The history of water tours of St. Petersburg: from Peter to Vladimir

Peter saw the sea for the first time at the age of 21. The boy was born and raised in Moscow. He spent summers in the Moscow region. Like all children, he loved to float toy boats in streams and sail on rafts and boats along the Yauza River. And then – the sea. It was formidable, it was gentle, it was boundless. The sun didn't set beyond the horizon, shining all day and all night. And in the port stood ships. Real ones. With enormous sails, with bright flags and pennants. For Peter's arrival, the admiralty yacht "Saint Peter" was built in the port of Arkhangelsk. On it, he first ventured into the open sea. Above his head flew the flag of the Tsar of Moscow – the Russian tricolor. The return to port was met with a colorful fireworks display. This was the first fireworks display in Russia. Since then, important political events began to be accompanied by salutes. And ships, boats, and small vessels became the main means of transportation. No roads needed to be built for them, as rivers themselves serve as roads.

Therefore, Peter began building the new city, St. Petersburg, on water. On a river. On islands. He ordered canals, small harbors, and channels to be arranged so that one could sail up to each house.

Peter dreamed that the new city would resemble Venice. He clearly envisioned that residents would travel not on streets, but along rivers and canals. And they would be merry and happy, like Venetians. The city was slowly being built. People needed to be reoriented.

For the amusement of the people, "especially for better training in water skills and boldness in sailing for the people" in St. Petersburg, at the Particular Shipyard, in 1718 by Peter's decree, sailing and rowing vessels were manufactured. And distributed for free. They were given to officials of the Senate, the Synod, the Nevsky Monastery, and even to bishops. The reformer tsar forced people to have fun. Because they didn't know how to spend leisure time in the European manner. They sat in huts, burned splinters, and read "Domostroy" (Book of Household Management). But they needed to take voyages along rivers and canals. It's good that at that time kayaks and canoes were not popular. Europeans weren't fascinated with paddleboarding. Otherwise, who knows how things would have gone...

Well, so the tsar distributed the vessels, ordered to maintain them "not like manure carts, but like carriages on dry land." And if something broke, one had to repair it, restore it themselves. And most importantly – to go out on the water in all weather conditions. Thus appeared the first yacht club. Although Peter didn't realize this, he called this club of interests – the Neva Fleet. The fleet was commanded by the Neva Admiral. During Peter's time, this title belonged to the secret fleet advisor Ivan Stepanovich Potemkin.

Days were designated for sailing and other river exercises. Usually weekends and holidays.

The flotilla was announced in advance. "Connection glitches, battery died, was on silent mode" – this excuse wasn't for Peter's times. Flags were hung in visible places around the city. A naval standard was raised on the flagpole of the Peter and Paul Fortress. That's it, no getting out of it, obliged to sail and be happy. Missing the "Neva sailing" resulted in a fine. The flotilla's departure gathered many onlookers on the shore. Yes, there was something to see! Rowers in white shirts. Decorated vessels. From each side sounded trumpets, French horns, drums. At the head of the flotilla — the tsar. Sometimes in a small boat, sometimes on a barge if Catherine wished to take part in the exercises. For 2-4 hours they practiced seamanship, and then came the festivities. Usually, they sailed to Kotlin or Ekateringof. There, tables were already set – fourchette. Everyone disembarked, wandered through the park, conversed, Catherine offered glasses of wine. In the evening, they returned home.

And after some time, St. Petersburg residents acquired a taste for water excursions and came to love them. They began decorating their vessels and designing uniforms for the crew.

In winter, the river wasn't empty either. Peter loved to manage sails. And in winter, when the ice strengthened, the tsar rode on a specially adapted boat, under sail. "We sail on ice so as not to forget water exercises in winter," he said, treating everyone nearby to punch. At the Particular Shipyard, they even built ice yachts – ice boats.

