Boat International - May 2018

http://www.boatinternational.com | May 2018

t is one of the most extraordinary man-made waterways

in the world and steeped in history. For decades, I had given

up hope of ever setting eyes on the infamous White

Sea-Baltic Canal – and certainly never from the deck of

a yacht. Yet now here I was atthe canal’s entrance greeted by a modest sign

reading simply “1933”, the year that it opened.

There was no hint of the human sacrifice that had been required

to build the 141 mile route in the coldest and most brutal conditions

imaginable. Everyone from petty criminals to political prisoners was

recruited to build the canal and thousands did not live to tell the tale;

several apparently chose to commit suicide rather than be used as 20th

century slaves.

During my adventure in northern Russia last summer, we became one

of the first foreign-flagged vessels ever to attempt the journey – by sea,

river, lake and canal – from St Petersburg, situated on the Baltic Sea, to

Belomorsk, which lies on the White Sea. The journey was made possible

because Russia recently relaxed its maritime laws to allow niche cruises

in its waters by foreign-flagged vessels.

I had begun my Russian cruise six days before reaching the canal’s

entrance, thereby embarking on a trip that I had started planning a year

before and that, in the five months prior to departure, required meticulous

preparation. For some, cruising means rarely leaving the clear blue skies

and turquoise seas of the Caribbean or the Mediterranean. However,

I would rather venture into the unknown, even if it means grey seas and

adverse weather conditions.

My journey had started in St Petersburg, where I joined the yacht.

RussianowallowsforeignvesselsontothenotoriousWhiteSea-Baltic Canal. History-lover

Lord Ashcroftcouldn’t wait to be one of its first visitors on a 5o metre Hakvoort

Through Russia, with love

PHOTOGRAPHY: 4CORNERS IMAGES

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