On July 2, pupils of the St. Alexievsky Pustyn Gymnasium began their traditional summer sailing training on Pleshcheyev Lake. The first day turned out to be eventful: the guys quickly set up camp, and then went swimming. Lunch was prepared in the field, and after a rest, we conducted a safety briefing. In the evening, the fishermen went to catch fish, the rest gathered around the campfire — they sang songs, shared their impressions and gradually got into the rhythm of collecting.
Such gatherings teach children endurance, mutual assistance and the ability to overcome difficulties together. The F. Ushakov Cadet Corps organizes training camps. It appeared at the gymnasium in 2011 and has since turned into a full-fledged sailing and rowing school. The project is supported by the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Education, the All-Russian Sailing Federation, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Yaroslavl Region and the Pleshcheyevo Lake National Park itself. The task is simple: to teach high school students from 10 to 18 years old to sail all year round, and in the summer to accept children from other regions for training camps.
The lake was chosen for this purpose for a reason. It was here that Peter the Great laid down his funny flotilla in 1692, so for the cadets it is not just a reservoir, but literally the birthplace of the Russian fleet. Plus, there is a practical side: the lake is part of the national park, the way here is closed to motorboats, and the wind is constantly changing here — what you need to really learn how to work with a sail. Unlike large rivers, there is no ship passage here, so you can safely maneuver without looking back at large vessels.
Pupils of the St. Alexievsky Desert regularly practice on yawls, six—oared boats with a sail. As part of the training camp, the guys practice sailing and rowing skills.In 2021, the cadets completed a seven—day autonomous boat trip along the Volga, covering 250 kilometers — and this is far from a one-time story, but part of an ongoing program: training camps, regattas, radial exits and a "roundabout" - circumnavigating the lake in a circle with the crew working out the actions in case of an overkill. As a result of such classes, some of the children take an exam and receive a certificate of "boat foreman" at the Yaroslavl Children's Marine Center named after Admiral Ushakov. The yawl flotilla of the St. Alexievsky Desert has repeatedly become the basis of sailing regattas on Pleshcheyev Lake.