Members of the crew of the yacht Apostol Andrey. Yacht "Apostle Andrew"

Despite the fact that the autumn voyage of the Apostle Andrew to Finland, which took place a couple of weeks before the start of the circumnavigation, helped to identify and eliminate some weak points in the design and equipment of the yacht, major breakdowns lay ahead. After the yacht sailed through the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, making calls to the ports of Europe, Africa, and Australia, in November 1998 the crew was forced to leave her for the winter in Tiksi, in order to continue sailing in six months with renewed vigor. Northern Sea Route. The diaries of the yacht captain, revealing for readers the details of this still unfinished voyage, allow us today to illustrate many of the characteristics that were given to the yacht by Nikolai Litau himself.

The first days of the voyage of the "Apostle Andrew" passed in harsh stormy conditions of the autumn Baltic:

“On November 14 at 17.00, customs and border procedures ended, and we left the harbor of the Central Yacht Club. We pass the Petrovsky fairway, Kronstadt and exit into the Gulf of Finland.

Here we immediately run into a very strong headwind, which for the next two weeks remains just as strong and headwind. On the second day, the wind intensifies to a storm and does not subside for the whole day. Waves roll across the deck, carrying away everything that is carelessly secured and splashing the guys on duty from head to toe. Below, everything flies around the cabins, only you have time to collect it; The crew members themselves are no exception. At the next wave, the three of us - me, second mate Alexander Kireev and Doctor Alexander Golubev - fly from the left sofa of the wardroom, where we were sitting, resting after the watch, through the table to the right. As a result, as has already become clear in the Gothenburg clinic, the doctor has three broken ribs. The entire crew suffers from seasickness. There was no time to get used to the pitching, we immediately found ourselves in a storm. You can’t even understand where it’s better now: at the top - where a piercing wind blows and streams of water fall on the deck, or below - where the rocking feels much more painful, and through a poorly made hatch, water also pours on your head, on the chart table, instruments and maps.

Defects and design flaws in the deck equipment are beginning to come to light. The frail entrance hatch is apparently not the only source of the leak, because the water entering the yacht has to be continuously pumped out. We can't figure out where. At dawn on the third day I see that the yacht is somehow strangely difficult to climb onto the waves, but practically buries its nose into each of them. I go to the tank and check. It turns out that the sail storage room is full of water, which is splashing at the very edge of the hatch. We took on board (or rather, on the bow) two or three tons of water. Now the reason for the yacht’s poor wave handling and the presence of water inside the hull is clear, all due to the poor quality of the sail hatch. Before we had time to deal with the hatch and the water, the jib-automatic jib shoulder strap was torn out of the deck (in the future, three of our four jib-sheet carriages will fall apart). All this is also on the conscience of the equipment suppliers.

But in general, the yacht is stable and controllable, and this strengthens our hope that we are sailing on a strong vessel, and breakdowns are inevitable on any new yacht. We see an advantage in the fact that already in the first days of the trip we have a hard time (in terms of wind): this makes it easier to understand what can be expected from the yacht and people. And people, as usual, turn out to be stronger than mechanisms made by their own hands.

We change and fix everything that breaks on the fly, and the movement forward continues. Sadly, branded, seemingly reliable products fail. As soon as I managed to make my first radio session with the ground in the amateur band, the antenna was blown away by a storm wind, and we were left without radio communication.

After some time, the waterproof GPS repeater, as we were promised, is filled with water, and the helmsman is now guided by the readings of the magnetic compass that has served for centuries.

By the end of the second week, the GPS and the computer no longer understand each other. High humidity and sea water are not good for the technology. To top off all the troubles, the electric motor in the heater burns out, and we are left without heat and the opportunity to dry ourselves.

But sooner or later everything ends. On the ninth day, constantly storming and breaking into the wind, we approached the island of Bornholm. This is already Denmark. We were very delayed at the first stage of our journey, and now we must understand where and how to move on."

As the Apostle Andrew moved west, the geography of European ports (Gothenburg, Amsterdam, London, Torquay, Lisbon) into which the yacht called expanded. The warm welcome and cordiality with which the Russian sailors were greeted by the authorities of the port cities, of course, helped Litau and his friends maintain peace of mind, despite all the misadventures that plagued the yacht at sea. But no one was able to prevent new breakdowns.

“December 3. We are leaving the harbor of the Swedish city of Gothenburg. On the pier there are consulate employees accompanying us, whose warmth and care we have felt all these days. It is difficult to overestimate the help that the Consulate General of Russia and other Russian organizations in Sweden provided us after a difficult journey through the autumn Baltic They warmed us up, dried us out, took us to a sauna and a restaurant, arranged a luxurious dinner for us and organized a meeting with the mayor of Gothenburg, helped with repairs and provisions.

But now we are going to sea again. The forecast is not very favorable, but after the Baltic storms it seems bearable. We set reefed sails and slowly move towards the Skagerrak Strait. The relative well-being does not last long: after five hours I hear some kind of roar on the deck. I turn on the lighting - there are no leeward shrouds. The team urgently removes the sails, Arkady plots a route to the nearest port - Skagen. And within three hours, under diesel power, we fled from the approaching storm to shelter. The 20-meter mast swings menacingly on the waves without the main shrouds, and each wave could be the last for it, and therefore for sailing for this year. We turn off the lights - you can’t see the mast in the dark and that makes it somehow calmer. Under the roar of an almost gale-force wind, we enter the harbor of the port of Skagen. It is with great difficulty that we manage to stand at the pier; between the shore buildings the wind is blowing so hard that you can lie on it.

