The Russian sailing frigate Nadezhda has arrived in Vladivostok after completing the first leg of its Pacific expedition ahead of the APEC summit which will take place in this city in 2012. Having covered 14,000 nautical miles in 100 days, the crew demonstrated strength and stamina and overcame all the obstacles that came their way.

Having left Russia’s Far Eastern region of Primorye on September 14th, the frigate Nadezhda headed for the US coast. The ship was to have called at San Francisco and Honolulu. Instead, it visited Ensenada in Mexico and Japan’s Yokohama on its way back. Vadim Gaponenko, Vice-President of the Vladivostok Marine University, was in charge of the project.

"The naval cadets who did their training on board the Nadezhda had unforgettable experiences. The important thing is that we’ve accomplished the agenda set by the Russian government by implementing a variety of projects related to the Russian statehood, culture, art, science and education."

A center of the Russkiy Mir Foundation which opened on the frigate has become the 75th worldwide, and the world’s first floating one. A great deal was expected of it and it lived up to the expectations, Vadim Gaponenko says.

"Since the Russian naval center is fitted out with cutting-edge multimedia and recording equipment, the cadets immediately formed up artistic groups. They succeeded in staging various theatrical shows and rehearsing musical compositions to be performed in front of the audiences at their foreign ports of call."

In Mexico, the cadets and crew took part in an online conference with Vladivostok. While the ship was at anchor at Ensenada, members of the port administration, school students, ordinary residents and members of the Russian community came aboard. All visitors were impressed as they listened to the cadets who acted as guides. In their turn, a delegation from the Nadezhda attended an exhibition of educational services in Ensenada. Students and teachers of the Marine State University were introduced to the specifics of colleges and universities in Baja California. During its stay at a port in Japan, the Nadezhda hosted an event of the World Youth Model United Nations project.

Vadim Gaponenko comments: “The Nadezhda played host to a photo display and a multimedia exposition that told the visitors about preparations for the APEC summit in 2012. The young Japanese were inspired by what they saw. The young people chose to discuss peacekeeping and the debates and round tables went on for 4 hours.”

The second leg of the expedition is due to begin in March 2012. The frigate will be visiting Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and many other countries.

The Nadezhda frigate, a globe trotter with dozens of expeditions behind it and numerous regatta awards in its collection, will come back to Vladivostok on September 1st, the day before the start of the APEC-2012 summit.

/ Voice of Russia /