only the data in the sphere of biooptics are scores of thousands of spectra. Therefore, a lot of mental work is ahead.Besides, later the data obtained will be compared with satellite observations of the same areas (there is an agreement about it with Kamchatka and Tomsk scientists).

WHAT IS AHEAD? SEAS AND OCEANS…

In summer months, according to a preliminary plan, the “Nadezhda” will take part in a DelfSail Festival, Holland and the Baltic “Cutty Sark” Regatta along the Gdynia-Turku-Riga-Travemunde route, her masts and spars will be repaired and sails sewn in Gdansk. From late September 2003 the second stage of the round-the-world voyage of the sailcraft registered at Vladivostok will begin. It will last 5.5 months. A supposed route is London-Canaries-Rio de Janeiro-Cape Horn-Tahiti-Hong Kong-Vladivostok. The “Nadezhda” is to return to her home port 14 months after leaving Vladivostok, in March 2004 the firdt Russian round-the-world voyage in the 3rd millennium will be completed. According to preliminary calculations, the sailing ship will cover 37590 nautical miles, or 69620 km.

IVAN YEGORCHEV

Trainning Sailer “Nadezhda”, Vladivostok - St.Petersburg

May 31, 2003

From: Anton Skikevich

Forwarded: May 39, 2003

To whom: Vladimir Gamanov

Subject: News from the “Nadezhda”

On may 31 approx. at 10 a.m. RF Transport Minister Sergei Frank visited the training sailcraft “Nadezhda”. The crew members arranged a ceremonial meeting, the cadets were lined up on deck in their full uniform. The Minister delivered a congratulatory speech to the crew and cadets on the occasion of their arrival in St. Petersburg. He mainly emphasized the necessity of training well-qualified and competent seafarers for Russia and the world. The Minister also said that the training sailcraft “Nadezhda” is just the place where such marine specialists are trained.

Then gifts were presented to the shipmaster on the occasion of completing the first major part of the round-the-word expedition. Mr. S. Frank expressed his desire to see the sailcraft closer, he visited the ship's spaces including cadets' orlops and estimated shipboard living conditions. The Minister's visit lasted about an hour. When parting the Minister wished the training sailcraft “Nadezhda” administration all the best in the forthcoming regattas and long passages.

May 29, 2003

From: Anton Skikevich

Forwarded: May 39, 2003

To whom: Vladimir Gamanov

Subject: News from the “Nadezhda”

Our deep gratitude to you for your congratulations and wishes and also for the information you provided us with. We will inform all the cadets of your reply during the evening roll-call. Thank you.

As to our stay in St.Petersberg, the excursions which had been planned previously were postponed till early June because of 300-th anniversary celebrations. The “Nadezhda” was berthed at Lieutenant Shmidt Embankment, a day later her sistership “Mir” was also berthed there. Many people visited us to see how cadets are living and in what condition the ship is. Virtually every day the “Nadezhda” is open for our visitors. On our arrival all were invited to the Academy named after S.O. Makarov. We were shown their Museum, an exhibition of paintings, we were told about the structure of the Academy and its plans for the future. There were many questions about prospects for the graduates, as also about organization and program of cadets' shipboard training.

Shipboard work is being done, the sails are being replaced by the whiter ones (the second set). From May 26 classes were resumed. The cadets are taking preliminary examinations in practical training and the subjects. The cadets go on leave in the afternoon.

Everyone is looking forward to our return to Vladivostok.

28.05.2003.

Your cadets of companies 10 and 10a.

May 12, 2003-05-19

Report of Head, Group of Acoustic Monitoring Dated May 12, 2003-05-19

Results of Acoustic Sounding Received in the Atlantic Ocean after Sailing Off the Strait of Gibraltar.

We were interested in some areas which are very attractive for studying with acoustic methods and finishing those methods. It is, first of all, the Strait of Gibraltar where strong oppositely directed currents of the Atlantic and Mediterranean water make it possible to develop vigorous turbulence.

Fig. 1 represents an acoustic section across the Strait of Gibraltar, which visualizes the structure of sea water width. A dark horizontal stripe marks 50 m. A dark red line shows the sea bottom (this line is repeated many times below due to divisible reflections of sound between the surface and bottom). One can see strong inner waves generating. Here the wave range is up to 150 m, when the wave length is about 1.5 km. A frontal zone of shifting the Mediterranean and Atlantic water body is also clearly seen, the zone is marked with an arrow. It follows from the sound scattering data that the Atlantic water penetrates easily into a great depth - up to 350-400 m.