The next day we find out what the cause of the accident was. We come to the conclusion that this is a miscalculation of the designers. Local craftsmen also speak disapprovingly of a weak unit, which does not stop them from charging us exorbitant prices for making new parts (although we must give them credit - they made everything quickly and accurately).

By evening we go out to sea. The weather improved and the wind became favorable. But calm sailing is probably not destined for us. No sooner had we set out into the North Sea than the spar broke down again, and again we had to go under diesel to the nearest port - a Danish city with the difficult-to-pronounce name Tyboren. Once again, manufacturing defects are revealed. Welding seams are only indicated. We remove our rectifier unit from the yacht, which is also the welding unit. Alexander Kireev welds what fell off, now reliably. We walk around the tiny fishing town, buy cod from the local fishermen and move on again."

While visiting our magazine, Nikolai Andreevich told us many amazing stories, each of which could arouse undoubted interest among our readers. Here are episodes from the captain's diaries, telling about the critical situation that Litau and his crew found themselves in after the rudder broke in the ocean while crossing from Africa to Australia:

“The route between Cape Town and Australia can be laid out in different ways. For example, round the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Agulhas, and then go due east along the 35th parallel, until after more than five thousand miles of sailing in relatively calm waters with moderate temperatures you will run into the Australian continent, at its southwestern tip. On nautical maps this path looks like a straight line. But this is the case when the straight line connecting two points is not the shortest distance between them.

The shortest path is the arc of a great circle - orthodrome. Following it, you need to smoothly descend south to the 47-48 parallel in the middle of the journey, and then rise to the north, but already near Australia. And this route will be 500 miles shorter.

Most of it lies in the famous “Roaring Forties,” known for its storms and strong winds. The water temperature in these latitudes barely exceeds five degrees, and the air temperature is the same. But all this is compensated by the steady winds of the western directions and favorable currents, which allows us to hope to significantly reduce the transition time. We chose this option.

There were few lands on our way. From Cape Town to the Kerguelen Islands, the Prince Edward Islands and the Crozet Islands lie at approximately equal distances, 600-800 miles from each other. During the passage, the first remained 120 miles to our left, the second 600 miles to the right. Beyond Kerguelen, all the way to Australia, there is not a single piece of land for 2,300 miles. Since our arc ran right through the Kerguelen Islands, we decided to go around them from the south, intending to stop at Port-au-France for a couple of days.

We left Port-au-France on Monday, May 12th. At parting, we were provided with food and bread, which was enough for almost a month. And also diesel fuel.

The weather was fresh and we walked about 150 miles a day. On May 17, a storm began in the morning, and at 10.30 am we lost our rudder.

Antarctica was the first to learn about the breakdown. Radio operators from Mirny - Yuri and Valentin - helped us a lot during this period. Our mood, of course, was not very cheerful, and most importantly, it was not clear what to do. However, everyone realized that it was impossible to give an SOS and leave the boat. We moved 600 miles from Kerguelen, and there were still 1,600 miles left to Australia. There was no way back to Kerguelen - the wind wouldn’t allow it, and winter was setting in there. Also, to the north-northwest, 600 miles from us, were the islands of the same French - Amsterdam and Saint-Paul. At first we decided to go to them, but then, after assessing the wind and conditions on the islands, we realized that this was not the best option.

We began to learn how to steer our yacht without a rudder, using only sails, and so we gradually rose to the north and warmth. The next day we made our first emergency rudder using two spinnaker booms and two sheets of plywood. But they didn’t have time to install it, as another storm began. Towards the end of the first 24 hours the wind had increased to such an extent that we considered it prudent to take down the sails altogether. And under the spar alone we still had a decent move. It was perhaps the most severe storm of the entire voyage. The wind force was 10, the entire surface of the ocean was covered with white foam, and a veil of water hung in the air, severely limiting visibility. It is difficult to determine the height of the wave by eye, but beyond 10 meters it was accurate. In general, the area in which we experienced a storm is one of the few in the ocean where the wave height can reach 20 meters.

The storm lasted three days. One day, the ship "Akademik Fedorov" informed us that they were 11 days away from us and were ready to help if we gave an SOS.

One of the pleasant events was that we got rid of the last rat, which was not killed even by the poison bought in Cape Town.

At the end of the storm, we set up our rudder and went on more joyfully. The water and air temperature finally rose to 10°C. Two days later, one of the ends holding the rudder broke and one of the booms was damaged. At that moment, news came from Australia that fishermen were coming to us. The trawler "Australian Leader" approached on the night of May 25-26,

I moved on board with them, and before noon we were making another rudder. Chief engineer Andy Wilson himself worked on both machines and welding. By lunchtime the steering wheel was transported to the yacht and installed. At parting, the fishermen shared provisions with us. Kok gave the address of his friend in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, saying in broken Russian that when we get there, they will help us. It's funny.

