Captain's story of Evgeniy Romashkin

Managing any vessel is a great responsibility. It increases when you work on a century-old sailing vessel and have more than two hundred people on board. Sedov's Master is not new in shipping industry. He knew exactly what he would be a seafarer after his first voyage on the Kruzenshtern: 20 years ago he was having his sea practice here as a cadet.

Since 1999 Romashkin has worked 18 years on Kruzenshtern and made 37 voyages. He was a sailor, a third and second mate, then he got Chief Officer's certificate of competency. In 2017 he was transferred to the Sedov. Currently Mst Romashkin is en route. He is making his sixth voyage.

Why did you choose seafarer's profession?

E. R.: It's not really easy to answer your question. Once I saw a poster of the Kruzenshtern. I never heard about her before. I wanted to check if she was a real vessel or just a picture painted by an artist. By the time I finished school, I had already been aware of Kruzenshtern's existence. I also got an idea that it was assigned to the Baltic State Academy. After preparatory courses I entered the navigational department and in a year I had my sea practice on Kruzenshtern. I immediately understood that I would like to stay in this profession.

After this voyage and during my further training I realized that I was interested only in career on a sailing vessel. The Kruzenshtern is a living creature. She has her soul. And everything that has a soul is alive.

What was the most memorable moment in your career?

E. R.: There were many of them. I will tell you about the most special one. In 2009, we lowered a lifeboat because the lookout had seen a magic something in the form of a white ball in the water. I made a decision to conduct a drill, check a lifeboat and get closer to this object in the water. While we were proceeding to the object a flock of dolphins appeared. There were three of us: a motorman, a sailor and I. One of my companions had a camera. He began taking pictures, and the dolphins were getting closer and closer as if they were posing. I decided to stop the engine to let them go forward. Otherwise the blades of our propeller could do some harm to them. They rounded our boat several times and went away. I have a photo with the dolphins near at hand.

I started the engine and we went on. I don't even remember exactly what we found, maybe a piece of styrofoam. I will remember the incident for the rest of my life. That was a very important period of my life and I had to make a landmark decision. After this dolphin incident I got a very clear idea of my future steps.

What do you think of Captain's job?

E. R.: This is a responsible, complex and non-standardized work. What is more,I have cadets on board, they are virtually still children. Moreover, it is difficult to combine 3 constituents: wind, engine, sails - all of them are unique and special. Master is not a random person. You just cannot appoint an unrelated person to Master's position on a sailing ship. The Master must not miss a single step of a career ladder. Abilities and skills gained at each step work best for you at a certain moment.

Once I had a lot of paper work. There were heaps of papers and I felt it necessary to take my mind off things. I went to the deck for a short walk. I saw cadet who was sitting in the galley peeling a sack of potatoes. Usually this job is done in threes or fours. I took a knife, sat down next to him and started peeling potatoes with him. He told me that one of his mates got seasick, the second one cut his finger and the third one left him quietly.

I had the same situation in 1999 when I was on duty in the galley. We were going to have fish for dinner. That was neither gutted not filleted. The fish had to be prepared for cooking. I've never scaled any fish before. There were four of us too, and I had exactly the same situation: one guy cut his finger, the second got seasick, the third went for a smoke and didn't come back. I was left alone. And there were about 200 fish. I remember the cook coming up to me and asking: "Alone? Scaled anything?" I showed him three fish in the dixie. He started scaling the fish with me. He was doing it very quickly and deftly: one fish took him only a few movements. I had a hard time scaling the fish, but I knew I wouldn't leave. Such a thought would never occur to enter my head.

And many years later I was walking in Kaliningrad, and on the other side of the street there was a man with a boy, the man called me. I recognized him as that cook and greeted him. We had a quick talk, and he said to the boy: "Look, he is the captain now, but I scaled fish with him when he was a cadet." it is no coincidence that I met him in the street after so many years… We finished peeling the potatoes with the cadet and that was pause that helped me to blow away the cobwebs, so I could restart my paperwork.

Your crew looks pretty young. Are you deliberately betting on young people?

E. R: It just seems to you. The average age of the crew is even greater than one of the Kruzenshtern's crew. Last year it was 39. For example, the senior boatswain and sails master have worked on the Sedov for 42 years. The boatswain of the second mainsail has worked here for 36 years. His father was also working here for a period of time. There are, of course, young guys in the crew. One of the stewardesses is only 22 years old, the ABs are also young. The age is not the main criterion. We look for responsible and conscientious people. Crewmember's commitment is vital for a sailing vessel. The other type of people should better work on shore.

Is there time for hobbies? If so, how do you spend your free time?

E. R.: I do not have much free time. Sometimes I might go to the Assembly hall and play the electric guitar. Sometimes I play at ship's concerts. Recently the ship has been presented 9 books, so I have something to read in my spare time. Reading is a training for brain, it's not even a hobby, it's a vital necessity.

What should a cadet do to become a captain?

E. R.: He has to be A Man in Full.

Please, tell us about the current voyage.

E. R.: We are having long trips in this voyage and short stays at ports. Therefore, it is necessary to give all cadets and crew the opportunity to go ashore and see the sights. We went to swimming pool in Raahe and we are going to see the sights in Murmansk. While staying at sea we hold various sports competitions, concerts and meetings. We talk about the forthcoming round-the-world expedition and about outstanding seafarers whose portraits are placed in our Assembly hall.

Another feature of this voyage is the large number of cadets from Murmansk. I find it symbolic: the guys made a long way to Kaliningrad to get back home under sail.

How is the Sedov preparing for the upcoming expedition?

E. R.: The preparation began long ago. It included repairs and crew recruitment. I myself participated in Kruzenshtern's circumnavigation in 2005-2006 which lasted 14 months. This is a big deal, as my mentor and the famous captain Kolomensky used to say. It is a huge amount of work for all the parties involved and especially for the heads of BSA and KSTU. The success of the expedition in honour of the 200th anniversary of Bellingshausen and Lazarev's voyage to the shores of Antarctica and the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory largely depends on this preparatory work.

What would you say to your cadets?

E. R.: The guys have a long and interesting life ahead. I am sure that the skills and abilities gained during practice on the Sedov and Krusenstern will be useful for those who plan to go to sea, and those who will work on shore. I always motivate them to dream big, set high standards, achieve their goals, and start their life-long voyage with their first expedition on board of our ship.
I rememeber the send-off speech made by Mst Gennady Kolomensky in 1999 when I was a cadet. During my first voyage as a Master, I told the cadets that I remembered this speech. I dedicated that voyage to my first captain, who passed away in 2014. I will be very glad to know that some of my current cadets will become captains one day. There are many decent guys here.