An expedition on a Russian yacht Delta has started from Moscow. During the voyage, the crew will visit dozens of cities, at the same time testing the operation of the Russian navigation system GLONASS.
A box for a box, a case for a case… On June 12, 2011, yacht Delta sailed ‘light’ from the Kremlin walls, food and equipment are being loaded only now – here, in 10km from Moscow. Provisions, clothes, and even a welding set. The navigation system has just been installed. The unique case: For the first time in the history of round-the-world trips, apart from GPS equipment, the Russian GLONASS system will also operate on board. Its testing is the main purpose of the expedition.
“There are places not covered by GPS,” explains Pavel Sosnovy, a specialist in navigation equipment.
Navigation is not only by satellite, it is also mystical. In addition to the three crew members, a brownie has also set off for the round-the-world voyage. At the same time, Delta’s amulet and compass have long taken their place aboard.
“That’s a friend of ours. It usually faces us if everything is alright. If something goes wrong, it turns its face to the wall during a storm. Then we find out what’s wrong.” first mate Sergey Samarets says.
In the cabin, not large enough even for one, the crew will have to spend three years – that’s how long the expedition will last. The conditions seem austere only to those who have never been at sea. For real travelers, it‘s almost a luxury suite.
“That will be our sleeping place and that’s a place for cooking. We’ve got water and a cooker. It will be my duty to cook, as I have skills,” Sergey explains.
The name ‘Delta’ is not accidental. It’s a hidden hint for pirates, everyday problems, and bad weather. In marine language, the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet stands for ‘stay away from me.’
10 meters long and 16 meters high, the mast included. The dimensions that suit both for rivers and oceans. The Delta’s hull was made of ultra-light alloy in St. Petersburg as far back as mid-1990s. The boat was then at a loose end for a long time. No one could have thought of such a great future for it.
“When I found it, it was a construction trailer. It was somebody’s sleeping place. Farther that way there was a vegetable garden with radish and parsley,” the yacht captain Andrey Nevzorov recollects.
That was 10 years ago. Now, thanks to the efforts of Andrey Nevzorov, the yacht is in the ideal condition. It features both a 25 horsepower engine, and a power supply system, and even an on-board computer. The yacht’s independent sailing can last for more than 20 days.
Yacht Delta has no wheel. Its control is done through a mobile device. It has five buttons only. One can steer it from the cabin and even from the shore.
The crew has a very long way ahead – over 55,000 km. St. Petersburg and Petrozavodsk. Then Europe, the US, the Caribbean, Australia, and Asia. And then back to Moscow.
“When the boat enters any country, we should raise this country’s flag. We have about fifty of them here,” – Andrey Nevzorov says.
At each port yacht Delta will stay for several days. At UNESCO’s request, the crew will check the availability of cultural monuments for those traveling by sea.
However, apart from technical and cultural tasks, the travelers have a personal goal: They plan to prove to themselves that “one can measure one’s life in kilometers, rather than square meters.”