The new steering wheel lasted two days and during the next squall it flew off, the 60-mm steel rod broke like a pencil. We reported this news to Australia and Mirny and set about making the next rudder.

This time, the spare propeller shaft and one of the galley's internal lining panels were used. And this steering wheel served us all the way to Fremantle, although with some alterations and modernization along the way. The rudder brought us fame: photographs of the panel from the galley roamed the pages of Australian newspapers, it was talked about on the air.

And when we lifted the yacht out of the water, for several days we were not allowed to rest in peace by local yachtsmen who came to look at what we were actually steering."

This is how difficult the miles were for the yacht “Apostle Andrey” at this stage of the circumnavigation. No less exciting and tragic events unfolded after the passage through the Bering Strait. Adverse weather conditions and ice conditions made it impossible for the yacht to further advance along the Northern Sea Route and forced travelers to interrupt their voyage and spend the winter in Tiksi.

Slender masts, snow-white sails, salty spray... Who among the boys did not dream of going around the world on a sailboat as a child?! The thirst for adventure beckoned to distant lands and unknown distances. The works of Jules Verne, Daniel Defoe, and Jonathan Swift fueled the imagination. But sailboats that circumnavigate the world still exist today. One of them is the yacht “Apostol Andrey”.

The birth of a sailboat

Nikolai Andreevich Litau organized and took part in a considerable number of trips during his life. Since childhood, he dreamed of seas, oceans and sailboats. The idea of ​​traveling around the world across four oceans became a major passion. To implement it, the most durable ocean yacht was required. She had to successfully overcome ice jams and bad weather. The price of a yacht of this kind is very high, but it was worth it.

Under the leadership and order of Litau, a sailboat project was developed that was supposed to satisfy all the required conditions. They decided to build it in Tver, and the beginning was made in 1993. Construction dragged on for three whole years, hampered by technical and financial problems.

Finding a name

Construction had already been completed, but the sailboat never received a name. Everyone remembers the words of Captain Vrungel from the cartoon of the same name:

“You don’t give the name in vain,
I'll tell you in advance:
What will you name the yacht?
So she will float.
What will you name the yacht?
So she will float!”

The ship set off on its first voyage still unnamed. He sailed safely to Moscow for blessing and illumination from Patriarch Alexy II. It was from him that he got his name. The yacht “Apostle Andrew” is named after who is considered the patron saint of sailors.

Technical characteristics and equipment

This is an ocean-going yacht, so it was built taking into account all the requirements for reliability and endurance. Its body is welded, and its contours are faceted. Steel sheets were used as cladding. In the area of ​​the bottom its thickness reaches two centimeters.

The length of the boat is 16.2 m, width - 4.8 m. It has two masts, 19 and 14 meters high, capable of carrying 130 sq. m of sails. The yacht can not only sail, but also has an engine for unforeseen cases. This is an Iveco device with a capacity of 85 horsepower. The sailboat's draft is 2.7 m, and its displacement is 25 tons.

The maximum speed at which the yacht can fly under full sail is 12 knots. This is a little more than 22 km/h. The cruising speed of the sailboat is about 7 knots, or about 13 km/h.

The yacht “Apostol Andrey” can be serviced by a crew of 5-7 people during the voyage. There is everything you need on board - modern navigation systems and communications, berths and a galley.

Now the price of a yacht, even a very small pleasure yacht, is about one and a half million rubles. But this ship is no longer so easy to evaluate. It now has a certain historical value, although it was created quite recently. During its existence, it set more than one record and crossed waterways that were previously inaccessible to ships of this class.

Around the world

The yacht “Apostol Andrey” set off on its first circumnavigation in 1996. She was able to successfully bypass the Eastern Hemisphere, while achieving three record indicators:

• the first circumnavigation of the world in the meridional direction;
• the first circumnavigation across all oceans, the Arctic is no exception;
• first passage along the Northern Sea Route.

The ship returned to the launch site in 1999, and in 2001 it set off on its journey again. Now around the Western Hemisphere. The third circumnavigation of the world took place in 2004. The yacht had to go around Antarctica within the 60th parallel.

Each trip revealed imperfections in the design, so the rest time between trips around the world was devoted to modernizing and improving the vessel. Today it is a durable, maneuverable and fast yacht, ready, together with its crew, to challenge any extreme conditions.

Travel today

Don’t think that the round-the-world trip is all over. Almost every year “Apostle Andrey” goes on a new expedition.

• 2007 - Solovetsky Islands.
• 2010 The plans were to go around Novaya Zemlya. The exit was made from Tver. After visiting the Solovetsky archipelago, we reached where a group of passengers - environmentalists - were disembarked. Then the course was taken to the destination of the trip, the yacht managed to go around the entire archipelago.
• 2011 The yacht reached the northernmost island of the Franz Josef Land archipelago.
• 2012 The yacht set off in the footsteps of Rusanov’s expedition and the schooner Hercules.
• 2013 The team repeated the path of the Hydrographic Expedition a century ago. In addition, the ship managed to cross the 83rd parallel, and this is another degree in the Arctic achievements of the yacht.
• 2014 Journey in the footsteps of G. Brusilov and the schooner “St. Anna”.
• 2015 is a year rich in anniversaries. The captain of the yacht is 60, the ship itself is 19 on the same day. And a month later, the ship went to Dikson for the 100th anniversary of the moment when the first icebreakers “Taimyr” and “Vaigach” arrived in Arkhangelsk, completing the passage along the Northern Sea Route.
• 2017 The eleventh trip to the Arctic, again dedicated to Rusanov and “Hercules”.

