Russia 2019 (40) ON BOARD - Ship Ahoy Info

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Ahoy is a traditional greeting for hailing other sailors, but was originally a Viking battle cry.

Also, today was the wheelhouse tour. This is where the captain and his nautical crew safely navigate our ship from port to port. This area is not ordinarily open to guests. As we headed up to the top deck we passed some of the crew members.

...and life raft service pods. Each life raft holds 20 people. 

Vadim led the presentation. We learned the longship Akun was built in Germany in 1991, registered in Russia, and refurbished in 2014. Akun (the nephew of the Viking / Varangian ruler Rurik) was among the signatories of the 944 Rus' Kievan-Byzantine Treaty. This is the earliest written source of Old Russian Law involving trade treaties, criminal law regulations, inheritance issues, maritime law, and more.

The ship is 423 feet long and 56 feet wide with a draft of 10 feet. Tonnage is 5,600 fully loaded with passengers and supplies. The crew numbers 115 peeps. Top speed is 14 knots / 26 kph / 16 mph.

The captain was not there for our talk, but is well qualified. He studied six years and has 27 years of navigation experience. He has captained this ship for seven seasons and has never had an accident. Several other officers were on duty and offered a few facts.

Windows ran across the entire front and sides of the wheelhouse for excellent surveillance. See the shore ahead.

Here's one radar screen. There were several other radar and GPS devices as well. We saw MANY other longships cruising our same route to or from Moscow and Saint Petersburg, so this was reassuring.

Almost everything is computerized and digitized. The little half-circle steering wheel in the middle here takes the place of the big wood vertical wheel you see in pirate movies.

Lots of buttons, dials, indicators, lights, and levers.

Paper maps were there to back up and double check things, in case electronics go awry.

Other ship facts:

- Three engines with 6 main and 6 minor cylinders each

- Engines are hybrid for energy efficiency.

- Holds 240 tons of potable water and up to 260 tons of waste water.

- Waste water is filtered, tested, and directed into the river.

- The Volga-Baltic Canal is the hardest area to navigate.

- There is an autopilot.

- Licensed to go anywhere in Russia and Siberia.

- One refueling stop in Yaroslavl (240 tons).

- No brig on board.

- Ship life expectancy is 40 years.

- The river waters are about a half-meter below average this year.

- The ship is dry-docked over winter for two months of preparation for the next season.

- During that time the captain vacations...usually in Thailand, Rome, or Barcelona.

- Total of 100 crew, with 27 working the nautical side.

- The nautical crew works 4 hrs on and 8 hours off duty.

I hope I have this right, as notes were sketchy on the technical stuff.

Russia 2019 (39) KIZHI - Wood World Two

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After the church visit we were escorted to a history and crafts house.

Inside the interior had only natural light. This to simulate the reality of olden days, when electricity was not even imagined. We saw examples of daily life, like this baby cradle and walker.

A loom.

 Wooden wash barrel.

Snow sled.

Baskets and tools.

 And demos and crafts.

After the formal tour we had time to wander the island. We encountered this carpenter craftsman, a quiet man. He didn't say a word as he demo-ed making church roof shingles. He painted little scenes on them and sold them to tourists at a very fair rate. Before arriving, Margo had told us about this man, saying he never approached anyone to buy his wares, but would sell them if someone asked. It was a nice souvenir of the island.

As we walked about we saw many interesting wood structures. Fences were all made of wood with grapevine binding to hold them together. They were at an odd angle that I had never seen before and looked very sturdy.

Fields were being tilled for planting. That black earth looked so rich.

Scarecrows were at the ready.

Carts and horses were transporting goods.

Another much smaller, but still impressive church.

A small windmill. See the two huge churches and bellfry in the background.

A wooden boat.

Near the dock was a small souvenir shop where I bought chocolates for gifts back home. Outside was a kids "playground." So cute!

Back at the ship this lovely little one in traditional attire was there to wave us off.

Russia 2019 (38) KIZHI - Wood World One

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That evening and night we traversed through six more locks--one was the narrowest en route. Our ship was less than six inches from the wall on each side and I could easily touch it. All crew were on deck aided by thick rope lines hanging off the ship to minimize scraping between the lock wall and ship's hull.

Kizhi (pronounced Keeja) on the northern edge of Lake Onega (Europe's second largest lake) was our next port of call. Settlements are known to have existed here since the 15th century. Today it is an open-air, architectural museum and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The complex includes bell towers, a windmill, farmhouses, barns, mills, out-buildings, and two very unique, especially awesome churches.

This is my friend Jerolyn's favorite island in the world and she gave me a little book to read up on it. I can see why. The collection of buildings was relocated and reconstructed from the Karelian forest area (near the Finland border). Every building on the island is made completely of wood, except for nails fastening the domes and roof shingles.

This is a view of the two churches from the ship. The larger, 3-tiered Transfiguration Church (1714) has 22 domes. It is 37 meters (or 121 feet) tall. It is not heated so it is called the summer church. The smaller "winter" Church of the Intercession (rebuilt in current structure in 1764) has nine domes and is 32 meters (104 feet) tall.

The difference in wood colors (golden to silvery) shows how long the wood has been weathering. Right now they are refurbishing the taller church, so you can see the brand new wood is much lighter. Where the church on the right and the bell tower have been weathering for some time. Shingles are replace every 30-40 years.

It was blustery as we got off the boat. I think this is the first day I wore my heavy coat. Just ahead of us was our Captain and his 2nd grader son with their bikes. He had invited his young son on this cruise as a reward for doing so well on his final exams. He also has a 9-month old.

Here is a map of the island and its wood structures. The 80 "monuments" as they are called have been managed by three generations of one family for about 80 years. The major churches are to the right of the white anchor symbols where our boat was moored.

Here are the churches as we approach down the path. The closer we got the more awesome they were! Almost fairy-tale like. There is a car in this shot, but it was the only motor vehicle we saw on the island.

And a few more shots from different angles.

The weather was quite overcast most of the time or I'm sure the structures would have been even more beautiful.

This is the bell tower entrance to the bigger church, although we could not enter due to the refurbishment.

I guess I added so many photos of these churches because they were truly amazing and really not fathomable in one's mind unless you see them in person.

Our tour guide showed diagrams of the churches.

And displayed how the summer church was originally constructed. Even wood scaffolding was used during the process.

We entered the winter church and saw this display on the history of the churches and structures.

The interior was colorful with frescos and icons.

We were joined by clerics who chanted traditional songs.

Outside the church, even the graveyard had wood memorials.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kizhi_Pogost for more info on these churches.