Fig. 2 represents an acoustic section off the Strait of Gibraltar and shows oceanic structure formation. An undercurrent can be clearly seen near the bottom from the Mediterranean side. The undercurrent can be visualized owing to sound scattering of a turbulent nature. But a thick layer near the surface, which scatters sound intensively and is caused by a great amount of plankton, stands out particularly. This layer varies greatly in thickness in passing through the Strait. It can be seen that from the Mediterranean practically all the water layer from the surface to the bottom is filled with plankton. But the shallowest place, where the Mediterranean and Atlantic water are mixing intensively, provides especially favorable conditions for the plankton community to prosper. Both fig. 1 and fig. 2 show it distinctly.

Proceeding further into the Atlantic, one can watch a typical oceanic sound scattering layer forming. Its main features are 1) a distinct near-surface layer up to 100 m thick (in the daytime) and 2) a deep-water layer in the depth of about 400 m. These layers are of biological origin, therefore further we will try to evaluate biomass distribution in the ocean upper active layer along all the expedition route.

In analyzing the acoustic sounding data presented in fig.1 and 2 and others taken from the expedition archives, one cannot but note a peculiar spotty distribution of plankton. Thus, fig.2 for a scattering coefficient and fig. 3 for a 250 m thick layer force (integral of a scattering coefficient over depth) show initial formation of a three-D horizontal structure about 10-20 km long, as also about 50-70 km long. The same pattern can be noted in a spectrogram. It should be noticed that a typical scale L of 70 km is close to the scale of synoptic eddies in the ocean.

The picture presented above differs from a peculiar picture of distribution of sound scattering layers caused by modulation of their inner waves which play the leading role on smaller 3-D scales - from hundreds of meters to 1.5 - 2 km.

At present the reason why an intermediate scale of about 10-2- km arises is unclear. It can be caused by an unknown to us range of dynamic processes occurring in the ocean upper layer. There are also stochastic nonlinear models of interaction between phyto- and zooplankton communities of a 'predator-victim' type published, among others, in reputable physical journals, e.g., 'Advance in Physical Sciences', where on the basis of new mathematical methods universal self-similar laws of distributing interacting structures are formulated. Such self-similar distributions are caused by a new mathematical object called a fractal. It is found that this object describes conveniently natural multiformity that by no means comes to a banal set of simple geometrical figures like a sphere, cube and so on. All naturally occurring forms are more complex, and a fractal enables to put in order description of multiformity. At a face value, plankton 3-D distribution is chaotic, but even a primitive spectral analysis shows that there are typical spatial scales. We cannot yet say how they are evolving and interacting.

Then we drew our attention to specific features of water body near the sunken Mt. Amper Oleg Bukin had informed of. The general structure based on hydrological and hydrooptical survey could be supplemented by the data obtained with the help of a reverse sound scattering method.

Fig.9 in O.Bukin's report represents a pattern of a 3-D distribution on the second tack HO3 near Mt. Amper from 1700 to 2200 hours, when we were measuring various hydrophysical parameters. In addition, fig.4 shows a pattern of sound scattering layers on the first section HO3 through the sunken Mt. Amper obtained previously from 12.30 to 1700 hours. Strong and localized in certain spots sound scattering can be seen on plankton communities and fish.

It should be noted that total sound scattering in a layer or so called layer force as any integral characteristic has somewhat different 3-D distribution than sound scattering coefficient.

It would also be emphasized that the above characteristics - layer force and scattering coefficient on the shelf near Mt. Amper - are at least ten times more than the corresponding values for the open ocean far from the Mountain.

Besides acoustic monitoring of the ocean upper layer, we allotted ample time to acoustic sounding of near-bottom layers to find places of gas outflow from the sea bottom starting from efflux of volcanic gases and finishing with methane release from gas hydrate fields. Fig.8 shows the pattern of a typical underwater smoke jet discovered at the entrance of the Suez Bay in the vicinity of oil production off-shore platforms.

The program of research went on in the North Sea, the results are being processed. The pattern of near-bottom layers related to slow gas leakage is peculiar enough and differs greatly in its structure from atypical smoke jet presented above in fig.8 (vertical axis of depths should be multiplied by 5). We hope to evaluate total gas volume flowing out of the said areas.

Dr.V.A. Bulanov (Physics and Mathematics),
Head, Group of Acoustic Monitoring

May 05, 2003. From Gdansk

After an almost 1.5-month passage we called at Gibraltar, a bit of the U.K., its area is just 6 sq. km, it is a town on the rock (photo 1). But despite such a small size, four days of our stay there flew past, as there are a lot of interesting things to see (photos 2, 3 and 4).