The yacht's wanderings don't end there. Her captain has many plans for the future.

For the first time, a yacht circled the Earth in the meridian direction, for the first time traveled along the Northern Sea Route, for the first time crossed both polar circles during a circumnavigation and for the first time followed a route laid across all four oceans. All these and many other feats were accomplished under the leadership of the constant captain Nikolai Litau, who himself conceived the design of the vessel and personally supervised the process of its construction.

The beginning of the journey - the birth of a legend

Captain Litau conceived the construction of not a simple, but the most durable vessel. He needed a yacht that could, in conditions of severe cold and high dampness, navigate the Northern Sea Route, overcoming obstacles such as.

For this purpose, a unique design was developed and its body was made of steel, which was supposed to provide high endurance and resistance to the most adverse environmental influences.

The ship was laid down in Tver, its construction lasted three whole years and was completed in 1996. The construction process of the yacht was delayed due to constant technical problems and interruptions in financing. When the sailboat was finally launched in St. Petersburg, another difficulty arose - during construction, its future team was unable to find a suitable name for the fearless conqueror of the oceans.

For help in resolving this issue, it was decided to turn to Patriarch Alexy II, who blessed and consecrated the ship, and then named it after the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, the patron saint of all sailors on the planet and the Russian fleet in particular.

Vessel structure

"Apostle Andrey" is an ocean-going yacht and is intended for sailing in cold weather. Its length is 16.2 meters and its width is 4.8 meters. The vessel's displacement is 25 tons, and its draft is 2.7 meters. The sailboat's steel hull is equipped with special faceted contours, and reinforced plating ensures its rigidity and high strength.

The yacht has two masts that carry 130 sq.m of sails. The vessel is capable of reaching a maximum speed of 12 knots under its sails, in addition, it has an engine with a power of 85 horsepower.

The sailboat was equipped with modern navigation aids, as well as everything that is required for full functioning on board a crew of 8 people. The creators of the ocean-going yacht did everything to ensure that it could adequately withstand the longest and most dangerous periods.

Achievements and records

Three months after launching, “Apostle Andrey” set off on its first big voyage, ending in 1999. It was this, during which the ship navigated the incredibly difficult Northern Sea Route, that was recognized by the British Royal Cruising Club as the greatest achievement in the world. The entire crew of the sailing ship was awarded an honorary medal with the eloquent title “for the art of navigation.”

After another three years of wandering across the seas and oceans, the crew of the yacht was awarded the Blue Water Cruising Club medal. The most interesting thing is that the crew of the “Apostle Andrew” received this distinction for their first voyage, and became the owner of two prestigious awards for one unique feat - an unprecedented case in the history of navigation.

In 2003, Captain Litau deservedly became a Knight of the Order of Courage, and his assistants were awarded the title of Knight of the Order of Honor. All other members of the “Apostle Andrew” team were awarded medals “For Services to the Fatherland.” The second, no less dangerous and exciting voyage of the sailing ship began in 2001. The crew of the ship went around the world and visited all four oceans, reached Kamchatka and made the longest and most dangerous journey from the Bellingshausen Sea, which washes Antarctica, to the Bering Sea.

Each such voyage caused numerous breakdowns, which often had to be repaired in extreme conditions. On the other hand, severe testing and constant improvements in design have made the vessel more durable and adaptable to difficulties. The sailboat's third circumnavigation of the world, which took place along the 60th parallel, began in 2004. Once again, “Apostle Andrew” passed the difficult test with honor and returned in triumph to his native harbor.

Sea adventures and challenges

The crew members of the yacht had to go through many serious tests during all three voyages around the world. They regularly had to become hostage to harsh polar conditions. For example, during the very first navigation, the sailing ship was forced to stand on Cape Schmidt for five whole weeks due to the fact that it was covered in ice on all sides.

The ship was able to free itself from captivity only with the arrival of a powerful cyclone, which brought with it a stormy southern wind. Ice blocks broke away from the shores and went deep into the ocean, forming a narrow hole through which the Apostle Andrew continued his journey to the north.

Many times the yacht was at great risk of being crushed by huge ice floes, but the crew did not give up and raised the sails at the slightest breeze in order to get a little closer to their goal.

As the team members themselves recalled, quite often they had to rely not only on their own experience and knowledge, but also on ordinary luck. Sometimes the ship literally broke through the ice, which appeared where it should not have been in accordance with all forecasts.

Such as "Apostle Andrew" continue their journey among the waves as long as their masts are able to carry sails. The crew members of this ship change periodically - there are only 20 people, although a maximum of 8 experienced “apostles” take part in each voyage.

Over the years, this amazing sailboat only becomes more resilient, maneuverable and fast. The ocean yacht and its glorious crew still have many records, achievements, discoveries and severe tests ahead of them, which only real heroes can withstand.

