The journey up the Kamchatka Peninsula has been memorable to say the least. The scenery is stunning, and we've taken the opportunity to enjoy it, having cut our speed. We know we can't get in to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy until Monday morning, so we've done a bit of sight-seeing. Of course there is the small matter of infringing the Russian 12 mile coastal limit, but the volcanoes and mountains look much more spectacular from just a mile offshore.
The sun sets over the mountains at around 11pm, and a rosy afterglow lights up a snowy ridge for a good hour afterwards. Even with the sun gone, we can still see plenty. The moon is full and bright in the crisp night air, bathing the mountains in a mysterious blue light.
We arrive at the entrance to Avachinskaya Bay early Sunday morning. We've been given a precise list of co-ordinates which we must follow, and where we can expect to be boarded, but we're here a day early. We phone Martha, our American contact on the ground in P-K.
"So what would be the reaction if we made our way further into the harbour anyway?" Alan asks Martha.
"They could shoot you," she replies "they did with someone else a couple of days ago".
It's apparent that we're in a sensitive area. The mountainsides on each side of the bay are bristling with early warning radar domes and radio installations. This of course is the closest point to the United States, and doubtless during the Cold War, was a major centre of military activity.
We've had people trying to contact us on the VHF radio, but whilst we can hear them, they can't hear us. It's a problem we've had before - we're very low in the water, so our signal doesn't go as far.
So now we're drifting just outside Avachinskaya Bay. There are people ashore who know we're here, and trying to cut through the communication barriers. Fingers crossed they're successful.
Clive Tully
FACTBOX
Muroran - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy
Time of leg: 3 days 8 hours 52 minutes
Length of leg: 1,056 nautical miles
Total distance covered: 12,300 nautical miles
Distance to go: 12,620 nautical miles
Average speed over leg: 13 knots
Time from Gibraltar: 48 days 7 hours 22 minutes
Fuel consumed: 2,322 litres
Average fuel consumption: 2.19 litres / nautical mile
Next stop: Adak Island, Aleutians, USA
ETA: Tuesday (after we've crossed the international date line)
Copyright Clive Tully ©2002
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