We are heading through the Strait of Gibraltar for the Atlantic Ocean. First we are proceeding west. Our aim is Mt. Amper which rises in the ocean, its maximum height above the bottom is over 4 km. This part of the Atlantic is interesting just because there stretch a few mountains like that (fig.5). The bottom relief creates rare and interesting hydrophysical situations which favor the development of specific biosystems in this vicinity. This area is associated with myths: it is considered (not without reason) that if ancient Atlantis did exist it submerged exactly in this place. But we do not possess appropriate equipment to check such hypotheses, our aim is different: to take hydrological and hydrophysical measurements, to try and study characteristic properties of plankton community functioning in such specific conditions. We were in luck: the weather was fine the whole day we were passing to and fro above the Mt. Amper top, doing studies and taking measurements. We saw a lot of really interesting things, it is a kind of an oasis in the ocean. Despite a strong surface current and tidal currents above the mountain top, a very high chlorophyll A and dissolved organic matter concentration was registered above the mountain. It looked as if plankton clouds clutched at the mountain top, constantly hovering over it. The distribution of chlorophyll A and dissolved organic matter concentration, restored according to laser induced fluorescence spectrums, can be seen in fig.6.

It took us a few hours to carry out the hydrological studies of the sunken mountain (fig.7) in 5 stations. Stations 52 and 56 were particularly successful, they coincided with different phases of a high tide (fig.8), where we registered large-scale inner waves of a semidiurnal period.

A strange incident occurred here, which proves that unexplainable things can happen on the Mt. Amper. At one of the last hydrological stations a sound probe hung up at a depth of 40 m. Alexandr Karnaukhov gave a command to lift the probe, as the ship was drifting and we could lose the probe if it sank to the bottom. We lifted the probe quickly, inspected it carefully and ascertained that everything was all right. We checked the echo sounder reading, it showed the depth of about 120 m, as before the submergence. We did not venture to do a hydrological study in that place once more. Then we had no luck again. We planned to stay on at night and do a laser probing of the ocean upper layer and laser bathymetry of the mountain top. We assembled the system to do the work on board the 'Nadezhda', but in the evening when the system was lowered, all of a sudden the sea became very rough. The ship had to weigh anchor and get away from a cyclone, thus we abandoned our plans for laser sounding till more opportune time. But the cyclone did catch up with us and it was not alone, they were three at a time. By the night we got into the centre of a storm of up to Beaufort number 7.The 'Nadezhda' picked up the speed of over 16 knots, the list reached 30 degrees 9 (photos 10,11 and 12). We were storm-tossed during four days and nights.

But every cloud has a silver lining: we are not heading for the English Channel, but rounding the islands of Ireland and Great Britain (photo 13). We got a rare opportunity to take measurements in one of the most bioproductive areas of the world. Our hopes came true, we made a very interesting section, including the North Sea. A chlorophyll A concentration exceeded 10 mcg/L, we had registered such a situation with the chlorophyll A and dissolved organic matter concentration proportion only once before, in the Kuril Straits during the 'Nadezhda' expedition last year. The North Sea is known for its rich oil and gas fields, here a fragile equilibrium is being kept between the biggest oil production and ecologically clean richest bioresources and water areas. The oil rigs like in photo 14 can be seen everywhere in the North Sea.

At last the storm blew itself out and we have an opportunity to do planned laser sounding of the ocean upper layer (photo 15). The work is of a methodical nature, it is very important for us to perfect all the details of installing a hydrolydar on board the 'Nadezhda'. In the near future we are planning to install the system of continuous laser sounding when the ship is under way simultaneously with acoustic sounding. Having passed three oceans and eight seas, Skagerrak and Kattegat Straits, the Castle of Prince of Denmark Kronburg (photo 16), we find ourselves in the Baltic Sea, the last sea in the first stage of our round-the world voyage. Gdansk is ahead, the harbor where our 'Nadezhda' was launched.

April 16, 2003

Press service of the Maritime State University named after G.I.Nevelskoy received the following message from the sailing ship “Nadezhda” making her round-the-world voyage. Journalist I.Yegorchev informs,

“On April 13 at about 16 hours local time the sailing ship “Nadezhda” arrived in the port of Gibraltar. From 20.00 those not involved in watch keeping and work were given leave to go ashore. Buses were hired for sightseeing on April 14 and 15.