It was about amateur solo extreme yachting. Now let's look at an example of amateur team extreme yachting in the Russian version. On March 1, 2001, the English “Royal Cruising Yacht Club” presented Nikolai Litau, the captain of the Russian yacht “Apostle Andrey” with the medal “For the art of navigation” (Seamanship medal) with the wording: “For the first in the world transit passage of a yacht along the Northern Sea Route.”
This award was established in 1949 and is awarded to yacht captains for the most outstanding achievements in ocean voyages. The presentation took place after lunch for members of this club on board the historic sailing ship Wellington. A little later, on October 28, 2002, “For the courage and professionalism shown during the circumnavigation of the world on the yacht Apostle Andrey,” Nikolai Litau was awarded the “Order of Courage” by the President of the Russian Federation. Three more members of this glorious crew were awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree, by the same Decree.

Records of the circumnavigation of the yacht "Apostle Andrey".

The British from the Royal Cruising Yacht Club do not throw away their awards. The awarding of yachtsmen in Russia is generally unprecedented. Even the Russian media this time noticed that the crew of the yacht “Apostle Andrey” set three world records at once:

For the first time, a circumnavigation of the world in the meridional direction was carried out.
For the first time, a circumnavigation route was laid across all oceans, including the Arctic.
For the first time, a sailing yacht has sailed through the Northern Sea Route.
The voyage was voted "the most outstanding achievement in world yachting in 1999" by the Royal Cruising Club of Great Britain.

Quite a lot of material has been published about two polar circumnavigations, unprecedented for Russian yachting (the first in 1996-1999 and the second in 2001-2003). They testify that the crew of the Apostle Andrew enjoyed the support of numerous sponsors, the Russian Navy and even the Russian Orthodox Church. The captain of the yacht, Nikolai Litau, in his diaries, repeatedly and with his characteristic subtle sense of humor notes the numerous voluntary “foreign sponsors” without whose help his crew would have had a hard time. In other words, they also had to accept alms. On the first voyage around the world, under the motto “around the world on four oceans,” the crew of six people set off with $500 in the ship’s cash register! No, not everything is so simple in Russian extreme yachting. If anyone thinks that the sponsors sent a yacht equipped with the latest technology on such a complex and responsible expedition, then he is deeply mistaken.

Inadequacy of the yacht design for circumnavigation.

Of course, “Apostle Andrey” is somewhat different from ordinary yachts in design. But this is only by and large. A steel 16-meter Bermuda ketch, specially designed and built for circumnavigation in the polar seas. The body is welded from steel sheets and has sharpie (angular) contours. Its design does not contain the usual frames. Strength and rigidity are ensured by the increased thickness of the steel plating (20 mm at the bottom) and the rigidity of the bulkheads. Two masts - the main (19 m) and the mizzen (14 m) - carry 130 square meters of sails. The auxiliary engine produces 74 horsepower. The displacement is 22 tons, which is four times more than for yachts of the same dimensions of a conventional design. The yacht has nine sleeping places, a galley, shower, two latrines, tanks for fuel and fresh water. "Apostle Andrey" is equipped with modern means of navigation, radio and telephone communications. And now attention: the yacht was built in 1996 in Tver at... a carriage repair plant.

This is where it begins - Russian extreme yachting - not at sea, but at a carriage repair plant. An interesting opinion in many respects regarding the start of the first round-the-world voyage of the Apostle Andrew was expressed by the State Yacht Inspectorate of the GKFTR Russia (in 1998):

“Who allowed a yacht that does not have state registration, does not have ship documents establishing the navigation area in accordance with the technical condition of the vessel and the qualifications of the crew, to go on a voyage of class MN - “unrestricted navigation” and fly the state flag of the Russian Federation?”

There is no doubt that the Russian Yacht Inspectorate employs specialists. I can only dare to suggest that there is not a single yachtsman among them.
Russian sailors have this proverb: “The farther from the sea, the longer the ribbons on the caps.” If yachting officials had known then that Captain Nikolai Litau would complete all his voyages around the world successfully, they would not have been in a hurry to accuse him of neglecting the rules of good maritime practice. As you know, winners are not judged.

And yet, it was not the inspectorate who came up with the saying that: “a shoemaker should make boots, and a cake maker should bake pies.” As a result of design flaws, the yacht was born with an excess weight of almost twice the calculated weight. The waterline went 15 centimeters into the water and the stern buried its transom in the water. The quality of construction left much to be desired, but what do you want from a carriage building plant?

The design of the yacht does not correspond to the purpose of circumnavigation so much that the crew does not pronounce the name of the designer out loud (in order to save nerves and non-standard vocabulary). Here we can agree with the previously stated opinion of the State Yacht Inspectorate of Russia. By the way, the ship's ticket for "Apostle Andrey" was issued for a coastal yacht with a distance of no more than five miles from the coast!? However, even if you follow this requirement, yachting on such a boat cannot be comfortable under any weather conditions.

