In the modern era of fast vehicles, speedy trains and transatlantic flights no one remembers that many years ago travelling across the sea was the only way to reach the remote place of destination…

Even today humans use the huge water space to transport goods though the times of ship domination have fallen into oblivion. Fortunately, not everyone is ready to forget the history and heroic sea voyages of our ancestors willing to investigate the world even at the cost of their own lives. Some enthusiastic people search for abandoned ship drawings, build vessels and go to risky expeditions following the great investigators of the past. Russian revival of traditions is closely connected with the name of Victor Dmitriyev who lives in Petrozavodsk.

Petrozavodsk is located in Karelia in Northern Europe. In May Onega Lake, one of the biggest lakes in Europe, is still covered with snow. It’s cold there. The sky is covered with black clouds.
A historical shipbuilding club “Polar Odyssey” is located here.

The sea club was founded in the Soviet times. In 1978 Mr. Dmitriyev purchased an old boat and used it for travelling with his family and friends. During the journey he saw that old navigational traditions of the coast-people were perished. That’s how he decided to develop historic shipbuilding.

The first ship Pomor was reconstructed in 1987. That was the 1st historic vessel in the Soviet Union. The ship reached Canada and Alaska.

The captain of the ship didn’t have navigational equipment and used a compass and stars in order to find the way. Having gained such an experience he could differentiate between the places easily.
Later, it will be quite easy for him to find his way across dense fogs of the White Sea.

Then the project attracted attention of authorities and mass media. The shipwrights obtained support and became popular.

Ships are built at the dockage facility. Vessels constructed here will go to different parts of Russia from Tolyatti to the Chukchi Peninsula.

Today the members of the club aim at development of native sea culture and formation of sea consciousness.

Petrozavodsk is a capital of the Republic of Karelia that was founded in 1703 under Peter’s I decree who used to visit this place. Thus, it’s natural that traditions of historic shipbuilding are continued here.
Peter I made a navy Empire from Russia. The shipwrights dream of making the Lake Tourism Empire out of Karelia where people could hire any ship they like.  Did you know that there are 60 thousand of beautiful lakes in Karelia?

Mosquitoes and mites that are able to spoil the rest are never found at water.

“Paint”

Nowadays excursions to Kizhi are available. But big and small express vessels can take people to numerous other islands with splendid nature around.

As soon as the repairs are finished, it’s planned to open a museum here. It will embrace an exhibition and demonstration hall where anyone will have a chance to see the process of ship construction.

The tonnage of the vessel accounts for 12 people. It usually takes 3 months to construct such a ship.

They also build boats that were widely used by vikings.

The retired legendary Pomor on the high honorable pedestal.

The people are also engaged in modern shipbuilding and scientific investigations. They have developed a prototype of a drifting station.

Due to ice melting in the Artic region it becomes more and more complicated to find a place for a research station. American research centers are based on ice-breaker ships which are too huge, to our mind. This vessel is small enough and is made for an European customer who wants to live in the sea. But technologies used in the process of the vessel construction will be widely applied later on.

Robinson and Co

In the museum called Polar Odyssey anyone can participate in construction of a ship.

Sea maps and pictures of sailors.

You can leave your comments in the guest book.

That is what the house of a real jack tar should look like.

Location: Petrozavodsk

via live-report