Dockhead, Mod im cruisersforum, fuhr dieser Tage von Kotka nach Wyborg.
Ein interessanter Bericht mit vielen nützlichen Details für Nachahmer.
Habe mir aber die Übersetzung durch Bing, Google etc. erspart.
Here's the hard data for anyone thinking about doing this yourself:
Vyborg is 63 miles from Kotka using the inside picking-your-way-through the rocks
passage from Kotka to Santio Island, where you check out of
Finland. From Santio, strictly follow the Fairway #4
route until this joins the
shipping lane not far from Vysotsk. Don't stop in Vysotsk; go straight to the customs pier in the center of Vyborg just under the castle; on your starboard side as you come into the harbor.
Call at least 24 hours ahead to Igor Kiselev at the Vyborg Sea Yacht Club "Favorit". The telephone is +7 813 782 4536. He will reserve you a berth and inform the Russian Coast Guard (required at least 24 hours in advance) and organize customs clearance.
Bring with you several copies of your crew list, and have them stamped by Finnish customs as you leave. You also need two copies of your boat's certificate of registry.
It is also useful to print out the customs declaration form and fill it in before coming -- it will save a lot of time. You need two originals of this.
Obviously you will need a Russian visa.
The port itself is pretty third-world, but it's superbly located for seeing Vyborg (one of the most interesting places I've seen in the Baltic). There is
electrical power and
water. You berth bow-to or stern-to the quay. Ask for a berth on the side of the yacht club building -- not under the bridge. The quay under the bridge has a 24-hour
security guard, but it's somewhat noisy from car traffic, and hordes of tourists coming to and from the (gorgeous 13th century) castle will be gawking at your boat all day and night, and looking down into your hatches at you.
The
electrical power connections have some weird four-conductor round connector I've never seen before, similar in size to the standard blue European 16 amp connectors but not compatible. I was able to
plug into a standard European outlet using an adapter I fortunately had around, but it would be better to
plug into the real
marine outlets, if someone understands what kind of plug that is. There is apparently no
chandlery in Vyborg, so no place I can figure out to buy such a thing.
Now about
fuel. Many people will be coming here for the
fuel, which today costs 33 rubles per liter, or less than a dollar. That makes it less than half the
price in
Finland, and it is pure dino juice, with no biocrap in it.
Unfortunately, there is no place to buy it in Vyborg proper, except at a petrol station and carried in canisters. You have to sail 5 miles towards the Saimaa Canal and buy it at the Lavola Yacht Club. Or proceed through the Brusnichnoe Lock and buy it there. The second variant is far away (10 miles in the wrong direction), and the first variant unfortunately not available this weekend to me as the pumps were hit by
lightning yesterday and knocked out of commission. So with the kind help of Igor and his car, I am going to be loading 600 liters of
diesel by canisters from a petrol station