For example, turning on a diesel engine that does not have sound insulation turns staying inside the yacht into torture known as a “music box.” In fresh weather, water flows through the deck in imaginable and inconceivable places, ensuring constant dampness inside the hull. There are no sensible heaters - there is a diesel fuel stove, which creates not so much heat as smoke and soot. Despite all the efforts of the crew, the interior of the yacht resembles a stoker. There are no large refrigerators for storing provisions. However, when circumnavigating the world at the pole, this is not so important, since the entire yacht turns into a refrigerator with a temperature no higher than +8°C. What's worse is that there are not enough fuel tanks. You have to carry barrels of diesel fuel on the deck. Fuel leaks create an unbearable atmosphere, especially when driving with the hatches battened down. In short, a long stay on a circumnavigation of the world aboard the Apostle Andrew can be described in one word - a nightmare.

The only positive emotions are the presence of reliable imported winches on deck and, oddly enough, high-quality ropes of Russian origin. Yes, and the yacht’s navigation support is excellent. Moreover, the main component is duplicated. Two Russian companies competing with each other provided Nikolai Litau with their modern computer systems with sets of electronic nautical charts covering the entire surface of the globe for his circumnavigation. And both work great. But what is especially interesting is that Russian companies issue cards in... English! It’s just a pity that all this invaluable equipment for a captain during a circumnavigation around the world is constantly flooded with sea water, and he has to work at the chart table, covered with cellophane.

In addition, “Apostle Andrey” leaves for such a risky circumnavigation with “tired rigging and worn-out sails.” As a result, immediately after going to sea, Captain Nikolai Litau will write down in the logbook the words that are familiar to tears to every Russian yachtsman:

“The old genoa can’t stand it and at the next turn the luff liner flies off. Changing the jib. A steep wave of more than a meter washes over the deck. There is water in the yacht that has to be constantly pumped out. It turned out that it was leaking from the chain box. Another nuisance is the smell of diesel fuel, which apparently splashes out of tanks that are filled to capacity.”

However, there is progress in Russian yachting. On the first circumnavigation of the world, the Apostles were dressed in a variety of clothes, including soldier's quilted jackets, and looked more like a team of plumbers than yachtsmen. On the second expedition the situation improved:

“The new waterproof boots allow you to return from your shift dry, and the stove, donated for the Arctic passage by our St. Petersburg friends, makes living inside the yacht much more comfortable than it was in the ice of Antarctica.”

It is also gratifying that pirates of all seas (apparently having learned about the patronage of the Russian Navy over the crew of the Apostle Andrew) hid together wherever they could and did not appear in the way of the icebreaker yacht on its circumnavigation. We must pay tribute to the phenomenal ability of Nikolai Litau to find the right levers and pressure points in the trained body of the Russian bureaucratic machine. It’s hard to even imagine the miracles that happen at almost any port of call: “A representative of the Ministry of Transport and the Russian consul were already waiting for us at the pier. They helped resolve formalities with the prefecture and customs.”

Or here’s another: “A dozen or so organizations and enterprises responded to the call of the administration of the Kamchatka region; they provided us with everything necessary for circumnavigation: fuel, gas, food, fresh water, and insured our lives.” It’s good for yachtsmen in Kamchatka with such concern from the administration!

One might imagine that the whole point is in the correct name - St. Andrew the Apostle is considered the patron saint of Russia. However, this circumstance did not stop the St. Petersburg thieves from stealing from the Apostle Andrew the dinghie that had just been donated by the sponsors two days before departure: “Thieves have nothing sacred!”

The old trick of CIS yachtsmen with sailors' passports has already been seen through in most countries. The fact is that a wonderful document in all respects (Seaman’s Book) is issued to seamen all over the world who work for hire in the merchant fleet and deprives them of the joy of obtaining entry visas to all countries of the world (except the USA).

In the Soviet Union, the “sailor’s passport” was not at all similar to the “Seaman’s Book” and combined two main functions. It replaced the foreign passport of a citizen of the USSR, and most importantly: it did not give its owner the opportunity to leave the ship and stay in a foreign port. Apart from the photograph, surname and name of the owner, it contained no information other than a description of appearance: height, eye color and special features. Essentially it was an international wolf ticket.

Russia, as a great state, was accepted by civilized countries into the G8. But Russian citizens were prudently left behind the “Schengen curtain.” This circumstance alone can turn any long-distance or round-the-world voyage of Russian yachtsmen into an extreme one. It’s good that most maritime powers (for example, Great Britain and France) treat yachtsmen leniently. Through their vast maritime domains, scattered throughout the world's oceans, you can move around on a yacht with minimal formalities.

Having passed through all the oceans of our planet during their circumnavigation, the crew of the “Apostle Andrew” could not help but notice that even the most remote places of the World Ocean are full of yachts and yachtsmen. Here are Captain Litau's observations:

“The island of Nuku Hiva is mountainous, indented by bays and canyons and very picturesque. Taiohae Bay is one of the most convenient in Polynesia. Very easy to enter, unlike the difficult winding fairways on the atolls. The number of yachts simultaneously anchored exceeds two dozen; three or four yachts come and go every day. What stood out was the 80-foot racing sloop flying the English flag that entered after us. Our twenty-meter mainmast, which had previously been the tallest in the roadstead, barely reached the middle of his mast. One of the two Swiss turned out to be very sociable. It's funny to see yachts from this "maritime" power on the other side of the earth. Lots of Americans. And only the Russian flag flew in splendid isolation.”

