THE world’s largest traditional sailing ship, the STS Sedov, has docked at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town for the first time in 77 years.
The Russian vessel, which is primarily a training ship, holds the Guinness World Record for the biggest sailing vessel dedicated to the training of naval cadets.
Its latest journey started early last year, covering more than 45000 nautical miles and calling at ports on four continents – Europe, America, Asia and Africa.
The expedition is devoted to the celebration of the 1150th anniversary of the birth of Russian statehood.
During the 14-month voyage, 300 cadets from various maritime academies in Russia had the opportunity to do their practical training on board the stately craft. The Sedov is unique in that it is entirely manually controlled. Nothing on board the ship is mechanised, meaning the cadets literally get a chance to learn the ropes.
Konstantin Rodin, 22, a cadet on board the Sedov, said he had gained invaluable practical experience in his six months on the ship. He admitted, however, it had not been easy.
“ Even after the 10 months of training I did at cadet school, on the ship you learn things the hard way.
“We work on the masts, tie knots in the ropes and paint the ship; that is the kind of work we do for most of the day,” said Rodin.
“It is our first meeting with the sea, where we must learn to work under various pressures. Only after this training can we decide whether we want to be sailors or not.
“Working on the masts during a storm is very scary,” said Daniil Simanov, another trainee. “About a week ago, just after we left Madagascar, we had two days of very rough weather.
“The waves, which were about eight metres high, were breaking all over the deck.”
The Sedov, which is captained by Nikolai Zorchenko, was launched in Germany in 1921. After World War 2 in 1945, it was handed over to the Soviet Union as part of Germany’s war reparations.
The Sedov will be docked at the V&A Waterfront until today.
300 cadets sail the seven seas
The Russian vessel, which is primarily a training ship, holds the Guinness World Record for the biggest sailing vessel dedicated to the training of naval cadets.
Its latest journey started early last year, covering more than 45000 nautical miles and calling at ports on four continents – Europe, America, Asia and Africa.
The expedition is devoted to the celebration of the 1150th anniversary of the birth of Russian statehood.
During the 14-month voyage, 300 cadets from various maritime academies in Russia had the opportunity to do their practical training on board the stately craft. The Sedov is unique in that it is entirely manually controlled. Nothing on board the ship is mechanised, meaning the cadets literally get a chance to learn the ropes.
Konstantin Rodin, 22, a cadet on board the Sedov, said he had gained invaluable practical experience in his six months on the ship. He admitted, however, it had not been easy.
“ Even after the 10 months of training I did at cadet school, on the ship you learn things the hard way.
“We work on the masts, tie knots in the ropes and paint the ship; that is the kind of work we do for most of the day,” said Rodin.
“It is our first meeting with the sea, where we must learn to work under various pressures. Only after this training can we decide whether we want to be sailors or not.
“Working on the masts during a storm is very scary,” said Daniil Simanov, another trainee. “About a week ago, just after we left Madagascar, we had two days of very rough weather.
“The waves, which were about eight metres high, were breaking all over the deck.”
The Sedov, which is captained by Nikolai Zorchenko, was launched in Germany in 1921. After World War 2 in 1945, it was handed over to the Soviet Union as part of Germany’s war reparations.
The Sedov will be docked at the V&A Waterfront until today.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos