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Appuskidu went too

A Baltic & St Petersburg Adventure with a sailboat in tow.

 

   

 

The initial print run is sold out but if you are seriously researching a trip to the region, let me know as it may be possible to offer you a copy on CD. My email address can be constructed from the address of this web site by deleting anything in front of hopwood.uk.net such as “Http://www.” and replacing it with “douglas@”. Alternatively, the book is available on loan from the Drascombe Association Library.

 

 

 

 

'Appuskidu went too' is a book for anyone interested in independent motoring around the Baltic cities, for anyone intrigued by the extra places you can explore when you have a small cabin boat in tow and for anyone with a little of the spirit of 'Swallows and Amazons'. Here is a record of the first journey to St Petersburg with a 'trailer sailer' and the wealth of experiences along the way. 

 

        

 

Some of the events from this wonderful journey that are chronicled in the book include an encounter with a gunboat, finding the hidden treasures of the Hermitage, dealings with dodgy Russian cops and making a voyage in the wake of Arthur Ransome.

We hope that this book will inspire other ordinary adventurous souls to consider similar journeys that they could make in their own car with or without a boat for the experience of a lifetime.

 

The book is illustrated with over 150 monochrome photographs as well as charts. The chapter headings of the book are set out below to give you some idea of the scope of the journey.

 

 

        Contents

Preface                                                                                                                             1

Friday 4th June                                                                                                               5

Newcastle

Learning how to disable a car alarm

Saturday 5th June                                                                                                          8

Newcastle to Gothenburg

The Cruise to Sweden – & St Petersburg moves to Greenland

Sunday 6th June                                                                                                           11

(1) Gothenburg to Stockholm

Locked in the floating car park & ‘aeroplanes on sticks’

(2) Ferry to Turku Finland

Dancing through the islands in everlasting sunset

 

Monday 7th June                                                                                                          15

(1) Turku and on through Helsinki

Mistakenly breathalysed in Turku & a new style summer starts

(2) The Russian Border

Hour after hour of very much ado about nothing

(3) Border to St Petersburg

Nightmare road

Tuesday 8th June                                                                                                         25

Central River Yacht Club

Rain and crumbling communist concrete

Wednesday 9th June                                                                                                    29

 

 

Exploring the city

When to steal a car, McDonald’s and a Russian trolleybus

Thursday 10th June                                                                                                     37

Voyage to Peterhof

Encounter with a Russian gunboat and later a rude Russian

Friday 11th June                                                                                                          45

Hermitage & St Isaac’s

‘Cretinous Octopus’, Da Vinci and the pickpocket

Saturday 12th June                                                                                                      54

Voyage to Kronstadt

Turfed out by the Russian Navy

Sunday 13th June                                                                                                         60

 

 

The Hermitage

The profusion of modern art

A Hermitage Treasury

Hidden gold and jewels

Peter & Paul Fortress

Rockets and murdered Tsars

The Cruiser Aurora

A unique warship (sunk to protect it from German guns)

Monday 14th June                                                                                                       71

 

 

Voyage up the Neva River

Illicit journey

Tuesday 15th June                                                                                                       76

St Petersburg to Estonia

Crooked cops and even more ado about even less

Wednesday 16th June                                                                                                 88

To Pirita and Tallinn

English stately home and a night in the car for Margaret

Thursday 17th June                                                                                                     93

Tallinn Old Town

Fat Margaret’s Tower, applied art, flowers and a convent

Friday 18th June                                                                                                          99

 

 

 

Voyage to Naissaar Island

Forest, Russian mines, roses and a romantic deserted beach

 

Saturday 19th June                                                                                                   103

Sail back to Pirita

Booze cruisers and practising ‘finding the ferry’

Sunday 20th June                                                                                                       108

Voyage to Helsinki

Margaret alone to Helsinki

Sunday 20th June                                                                                                       113

 

 

 

Voyage to Helsinki

Douglas’s trip - In Ransome’s wake. A cracking good sail

Monday 21st June                                                                                                     123

Helsinki

Move to Lauttasaari and England win the football match

Tuesday 22nd June                                                                                                    127

Voyage out through the islands

Sailing clubs and a rally driving legend

Wednesday 23rd June                                                                                               131

More great islands

His and hers loo with an amazing view

Thursday 24th June                                                                                                  136

Helsinki then the Turku ferry

The fight to get on to the ferry

Friday 25th June                                                                                                        142

 

 

Stockholm

Flowers in their hair, a golden room and midsummer celebrations

Saturday 26th June                                                                                                   151

Stockholm to Malmo

Lake Vattern and Brahehaus

Sunday 27th June                                                                                                       154

Copenhagen at the run

Odense, ugly ducklings and the Esbjerg ferry

Monday 28th June                                                                                                     161

Harwich and home

Sailing barges, sailplanes & home to British traffic

What have we learnt from the experience?                                                       163

Boating and motoring influences                                                                         165

References                                                                                                                  172

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

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