So it turns out that Russia is an undeniably great country, but its citizens do not have the necessary degree of freedom even in comparison with third world countries. To be fair, it should be noted that it was not only foreign officials who put obstacles in the way of the brave Russian sailors. At the end of June 1998, "Apostle Andrey" left Petropavlovsk for the final stage of its circumnavigation - the passage to the Arctic. Having reached Providence Bay in Chukotka within two planned weeks, we lost three weeks waiting for the go-ahead from Moscow to begin the Arctic circumnavigation. The route schedule was messed up and the right time to leave was missed.

End-to-end circumnavigation in the Arctic.

It took the crew of the Apostle Andrew exactly 13 months to, leaving 27 thousand nautical miles astern, go around the Western Hemisphere and become the first Russian yacht to travel along the sea route along the coast of Alaska and the straits of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (Northwest Passage). In addition, the Apostle Andrey became the first ship in the world to cross the Southern and Northern Polar Circles in one circumnavigation.

However, the crew of Captain Nikolai Litau is not alone in its team heroism. For example, during the 2002 navigation year, simultaneously with the Apostle Andrey, four more yachts made end-to-end circumnavigations in the Arctic. The main achievement, of course, is the voyage through the Northwest Passage of the first female crew: the French yacht Nouage (skipper Michel Demaille). In the Russian north, two yachts managed to improve the achievement of the Apostle Andrew - to pass the Northern Sea Route in one navigation: the French Vagabond (skipper Eric Brosier) and the German Dagmar Aaen (skipper Arved Fuchs). In 2002, these two yachts and the Apostle Andrey became a trio that completed a kind of circumnavigation of the world around the perimeter of the Arctic Ocean.

The Northwest Sea Route was discovered by the Norwegian Amundsen in 1903-1906. Since then, only 17 sailing ships have passed this way. Typically, in winter, ice can cover the entire surface of the ocean, and at the end of summer its area is reduced by about half. However, due to global warming, every year the waters of northern latitudes in the summer become more accessible for swimming.

And yet, yachtsmen who go to such latitudes cannot be envied in any case. At these latitudes, the difference between the geographic and magnetic poles of the Earth is so significant that the magnetic declination reaches 70°. In addition, the influence of magnetic storms adds another 15-20° inaccuracy. But the main problem is the cold.

The 42-foot steel tender Nouage, flying the French flag, reached latitude 74°20′ at the same time as Apostle Andrew. The crew of the yacht “Nuage” consisted of experienced amateur yachtsmen. Skipper Michele Demay (a television journalist) and her 30-year-old daughter Sabrina Thierry (an astrophysicist) have 80,000 miles of sailing between them in the Atlantic and Pacific. They were the fifteenth crew to sail the Northwest Passage (3,500 miles over two navigations), but the first all-female crew. Brave women remember with horror the piercing cold of the Arctic. The yachtsmen categorically refused the help offered by our gentlemen, since according to the conditions of their sponsors (a well-known cheese company in France), they must complete the circumnavigation route only on their own, with an all-female crew.

Being selfish adventurers, the French women in their memoirs use the meeting of “Nouage” with “Apostle Andrew” as an advantageous comparison for themselves - on a much larger yacht, six strong men were walking along the same route as them. This is female cunning!

Be that as it may, both of them had to be taken out of ice captivity by the largest Canadian icebreaker. Its captain, Stuart, is also a yachtsman and the owner of a steel ketch, however, he sails around the Arctic on an icebreaker, and uses the yacht in a more favorable climate and for its intended purpose - for recreation and sports. But what do these captains of Canadian icebreakers know about the pleasure of extreme yachting in the ice on a yacht built at a carriage repair plant?

Antarctic circumnavigation.

On September 14, 2004, our fellow countrymen set sail on a new circumnavigation of the world, this time the Antarctic. Along the way, the same problems awaited them, which already began to look like deja vu. The sheets, backstays, steering lines are torn, and what’s most unpleasant is that the rudder blade falls off in the middle of the ocean. You can forget about the desire to set another record for sailing yachts - to cross the parallel of 70° south latitude. After six months of travel, Nikolai Litau will write in his captain’s diary: “... half the job is done, we’re hanging around at the mercy of the wind... But, let’s hit some shore, and we’ll fix the rudder. What next?..”

Steered using an emergency rudder (using a combination of a cabin door and a spinnaker boom), the Apostle Andrew covered the 2,253 miles that separated it from New Zealand for almost a month.

A person far from yachting may have a logical question: why do Nikolai Litau’s crew need such feats? Sponsors, apparently, do not pamper our brave fellow countrymen too much, their yacht is not particularly comfortable and reliable, the routes they choose for circumnavigation are abnormally difficult, but without any signs of sailing. The answer can be found in the hymn of the crew of the Apostle Andrew:

...Why do we need all this? We won’t be able to answer,
And again the ocean of “Apostle Andrew” rocks...

“Apostle Andrey” is an ocean-going yacht created specifically for sailing in the polar seas.

Length – 16.2 m
Width – 4.8 m
Draft – 2.7 m
Displacement – ​​25 t

The yacht's hull, welded from steel sheets, has faceted contours. Strength and rigidity are ensured by the increased thickness of the skin (20 mm at the bottom) and the rigidity of the bulkheads.

