A new world

I have heard so many legends and stories about this ship, so I wanted to see everything with my own eyes. Our practice began in mid-July. We were among the first cadets who boarded the Krusenstern and spent four days preparing the vessel for sea while she was staying at the port. Everything was new for us: breakdowns, morning exercises on the berth, duties and watches, mazing corridors, new faces, daily routine and ship's rules. Yet we had no idea about forthcoming sea adventures...

Our relatives and friends came to see us off on departure day. There was a mixture of feelings and emotions on board. Someone was crying and could not say goodbye, someone was comforting others, someone was showing tender loving care and affection to their near and dear. All the relatives and friends were proud of us and it helped to overcome our initial fear and to believe that the sea would change and harden us.

In the late afternoon our vessel was being towed down the channel toward the bay, our relatives were waving goodbye to us. The adventure was about to start. Ship’s towering masts, enormous sails and wooden hull were waiting for a fair wind and spindrift while we were enjoying uninterrupted sea views.

There was a special new world on the Kruzenshtern. Everything was different on board, even the language: "floor" is called "deck", while "kitchen" is a "galley", "dining room" is a "mess room".

It's unusual, isn't it? While learning this new language and getting used to new conditions and rules we had to take 10-day introductory training. The Master introduced the chiefs of the ship's services to us and an intensive training started. The rigging classes were the most difficult. There were lots of terms from Dutch and German which were hard to memorize. Rigging classes made us eager to put our theoretical knowledge into practice.

Any sailing vessel is able to sweep you off your feet. So, and we immediately fell in love with the Kruzenshtern.

On the one hand the days seemed to be very long and time was dragging, on the other hand it was the first time we got so much knowledge and so many impressions. We started to navigate this new world that had opened up to us and every day brought us something new. We were very enthusiastic. Sense of inner freedom did not leave us and we felt on top of the world. Even strict instructors, duties and watches could not rain on parade.

Everyone knows that water occupies about 80 % of the Earth's surface, the rest is land-covered. Our body is almost the same. The average adult human body is again 65% water. An unusual coincidence, admit it. Apparently, these magic numbers and proportions seemed to be so attractive that we fell in love with this ship, crew and waves.

Every day tasks such as sails setting, yard works, board drills made us get used to each other and created camaraderie on board. This esprit de corps stood us in good stead. We became one team and shared one goal.

Togetherness helped us a lot in a tug-of-war competition. This is a necessary physical exercise on board. When the tug-of-war competition was announced we did't expect to win. The other team seemed to us stronger, older and taller. Moreover, the competitors had already set their mind to win.

It was our Head of Practice Mr. Nikolayev who helped us out. He arranged us in a proper order, gave us useful tips and encouraged us a lot. We were hanging on his words and his recommendations worked well for us.

Mr Nikolayev likes saying: "Without faith a man can do nothing." He believed in us and we believed in our team. This attitude brought us to the final. We had to face BSA cadets who were stronger and older.

It was a hard-fought victory. We felt joy and elation despite physical fatigue. Such moments are priceless, this memory will always be in our hearts. I would like to thank all the cadets and the crew. I appreciate Kruzenshten practice that broadended my mind.

Text: by Sergey Berberya, 2nd year cadet KMC
Photo by A. Nikolayev, head of KMC practice