Print text2003 — Expedition “Ro i Osterled” (Rowing to the East)
NORWEGIAN-RUSSIAN EXPEDITION
Date: June 26 — July 16, 2003
Route: Novgorod (Rus) — Kirishi (Rus) — Staraya Ladoga (Rus) — Novaya Ladoga (Rus) — Schlusselburg (Rus) — St.-Petersburg (Rus)
In summer of the year 2003 the Smolensk Viking-Nevo club took part in the international Norwegian-Russian expedition “Ro i Îsterled” (Rowing to the East). Participants of the expedition passed 420 kilometers by sailing boats along the Volkhov river, Ladoga Lake and the Neva river from Novgorod to St.-Petersburg.
Participants of the expedition:
The expedition was organized by the Norwegian organization KYSTEN (the Coastal Association) together with several different groups in Russia: the sport-expeditionary club “Viking-Nevo” (Smolensk), Center of the Youth Tourism and Sailing Sports (Novaya Ladoga), the Gamayun club (Smolensk) and the Atlantic Challenge (St.-Petersburg).
Leaders of the expedition:
- Tore Friis-Olsen, KYSTEN Association (Norway),
- Terje Planke, ethnologist, Department of Cultural Studies at the University of Oslo, (Norway),
- Sergey Suhoruchenkov, chief of the Viking-Nevo club (Russia),
- Gleb Lebedev, Doctor of Historical Science, professor (Russia).
It took twenty days for the international crew to cover the part of the route from Varangians to Greeks from Novgorod to St.-Petersburg. On June 26, four Norwegian boats (one of the boats was a replica of the 10m long Gokstad boat), the yacht Bylina from Novaya Ladoga (captain Vladimir Golubkov) and the sailing boat Dir of the Smolensk Viking-Nevo club (captain Max Pryazhevsky) started the Norwegian-Russian expedition along the ancient route.
The Vikings from Smolensk were represented by two teachers, four students, seven pupils and Topi Tapaila from Finland, the foreign member of the Viking-Nevo club. Four people from the Gamayun club took part in the voyage by Norwegian boats. Altogether 18 people and that was the deserved representing of the famous town Smolensk on the international level! The Smolensk State Small Vessels Inspectorate provided the crew with the excellent life-boat which also let to make the high-quality photo and video shoots.
This expedition was already the third one for the Viking-Nevo club with Norwegians. The first Norwegian-Russian voyage was organized in 1991. It started from northern Trondheim but then was suddenly interrupted in St.-Petersburg in August 19. Smolensk Vikings were lucky to sail by the biggest at present Viking ship Havorn (Osprey) from Tallinn to St.-Petersburg. Havorn was going to spend the winter time in Smolensk but because of putsch Norwegians had to change plans and went to Helsinki where the Havorn was placed in the Sea Museum for one year.
In 1992 the political warming let Scandinavians to continue the way to the east. The international crew of the Norwegian boat Erninge which was built in Staraya Ladoga and Smolensk boat Dir passed the way from Staraya Ladoga to Novgorod and then along the Dnieper river reached Odessa together with the Viking ship Havorn. The new family of Tore Friis-Olsen from Norway and Irina Lavrenenko from Smolensk was formed during that voyage. And now Katarina, nine-years old daughter of Tore and Irina, took part in the expedition as a member in the Norwegian crew together with her father.
On the Volkhov river when the lock was successfully passed the expedition met the high-rank guests from Norway, who joined the international crew for two days for celebration the jubilee of Staraya Ladoga. The guests were Børge Brende, the Norwegian Minister of Environment, and Øyvind Nordsletten, the Norwegian ambassador in Russia.
When all the Vikings were preparing for the meeting, the skilled crew of the Smolensk Dir boat with the help of Anatoly Kabanov cooked the excellent supper for the guests from Norway and all other crew-members. And Norwegians were really surprised when they were saluted with the volley of champagne and invitation to the rich food-table after just stepping on the land. The Norwegian ambassador was late a little because of swimming in the Volkhov-river. After swimming he was so cold that he preferred to taste not champagne but the Smolensk hot drink. The mayor of Novaya Ladoga also visited the expedition this evening. He told that the camp-place was full of snakes and it even called the fouls place. Following the legend the snake, which killed Oleg, the Russian ruler of Novgorod and Kiev in the X century, crept from here. The Oleg’s grave-mound is situated in Staraya Ladoga.
Next morning six Norwegian and Russian boats came to the walls of Staraya Ladoga, the first capital of Russia with full parade. The Museum of Staraya Ladoga arranged a warm welcome to crew-members and guests of the expedition. Ludmila Gubchevskaya, the director of the Museum, met Vikings as very good friends. Since 1992 Smolensk Vikings visited Staraya Ladoga three times during sailing along the Volkhov river. Sergey Suhoruchenkov ceremonially presented to the Norwegian ambassador the ceramic souvenir with the Smolensk region map and some ground from the source of the Dnieper river.
The expedition stopped in Staraya Ladoga for three days. During these days the seminars and meetings were held and the new Vikings joined the crew. The crew-members visited the Museum of Staraya Ladoga, walked along Varangians street, saw the archaeological complex. The Smolensk crew-members celebrated the 1250-jubilee of Staraya Ladoga with baptism of Artem Sukhorutchenkov, the youngest crew-member in the Ioanna Predtechi (John the Baptist) church. Two Atlantic Challenge boats from St.-Petersburg also joined the expedition in Staraya Ladoga.
Then the Vikings had a short stop in Novaya Ladoga where the warm welcome and dinner party were found. Everything was organized by the Center of the Youth Tourism and Sailing Sports, one of the participants of the voyage. The Volkhov river (220 km) was passed successfully and the Ladoga Lake was reached but the Smolensk crew-members became a little bit sad with the design went into the Canal and not to the Ladoga. In 1994 the Viking-Nevo club had already passed the Ladoga up to Schlusselburg and there were no any life-boats as at this time. During rowing the Canal (120 km) Vikings got a lot of hands callous. The weather did not pet Vikings with the sun but some times the fair wind let to put up the sails. Several days later the expedition reached Schlusselburg and visited famous Peter’s fortress Oreshek (the Nutlet).
The final stage of the voyage passed along the Neva-river (74 km) and after it the expedition finished successfully in St.-Petersburg. About 420 km were covered during the whole voyage. Gleb Lebedev, the research leader of the voyage, found a really wonderful place for the camp. The Vikings put up the tents in the center of St.-Petersburg in the Petropavlovskaya Krepost. During three days of rest the crew-members hold the seminars, discussed the expedition results and visited a lot of Museums including the Hermitage.
All the organizers, participants and high rank guests of the expedition mentioned its large social, cultural, historical and practical importance. This voyage was the beginning of many-years program of co-operation between social organizations of Norway and Russia. The Smolensk Viking-Nevo club is sure that it will be more similar joint voyages in future.
After seeing home the Norwegian friends the Smolensk Vikings visited the yacht-club of the St.-Petersburg Technical University and met with Konstantin Nemchinov, the commodore of the club. The sea training of the Smolensk Vikings was held in this yacht-club many times and in 1997 the new Smolensk road was built. The road protects the island from the flood.
The Viking-Nevo club thanks a lot the Education Department of the Smolensk Administration, the Smolensk State Small Vessels Inspectorate and Smolensk Regional Council ROSTO for their help in preparation and realization of the voyage.