Two masts - the main (19 m) and the mizzen (14 m) - carry 130 sq.m. sails Armament: Bermuda ketch. Maximum speed under sail is up to 12 knots. Cruising speed under sail is 5-7 knots. The auxiliary Iveco engine has a power of 85 hp.

The boat is equipped with modern means of navigation, radio and telephone communications, and has everything necessary for the life and work of a crew of 5-7 people.

At the suggestion of Patriarch Alexy II, the yacht was named in honor of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, who is the patron saint of the Russian fleet and sailors around the world.

“Apostle Andrey,” a yacht that has left thousands of nautical miles behind its stern, also has its own earthly biography.

In order to implement the project conceived by Captain Litau and travel the Northern Sea Route on a sailing ship, what was needed was not a simple cruising yacht, but a boat that could withstand the tests of cold, dampness, and most importantly, ice. Such a project has been developed. It was fundamentally different from the usual design solutions: it was proposed to make the hull steel with faceted contours without frames.


On July 1, 1993, the yacht was laid down in Tver. No one could have predicted that construction would take 3 long years. Financial and organizational problems, technological and technical difficulties disrupted all the deadlines and plans of the expedition organizers. The start was postponed, but preparations for the campaign did not stop.

Work on the hull of the boat was being completed, at the same time the Moscow company Electra was calculating and clarifying the design of yacht electrical equipment, and in St. Petersburg, in the design bureau of Alexander Struzhilin, a design of deck equipment, spars and rigging was being developed. There, in the northern capital, sails were sewn in Prokhorov’s workshop.


Finally, on July 31, 1996, after three years of work, hopes and doubts, the still unnamed yacht, accompanied by police cars, was slowly taken out of the gates of the Tver Carriage Works. This day was remembered by many: the builders, future team members, and townspeople. The old-timers in Tver still don’t remember such a downpour. It seemed as if the ocean had poured out of the sky, and under its flows the road to the ocean began. On August 9, 1996, the yacht was launched, and at the end of September it was transported to its home port of Moscow.


During all three years of construction, the boat lived without a name. Finding a suitable, sonorous name that corresponds to the idea for which a lot has been lived and experienced turned out to be not an easy task. A competition was even announced in the Moskovskaya Pravda newspaper. The titles sent by readers to the editor were beautiful, romantic, and realistic: from “Vitus Bering” to “The Master and Margarita.” But none of them became the only accurate ones.

Then, remembering the traditions of the Russian fleet, the Adventure Club asked the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II to bless those setting sail and help them choose a name for the yacht.The answer came unexpected:

“Thank you for your letter dated August 27 this year. and the message that in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet, the yacht built in Tver will soon set off on a trip around the world. Supporting such a timely initiative and taking into account your request, I think it is fair to give this yacht the name “Apostle Andrey”. In my opinion, this corresponds to the historical connection of the Russian fleet with the name of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, whose blue and white cruciform banner fluttered victoriously on Russian ships. I hope that, while sailing around the world, the crew will be able to justify the name given to the yacht, with honor and dignity before the whole world, testifying to the spiritual formation of our Fatherland, which is now being renewed, and the glorious traditions of the Russian fleet. May God’s help accompany you on your upcoming voyage.”

The consecration ceremony took place in Moscow. With the blessing of the Patriarch, it was performed by Hieromonk Jerome, rector of the Church of St. Gregory of Neocessary on Bolshaya Polyanka.


Reference: Andrew the First-Called- one of the twelve apostles. The son of Jonah, a fisherman from Lake Galilee, he and his brother Peter were disciples of John the Baptist. When the teacher once pointed out to them Jesus Christ walking by, saying: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,” Andrei followed Christ and was the first to testify about him as the messiah.

Therefore, he is called the First-Called. Saint Andrew, together with the other apostles, listened to the instructions of the divine teacher, saw his countless miracles, and witnessed the suffering, death and resurrection of the Savior. After Christ’s ascension into heaven, having received the gracious gifts of the Holy Spirit who descended on the apostles, Andrei went to preach the Gospel, calling to “repent and be baptized.”

According to the lot, Apostle Andrew went to the countries of the Black Sea region and taught the Word of life in Thrace, Scythia, delved into the region of New Russia, the Caucasus, returned to the “great city of Sevast (Sevastopol)” and, finally, the Dnieper rose to the Kyiv mountains. He blessed them, erected a cross and said to the disciples: “On these mountains the grace of God will shine and there will be a great city and many churches.” Then, continuing his journey, he reached Veliky Novgorod and the Varangians.

The Apostle Andrew suffered martyrdom in the Greek city of Patras (Patros) in the year 62. According to legend, the cross on which the apostle was crucified had a special shape - in the form of the Latin number X (in iconography - St. Andrew's cross).

The Holy Apostle Andrew is especially revered by Russians and is considered the patron saint of the Russian state. In 1699, the first and most senior Russian Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called was established. Since 1998, this order has been the highest award of the Russian Federation.

Until October 1917, the St. Andrew's Cross was depicted on the stern flags of warships of the Russian Navy. In 1994, Russian warships again raised St. Andrew's flags. The Russian Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called on November 30.