I Can Have You Killed

Sail Training International scored a bit of a coup when it persuaded Vladimir Putin to be guest of honor at the prize giving of The Tall Ships’ Race from Gdynia, Poland to St Petersburg, for it meant that many thousands of visitors turned up at the stage on the Spit of Vasilievsky Island to see Premier Putin present the prizes.

The Tall Ships, including some of the largest square rigged vessels in the world such as St Petersburg based Mir, Dar Mlodziezy from Poland and the brand new Swedish ship Tre Kronor, are moored up along Lieutenant Shmidt Embankment, on the River Neva, and roads along the waterside have been closed to allow an estimated one million plus visitors the opportunity to take a closer look at these spectacular vessels. We wonder why the VOR guys didn’t get Putin to come along? Based on the look on Putin’s face, maybe we know why…Photo by Sue Pelling and more of the ships and celebrations here.