One day before we called at Gibraltar cadet Mikhail Chizh complained of a pang in his right side. Tie ship's doctor Tatyana Ryzheva diagnosed appendicitis. The “Nadezhda” shipmaster took a decision to call at the nearest Spanish port Almeria. On April 13 at 00.15 we arrived at the roadstead of the port of Almeria and cadet Chizh was taken on board the launch. On the same day we were informed that he had been operated on and his state of health was satisfactory.

On the whole the “Nadezhda” is living a steady and calm life. The cadets have been assigned to their watches and masts, the ship is being painted. But every day and night all hands are called for sail work. We had it announced over 200 times within 2.5 months. The cadets are having daily theoretical and practical training. The timetable of their 6th seamanship term includes 9 subjects. The would-be navigators are writing annual papers, started taking preliminary exams. Some are still liquidating their “debts” for the 5th term. Naturally, they are taking part in all the shipboard work and keeping watches. In the evening they are developing their muscles at the stern, where an improvised sports ground is located.

I'd like to dwell upon a research program of the “Nadezhda” round-the-world voyage. I will remind that there are 13 research workers on board who represent the MSU and 2 FEB RAS Institutes: the Pacific Oceanological Institute and the Institute of Problems of Marine Technologies.

According to the expedition scientific supervisor Professor O.A.Bukin, they are studying atmospheric processes which influence bioproductivity of the ocean upper layer and the weather and climate formation. In particular, with the help of a lidar (installation of a joint Russian and French design) aerosol dynamics in the atmosphere is being investigated. The data obtained in the tropical zone is of special interest, as similar work has not been done before, judging by scientific literature. Most valuable data have been obtained during this voyage of the “Nadezhda”, as measurements at the height of 20-30 km and more have been taken for the first time. Thus, stable atmospheric aerosol layers have been found in the Indian Ocean at the height of about 40 km. Naturally, all the information collected during the voyage needs processing and analyzing. But actually research workers are trying to comprehend the results right now, on board the “Nadezhda”. According to O.A.Bukin, even before completing the first stage of the voyage, i.e. by the time the ship arrives in St.Pete, a few papers will have been prepared for publishing. These are also the results of the round-the-world voyage, far from the final ones at that”.

We will add that the sailcraft “Nadezhda” has been making her round-the-world voyage for nearly 3 months (she left Vladivostok on January 25). For the past period we have passed 10 seas, the Pacific and Indian Oceans, 7 foreign ports. St.Pete is the next port of call. There the “Nadezhda” will take part in celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the northern capital and in a major international regatta. There will be cadets' swap: the third-year engineer cadets will arrive in place of the future navigators. Routine repairs of the sailing ship will be done. In July, after a break, the “Nadezhda” will resume her round-the-world voyage. London will be her next port of call.

April 15, 2003

The passage turned out to be very long. We did not call at any ports during 45 days, it is hard for all of us, but specially for the young. Therefore, we had to reduce the volume of work in the Mediterranean, we are sailing according to the abridged program. The fluorometer is operating only during a day watch, we are observing fewer points, we are sailing in the Mediterranean in full sail.

Lidar sounding was carried out right after we left the Suez Canal and passed Sicily. In the Mediterranean the temperature suddenly dropped to 8-10 deg. with strong wind. There were frequent gales. After we passed the Island Sardinia there were very dense and low clouds, then they dissipated. We watched lava flowing out of Volcano Stromboli (see Lipari Islands north of Sicily). Unfortunately, we were late to see ashes throwing out, though it was one of the reasons to pass through the Messina Strait into the Tyrrhenian Sea, another one was to work out at the ground. When passing through the Suez Canal we met a US division heading for Iraq from Turkey (they were not allowed to pass via Turkey), there are photos of some warships taken in the Suez Canal. In this connection, lidar operation was restricted significantly in the Mediterranean.

On the whole, the program has been completed, only the Atlantic is left, where we want to near the Mountain Amper, some 200 miles from Gibraltar, and to carry out observations there. It is considered that Atlantis submerged right in that place (if it did exist), and 3 mountains standing out at the depth of 5 km are its remains. It is a very good place for hydrolidar sounding of the ocean (we will turn lidar to the water and work simultaneously with soundmen). There is high transparency in that area and we hope to identify the mountain relief in more detail than with an echo sounder. Hydrolidar operations were planned in the North Sea, but the weather is likely to be nasty there, we hope to be lucky with the weather in the Atlantic.

Today a big part of the program has been carried out, 50 hydrological points were observed, where water samples were taken simultaneously from various levels, upper layer hydrology measurements and acoustic sounding from submerged devices were fulfilled. Fig.1 shows the ship's general route till April 12. Laser fluorometry of the ocean upper layer, acoustic sounding, meteomeasurements were done continuously along all the route.

