The Kruzenshtern has taken part in Sail de Ruyter 2013 in Vlissingen, Netherlands

Captain Mikhail Novikov reporting from vessel:

By 10 a.m. on August 22nd we have taken two Dutch pilots from pilot station Wandelaar, which is in about 10 miles from Vlissingen.
According to organizers, Sail de Ruyter 2013 marine festival was supposed to open with the tall ships parade, coming from the port of Ostende to Vlissingen.

The parade has been held for a couple of hours, so the Kruzenshtern’s crew decided not to waste any minute of it and put on a lesson for the cadets on the deck of the vessel. Boatswains and navigators lectured cadets on the procedure of towering the safe boat, showed emergency gear, pyrotechnics and fire-fighting equipment. The lectures ended with the examination for the cadets, allowing them to gain permission to work on heights and with sails.

Following the Russian frigate Mir, the Kruzenshtern has joined the parade in Ostende, smoothly crossed Belgian waters and entered the waters of Netherlands, promptly changing the flags.

By 6 p.m. the Kruzenshtern has moored in Damen shipyard. After the finish of all of the mooring operations, the tanker Bizet has approached the Kruzenshtern and poured off 100 tons of diesel fuel. By the end of the day, most of the vessels invited to Sail de Ruyter called in the port of Vlissingen.
Next day the barque has opened her board at 10 a.m. The cadets were giving tours on board Kruzenshtern, also the photo exhibition has been displayed. On the same day the mayor of Vlissingen held the reception for all the captains and vessel owners at the town hall.

On the 24th of August the Kruzenshtern took part in sales parade which went along the port’s quay. Thousands of people came to see the sailing fleet. After the end of the parade, the Kruzenshtern hosted a special reception which drew guests like the head of Rossotrudnichestvo K. Kosachev and the Russian Federation ambassador in Netherlands R. Kolodkin among others. The day ended with the laser show and a modest parade of small sailing vessels in harbor.

On the final day of her stay at the port of Vlissingen, the Kruzenshtern has been opened for all the visitors, while the cadets and the crew were having their well-deserved rest.

The festival management organized the tours to the ship traffic control center, to the local marine museum, a bus tour to the Vere and a tour to the museum of football. The Vlissingen administration has invited 20 of our cadets to the small catching vessels where they were able to learn more on the coastal fishing.

Before leaving Vlissingen, our cadets participated in tug war competition. Guys from the faculty of mechanics (Baltic Fishing Fleet State Academy) took the first prize there. During the stay at the port of Vlissingen, the storages of drinking water on board have been refilled. The barque was attended by over 5000 people during these couple of days.