Let's save the ship together!

We regularly receive a wide variety of letters from our readers. Some make us smile, others — bewilderment, but we could not pass by one. To put it bluntly, even we are not asked every day to help save... a real ship! And even not simple, but historical — "St. Peter". Let's try it?!

1. Vladimir Shchetanov says: "It all started with an inconspicuous news report — on the morning of October 26, the Greek coast Guard discovered a ship in distress off the island of Kefalonia..."

2. It was not a boat, not a snow—white yacht ... Rather, the vessel could remind Greek officers of the work of masters from the past centuries, or maybe a ghost ship from sea tales. There are icons on the ship, a large wooden ark, the Russian flag is waving in the wind. The vessel is called "St. Peter".

Later there will be a message from RIA Novosti: "The boat with the relics of Admiral Ushakov is in distress in the Ionian Sea." Many people may have questions here. Why "rook", because a rook is something from Kievan Rus, low—breasted and with oars? And what is the Russian rook doing in the Ionian Sea, and even with the relics of Ushakov?

3. I will tell you a little about the history of lodia and about the history of this vessel… The full name of the ship in distress is "St. Peter Metropolitan of Moscow". This is a replica, as it is now customary to say, of the Pomeranian lodge of the XVIII-XIX centuries. (we will write with an "o", as was customary in the old days). Russian Pomors already in the XV-XVI centuries went on boats sailing on the Arctic Ocean. In those "hitherto" times, boats were really low-sided and with oars. But Peter's reforms changed the appearance of the Pomeranian ships. Although the construction of "old-fashioned" ships did not stop, contrary to the will of the emperor, the largest among them began to surprisingly adopt the features of European sailboats.

4. As for the St. Peter boat, it was built in 2002 in Petrozavodsk under the guidance of master Alexander Skvortsov. The technologies of the XVIII-XIX centuries were not reproduced during construction, the vessel was made according to modern standards of wooden shipbuilding and equipped with an engine. The main thing for shipbuilders was the reconstruction of the "architectural appearance" of the boat, in other words, I wanted to show how the North Russian folk ships looked a little more than a century ago — contours, spars, sails.

5. "St. Peter" was commissioned by the Moscow children's and youth club "Petroflot". In the early 2000s, the club's base was located directly opposite the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve.

6. From the first days of the ship's life, his vocation was the upbringing of children and adolescents. Many future captains worked on the ship as jung during the years of his voyages.

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8. Since 2004, an Ark with fragments of the relics of Admiral Fyodor Ushakov and his uncle Fyodor Sanaksarsky has been located on the boat during hikes. I remember when I was on the St. Peter for the first time, I was surprised by the abundance of icons, lamps, but most of all — the Ark, which was located in a small forward cabin. I didn't know then that the invincible Admiral Ushakov, the terrible Ushak Pasha, as the Turks called him, was canonized. Then, when I read about the admiral in the writings of the historian Tarle, I understood why.

9. There have been repeated foreign voyages, but personally, I have the warmest memories of hiking in Russia, especially in the North. Many of us then rediscovered such a seemingly familiar country. It was as if they looked at her differently — floating past the sides.

10. But let's return to the more pressing question — how did "St. Peter" end up in the Ionian Sea?

11. It all started in 2011, when we received an invitation from the French to represent Russia at the international maritime festival of historical ships "Brest-2012". We decided to go to Brest by the southern route, across the Mediterranean Sea, to visit the places of Ushakov's military victories with the cadets. Saint Peter came to the festival and, by the way, was the only historical wooden vessel representing our country.

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13. I returned to Russia, the ship was sailing back to the Mediterranean without me.

14. Lodya spent the whole of 2013 in Montenegro in complete lack of money. It was necessary to look for a base for the planned repair of the vessel.

15. When Crimea returned to Russia in 2014, the idea came up to go to the peninsula, repair there and then resume trips with children interrupted for two years.

16. For various reasons, the campaign was postponed, besides, there were almost no people on the "Peter" at that time — only Andrei and Volodya (captain and XO). In the autumn, despite the terrible weather, they still decided to break into Russia together. The ship had no other way out then.

And now they call me: "Peter" was thrown out by a storm on the reef…

17. It turns out: the old engine stalled, the ship was carried to the rocks, the anchor was thrown out, but it was too late — the ship leaned on the sharp rock with its left side. The hull was pierced below the waterline and the frame was damaged — the wounds are terrible, the "Peter" has never had such. But the ship is subject to restoration.

18. Photos came from Andrey — sad, full of despair. "Peter" is lying on his side, helpless, like a whale in shallow water. We need a crane and a pontoon to take the ship off the rocks, you can't pull it off with a tug — the hull will turn even more. The Greeks requested 26 thousand euros for the operation with a deposit of 10 thousand.

We, friends of the ship, started to raise funds, borrowed money, but it's still not enough. Therefore, we appeal to everyone who is not indifferent to ancient ships. We are asking for help in saving the ship.

19. A day later, on November 4-5, the southeast of the storm force is expected, from which the ship is not protected. If "Saint Peter" is not raised before that time, he will perish. There's almost no time left…