Despite the fact that the Red Sea is declared a scene of operations, a vast research program was carried out there. This sea is actually enclosed, as water exchange with the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean is greatly limited and it is located mainly in the tropics and surrounded on all sides by the deserts. It results in very high water salinity, up to 41 per mil in some places, and springs of excessively salt and hot water were discovered quite recently in the deep-water cavities of the Red Sea. At the water temperature of up to 70 deg.C salinity reaches 400 per mil (if 1 l of such water is evaporated, nearly 400 g of salt can be obtained). In addition, it is an area of high bioproductivity. Even at this, so to say, “winter” season for plankton community we observed high values of phytoplankton concentration. Strange as it may seem, the proximity of the deserts helps it. Frequent sans storms mainly from the Arabian Peninsula bring a lot of mineral substances to the Red Sea water area.

There is a similar situation in the Atlantic, after Sahara sand storms carry out huge quantities of aerosol deep into the Atlantic, chlorophyll A concentration shoots up. Similarly, after Gobi sand storms phytoplankton concentration increases in the Japan and Okhotsk Seas. This phenomenon occurs far more frequently in the Red Sea, though they have no global scale. We were able to watch the aftermath of a sand storm raging above Iraq, when we were passing through the Red Sea. We were quite far from the storm epicenter, but we started registering a high content of aerosol in the atmosphere in the southern part of the Red Sea in the Bab el Mandeb.That aerosol was transferred from Arabia to Africa. Interestingly, fine aerosol fraction was transferred in a very thin and elevated layer, where it was registered during lidar sounding that we carried out in that spot. Fig.2 shows one of the results of lidar measurements. The scale of height in kilometers is given to the left, a thin layer is distinctly visible at the height of 2.5 km, where fine aerosol fraction is concentrated. We were in luck there, it is a rare chance to witness such a situation and be able to carry out atmosphere laser sounding. In the morning the ship's deck was covered with a very thin layer of sand powder. The all-round measurements carried out on board will make it possible to analyze in detail both atmospheric aerosol dynamics and its influence on biooptic parameters of the areas of the Red Sea where the sand storm occurred.

When passing through the Suez Canal we got a short break. All day long we stayed on deck and from the town Suez to the final point of the Canal - the town Port Said watched beautiful Egyptian landscapes on the left bank (photo 1), the desert, block stations and monuments on the right bank (photos 2 and 3). Behind the block stations there is Sinai and scenes of the recent hostile operations.

The war in Iraq reminded about itself when we met a convoy of US warships carrying marines that were not let in Iraq via Turkey (one of the ships can be seen in photos 4 and 5).

One day the weather was fine, in addition, a team of Arabic electricians who had boarded the ship in Suez arranged a sale of souvenirs on deck and clean forgot about the only searchlight they had brought (photos 6 and 7).

The work was resumed in the Mediterranean, the program of work was corrected a little taking into account the fact that we entered the subtropics. The corrections concerned meteomeasurements. Having altered the route we passed through the Strait of Messina into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Volcano Stromboli of the group of volcanoes on the Lipari Islands became active (see photo 8). Two days before our visit it burst out a 500-metre column of ashes. When we arrived its activity lessened, but at night flows of burning hot lava could be seen descending from its crater. The atmosphere over the Mediterranean is frequently attacked both by active volcanoes and Sahara. Lidar studies of aerosol are of special interest here.

In general, we should point out new and unique results obtained during the past period of the round-the-world expedition. The results are very interesting and numerous. The results of Laser lidar studies are the most important ones, among them the following should be pointed out:

-for the first time with the help of a lidar, high-altitude aerosol layers have been registered in the tropics at the height of 40 and 90 km and their dynamics was monitored; a sand storm was registered in the Red Sea, channels of aerosol transfer in the atmosphere during the storm were watched, atmosphere “relaxation” dynamics after the sand storm was studied;

-parameters of convection processes were measured in the tropical and subtropical zone.

All those lidar measurements were taken together with meteorological, laser, fluorometric and hydrological measurements, therefore, in addition to purely lidar tasks it is the basis of resolving complicated problems, which will enable to understand global atmospheric processes and processes in the upper layer of the ocean, including investigation of aerosol influence on bioproductivity. There are also numerous results in acoustics and laser fluorometry.

Our departure from Gibraltar is planned for April 17 and we are to carry out the final part of our research program during our passage to St.Pete through the Atlantic Ocean, North and Baltic Seas. In addition to the work we did previously, a two-day study is planned, when the ocean upper layer laser sounding will be carried out.