by Barbara Burke
Photos by Karen Fien
During the first week of August, our stretch of the Erie Canal in Western New York was visited by Russian sailors traveling on an 18th-century handmade pine wood replica of a Russian White Sea sailing boat. Named “Pilgrim,” the vessel is 42-feet long, has three masts, and took one and a half years of work to build. “Pilgrim” is the result of a life-long dream of the ship’s Captain, Sergey Sinelnik. He and the crew are fulfilling that dream – to sail around the world.
The adventure began in Russia on July 22, 2017, with 46-year-old adventurer Captain Sergey Sinelnik commanding. “Pilgrim” entered the water at the Svir River in Russia. A banner displayed on the deck of “Pilgrim” proudly proclaims the vessel as an “International Cultural Sail Expedition.”
Onboard is a floating museum of works of art, products of national trade, and exhibition of models (made by Captain Sergey’s twin brother Alexander), dioramas, and handmade articles relating to Russian shipbuilding and nautical history. The Captain and crew of “Pilgrim” define themselves as global ambassadors. On their website, an excerpt from the Pilgrim Project Philosophy states, “We are free! The world is not hostile; fears are only in our head. We can choose the paths. Live in harmony with nature, simple and with the measure in all. Navigate on Ocean routes, live the adventure of cognitive life. For Pilgrim happiness is always beyond the horizon, moving into the distance, in time and space, with God in heart.”
“Pilgrim” docked on the canal in Spencerport on August 7 for a brief visit. At this time, they had already logged 11,000 nautical miles into their journey. Westside News staffer Karen Fien went down to the canal to snap some pictures. Karen struck up a conversation with first crewmate Alexei Volchok and was invited on board to see the museum. “I have always loved boats. I really enjoyed seeing the museum because I also love old things. Seeing those artifacts from another culture was very interesting. It really wasn’t difficult to communicate. Alexei spoke English, but not many words were exchanged between us. It was such a great experience. I kept thinking about what it must have been like to cross the Atlantic Ocean on board this sailboat; it is really close quarters,” Karen said.
Karen met Captain Sergey Sinelnik, but they didn’t talk, he simply handed her his business card. After the visit, Karen went home to her garden and picked fresh vegetables. She returned to the sailboat and gave them to the crew. At that point, Captain Sergey gave her a big smile and asked if it was OK to take her picture, documentation of the kindness they received from Americans. We are all citizens of one world, and kindness has no language barriers.
To follow the around the world journey of “Pilgrim” and crew, go to their Facebook page Historic Boat Pilgrim.
