Due to the vast territory on which the Russian Federation is located, the country's population has an excellent opportunity to develop all possible sports. Climbers improve their skills thanks to the mountains of Altai, the Urals, Yakutia, Astrakhan and other formidable hills. The presence of a large number of rivers and seas allows you to master various types of rowing, surfing, sailing and others. The last category will be discussed in this article.
Dutch origins
Sailing has a long history. Its development began from the inception of shipping and shipbuilding. Six thousand years ago, when sea and river routes were the best way to travel, the role of the sail was already great. With the release of ships into the open ocean, its significance only intensified.
Initially, sailing began to develop in those countries whose population, due to the geographical location of the area, moved from one settlement to another mainly by water. The first state in whose territory yachting originated was Holland. After some time, the British adopted this sport. For the first time in history, sailing races were held in the seventeenth century. After some time, the first yacht clubs appeared in Europe. After several centuries, sailing has gained popularity in America. And then he migrated to Russia. The origin of the word "yacht" has Dutch roots. Translated from the national language of the country of windmills and tulips, it means "motor, sail-motor or just sailing means for moving around the water." This word has taken root well in many other states.
The innovations of Peter I
Sailing in Russia has a three hundred year history of development. The initiator of the promotion of this type of activity is the reformer and innovator Peter I. As you know, the king of all Russia loved all sorts of innovations and innovations. So, in the eighteenth century, traveling through the territory of Holland, Peter I noticed that on weekends and holidays a huge number of people have fun going out to sea on small ships with a sail. Upon returning to Russia, the tsar erects St. Petersburg. There he forms a fleet and initiates maritime shipbuilding. 1718 is rightfully considered the year the first sailing club appeared in Russia . He was under the command of the Nevsky Fleet, consisting of one hundred and forty yachts. Children of the nobility were forcibly sent to study yachting skills. They studied maritime affairs, sailed, participated in various competitions, etc.
Forgotten and Reborn
After the death of the emperor, the Nevsky Fleet created from under the stick was disbanded. From that time until the mid-nineteenth century, sailing in Russia was in a state of embryo and did not develop at all. In 1846, Nicholas I decided to revive yachting and issued a decree on the creation of the St. Petersburg yacht club. The first competitions were held a year later. The venue for the event was the Gulf of Finland. Seven yachts of various types and displacement left on the twelve-kilometer-long track. The crew of each ship was made up of members of the Baltic Fleet. The weight of the smallest yacht was 51 tons, and the largest - 257. The Varyag won the competition.
Growing popularity
Since then, such competitions began to be held several times a year. At the end of the nineteenth century, many yacht clubs were officially registered in the country. At that time, their number exceeded a hundred. Moscow, Warsaw, St. Petersburg, Kiev and many other populated centers enthusiastically developed sailing. Photos of past competitions and trainings, as well as various articles on this topic were issued by many yacht clubs. Periodicals were published monthly and were very popular among fans of this sport.
Participation in international competitions
In the spring of 1912 a significant event took place. It was then that the Russian Sailing Racing Union was created. Its first members were selected yacht clubs in St. Petersburg. A few weeks later this organization was accepted into the International Union of Sailing Competitions. This membership allowed Russian yachtsmen to take part in the Fifth Olympics held in Stockholm. One of the five Russian teams won a bronze medal in the competition.
Troubled times
The First World War and the October Revolution that followed became a kind of stopper for the development of yachting craftsmanship. Many members of the clubs went abroad, leaving their boats to the people. Those were nationalized and used to patrol coastal areas. A special Marine detachment appeared. There, volunteers studied navigation, maritime practice, signal business, and more. It is worth noting that the Marine Squad is the first sailing school in the Soviet Union. In turbulent wartime, machine guns were installed on their decks to enhance the military power of the yachts, the crew was armed with rifles and rifles. Thanks to the coordinated actions of the members of the Marine detachment, many English attacks were repelled. The crews of some ships were the youngsters of the Baltic and other fleets. Thanks to the excellent training methodology, the Maritime Crew of the Petrograd District, created in 1921, successfully "forged" personnel for the Red Army. In addition, the units of the institution held various competitions, water holidays and other events.
"Iron curtain"
The yachtsmen provided tremendous assistance during the Great Patriotic War. After its completion, USSR athletes did not have the opportunity to participate in international class competitions. Due to the Iron Curtain, the presence of the Soviet Union's yacht teams at European competitions was also undesirable. However, this in no way prevented athletes from honing their skills in the watery expanses of their native country. Onega, Ladoga, White and other lakes, as well as the seas of Russia allowed not only to train, but also to conduct a variety of competitions.
With the change in the political system in the country, the attitude of other states towards it also changed. Gradually, representatives of sailing from Russia became known abroad. At present, almost every international class competition can meet our team, the coach of which is the master of sports, Vanin Sergey Nikolaevich.
Current state of affairs
The beginning of the twentieth century was marked by the appearance of the first international union of sailing. Under this name, the organization lasted until 1996. Then she became known as the International Sailing Federation. Over two years of intense activity, this institution has united under its wing more than a hundred small similar departments located in various countries.
At the moment, sailing is a type of sports activity in which participants compete with each other using various equipment. This includes ships and boats, special sledges that move on snow and ice, carts that can move on a hard surface. All these tools have one thing in common - the sail. Today, the type of activity in question is distributed throughout the world. A huge number of competitions now and then take place in different parts of the world.
Winter kiting
There are several types of sailing. Racing in yalas (single yachts), regattas, kiting, winter windsurfing, etc. are held in more than fifty countries of the world. The opinion that the best times of the year for sailing are warm seasons is a mistake. Frost and snowfall also contribute to kiting and windsurfing. The first category is the most progressive winter sailing today. Kite flying requires a kite. Its second name is “kite”. It has various sizes, which allows you to "catch" the wind of various strengths. It is worth noting that kiting is all-season. Depending on the weather, only equipment changes. In the snow it's skiing, snowboarding. Skates will be the best help on ice, surfboards or twintypes are used on water, and rollers, buggies and mountain boards on the ground.
Snowkiting is very popular in Russia. Anyone can try their hand in this sport. It does not matter neither weight, nor physique, nor the age of the person. Compared to other areas of sailing, equipment for kiting is not characterized by high cost.