Setting Sail on the Volga for the "Season Opener-2025" Race

The opening race of the season for cruiser-class yachts took place on June 14, featuring graduates of the university’s yacht club.

Daria Pyatnitsa and Elizaveta Kandalintseva raced as part of composite crews aboard F550-class yachts named Nemo and Dory.

It was certainly challenging—not only adapting to yachts quite different from their familiar Luch-class boats, but also coordinating with new crewmates on the fly during the race.

The wind on the Volga was brisk and strong enough for competitive racing. The two yachts sailed neck-and-neck until the leeward mark, where the Dory crew tangled their gennaker during retrieval, costing significant time. Despite the race’s difficulties, both crews handled the challenges successfully.

Alexander Shchegolevatykh, coach of the student yacht club, traditionally participated in the regatta as a crew member aboard the yacht Blick.

Additionally, Svetlana Kalinkina—a cadet in the university yacht club’s "Under Full Sail" project—got acquainted with new yacht classes (visually for now, but that’s a start!) while observing the race from the judges’ boat.

Race Results:

• Yacht Nemo (with Daria in the crew) – 1st place in Scoring Group 1.

• Yacht Dory (with Elizaveta in the crew) – 2nd place in Scoring Group 1.

• Yacht Blick (with Alexander in the crew) – 1st place in Scoring Group 3.

Congratulations to our team and all race participants!

Text: Elizaveta Kandalintseva

Photos: Svetlana Kalinkina