San Francisco welcomes Russian sailing ship The Pallada

LOS ANGELES, August 20 (Itar-Tass) -- The Russian sailing ship The
Pallada, belonging to the Far Eastern State Technical Fisheries University
(Dalrybvtuz) dropped anchor at the American port of San Francisco on
Friday. The city, named after a Spanish saint and owing its emergence and
rise to the Gold Rush (1848 - 1855) is the fifth stop during the voyage,
devoted to the 270th anniversary of the Russian sailors' first visit to
America and the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's space flight.
The Pallada is enjoying VIP reception. U.S. Coast Guard boats were
dispatched to welcome it into the harbor. Accompanied by the escort of
honor the ship passed San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge and approached
berth number 27. The crew and cadets of the frigate lined up on the deck.
On the shore they were welcomed by Russian diplomats, led by
Consul-General Vladimir Vinokurov, members of the Russian-speaking
community and public organizations. The Russian consul-general went on
board the ship, Russia's national anthem was played, and the crew
responded with a triple Hurray! to the official greeting of the Russian
diplomat.
The San Francisco Mayor's Office, the Russian consulate and the U.S.
Coast Guard have assumed sponsorship of the Pallada crew for three days to
come. The program of activities prepared for the Russians has turned out
to be extremely large and diverse. There will be traditional celebrations,
a trip to the National Park Fort-Ross, where there is a unique historical
monument to Russian participation in the development of America, and the
laying of wreaths at the memorial plaques on the waterfront Embarcadero
and Russian Hill, concerts by folk groups, and even fashion shows. As
expected, the sailors will witness the establishment in the San Francisco
of Russia Day and attend in the capacity of VIP guests special events
arranged by the joint humanitarian mission. The mission will be collecting
donations for the installation in Sevastopol of a memorial plaque in honor
of American volunteer doctors who were helping the wounded defenders of
the city in the Crimean War (1853 - 1856).
The crew will also play a soccer match with a team of the US Coast
Guard. The match is expected to be a thrill, as The Pallada's crew has
some players with nearly professional skills and the local Coast Guard are
known to be very at the game, Leonid Nakhodkin, who heads the joint
humanitarian mission in San Francisco, told Itar-Tass. This nonprofit
organization has made a great contribution to the preparation of
recreation programs and leisure for the Russian guests.
The Pallada is one of the most famous Russian sailing ships. This
modern three-masted training ship was built in 1989 in Gdansk, at the
request of the Fisheries Ministry and is intended for the practical
training of cadets from maritime training institutions, official purposes,
and participation in international regattas and festivals. Over its 20
years the sailing ship made 109 voyages and visited 101 ports in 35
countries. Over 12 thousand cadets and students have participated in
training voyages on The Pallada. The ship is in the Guinness book of
records as the world's fastest sailing craft. It can reach speeds over 18
knots.