Sports and athletic contest on the Sedov

It's been exactly two weeks since we are on board of the legendary sailing ship Sedov. For such a short period of time the cadets have learnt a lot: we follow strict instructions of our mentors, overcome the fear of heights, steer the ship... But first things first.

I felt a great sense of pride mixed with fear upon boarding the ship. On the one hand it was an honour to be on the largest training sailing vessel in the world, on the other hand I was afraid of being behind the wheel of this magnificent ship.

The crew gave us a warm welcome, and the Academic Operations Officer Vladimir Mikhidenko announced the beginning of the ten-day introductory course. At the end of the course we should get admission to independent rigging work and aloft operations. On the first day on board we got down to study and ship's routine.

The first laying aloft showed the courage of our cadets. 55-meter height was quite a challenge. Under the guidance of the boatswains we learnt to work with rigging and winch, make knots, set and roll sails. Days were flying.

Soon, green forests of Finland loomed on the horizon. We were boundlessly happy as it was the first time abroad for many of us. Finally the Sedov moored at the port of Raahe. The arrival of a four-mast barque was a great event for this small port. People were glad to show us the beautiful landscapes and sights of the city, and we in turn invited everyone on Board of the ship and told about her rich history.

We were back to daily routine upon leaving the port. Watches, shifts, studying, taking tests... But suddenly there was an announcement: "all hands on deck". It was very exciting, because we had to put out theoretical knowledge learnt during the ten-day program into practice. The deck crew and cadets worked amicably and consistently. Finally, the crew congratulated us on the successful setting of the sails.

At the end of the ten-day program, we were informed about forthcoming sports competitions aimed to strengthen out team spirit. These were a multidiscipline competition and a tug of war contest. The guys had to climb the rope, then throw a mooring line, tie five different knots, then run around the wheel with a fender in one's hands and finally squeeze into the lifebuoy. There were cheers of the winners, the grumbling of the losers, but everyone was satisfied.

In the evening there was also a concert. Our cadets surprised the audience with their talents. There was heartwarming singing and guitar music by a cadet from Murmansk Maririme Fishing College (MMFC) Andrey Petrov, who sang famous Russian Rock songs. The classical music was presented by MSTU cadet Denis Barakov who demonstrated a virtuoso piano playing while performing "Etude for piano". Another MSTU cadet Mikhail Pankratov touched everyone's feelings while reading Yesenin's poetry. Pavel Tolkach (MSTU) soulfully performed a song about the real friendship and Andrei Petrov (MMFC) accompanied his solo song. The cadets were supported by the members of the group "Sea practice". However, the evening held a lot of surprises for us all. The heads of the practice E. Lazarev and A. Savina, as well as the Master of the TSS Sedov E. Romashkin made a great performance, so the audience burst into applause. Friendly atmosphere remained on board throughout the evening. Before going to bed we sang a song by cult Rock band DDT (rhythm guitar, guitar solo, bass guitar, drum, piano, vocals).

Master E. Romashkin congratulated the cadets on the end of the 10-day preparation program and the successful examination. The cadets and heads of practice, who took part in the the concert, got a commendation.

Sea practice on the Sedov made us more responsible and disciplined. It took us two weeks to build a team and to develop collaboration. That was a small episode of our life on board and we were looking forward to new adventures.

Text: Julia Bakanova, cadet of Volgo-Caspian Maritime Fishing College
Photo by: I. Kutafin, cadet of MSTU
Track the location of the sailing vessel in real time at: https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home