After Peter was gone, so were the trips along rivers and canals. Catherine I and Anna Ioannovna tried to revive the Neva flotilla, but unsuccessfully. Elizabeth decided to gather the Neva Fleet. But only two barges came for the excursion. Catherine II pushed aside the idea of organized sailings and began to ride alone. Of course, not entirely alone. As someone who witnessed wrote: "On June 29, Catherine II traveled along the Neva... All the flagships of the fleet accompanied Her Majesty on their boats. The Empress's boat with 12 oars, richly gilded on the outside, went third."

When they stopped forcing people, when it became possible not to sail, St. Petersburg residents were drawn to the water. By the end of the 19th century, this had become a favorite entertainment. And for all social classes. One could judge a citizen's wealth by the number of horses under the hood. Oh, I mean pairs of oars on the boat. A person of average means could afford a six-oar vessel. But nobles might own 8, 10, or 12 pairs of oars. And also well-dressed rowers, mirrored canopies, or even cabins.

An eyewitness wrote: "Government offices have large beautiful boats with skillful rowers for transportation across the Neva when there are no bridges. They can be hired for water excursions. These people row very evenly and sing for the amusement of those who hired them, short Russian songs at the top of their voices, to which the quartermaster plays on a horn. On beautiful summer nights, many such boats can be seen on the Neva." The inhabitants of houses standing on the shore didn't mind these "Neva serenades."

Under Paul, they stopped singing serenades. It seems the emperor himself forbade idle sailing on the river. He also banned waltzing, wearing curls with sideburns. And many useless, as well as useful things, fell under taboo. Everything resumed in the 1820s. As the Russian historian I.I. Pushkarev writes: "Excursions on the water in rowboats provide pleasant enjoyment. One can always enjoy these excursions at an inexpensive price. There are many beautiful rowboats at any time along the embankments of the Neva and canals. This affection extends equally even to the lower classes of St. Petersburg."

Nicholas I visited Great Britain in 1844, attended the Royal Yacht Club, and observed the Royal Racing Squadron there. He remembered that once Peter I, two years before the English, created a yacht club (remember the Neva Fleet?) and decided to revive this club affair. Thus, the Imperial Yacht Club appeared in St. Petersburg. Only hereditary nobles could be members, with a membership limit of 125. Count I.A. Shuvalov, Prince B.D. Golitsyn, Count F.K. Apraksin were full members of the yacht club. Honorary members included F.F. Bellingshausen, M.P. Lazarev, and F.P. Litke. A year after the club's establishment, the first Russian regatta took place near the Tolbukhin lighthouse. And that was it. After that, members of this elite club gathered at 31 Bolshaya Morskaya Street to play cards and roll billiard balls. Politics were discussed there, gossip was born, ministers were appointed. But no sea, no sails. After the revolution, the Imperial Yacht Club ceased its activities.

Simultaneously, the River Yacht Club existed. Not by order from above, but exclusively on their own initiative, eight friends in 1859 decided to create a club for water sports enthusiasts. The first location was Grigorovich I.K.'s dacha on the Black River. They called their union "A jack-of-all-trades." The fee was low, membership conditions — democratic. The number of members grew. The Black River location became cramped, and the club moved to Krestovsky Island, opposite the Elagin Spit. The club's goal was to disseminate scientific and practical information about rowing, sailing, and steam vessels and to improve their construction. In 1874, the first Maritime Classes in St. Petersburg were created at the yacht club. They taught navigation and skipperring. They taught how to repair and build yachts and boats. The boat workshop even participated in the Vienna World Exhibition.

In 1894, several members of the River Yacht Club decided that they no longer wanted to row with oars. They would go on the water exclusively under sail. Thus appeared the Neva Yacht Club. It was located in the Galley Harbor. Club members included many figures from the army, navy, members of the Imperial family, and even two women: Princess Golitsyna and Countess Stenbock-Fermor.

The Imperial family supported the activities of both the River and Neva yacht clubs. The River Club became Imperial in 1910, but the Neva Club didn't make it in time.

With the revolution, the clubs' activities did not cease. However, some yachts went abroad. More precisely, the owners fled abroad on their yachts. The remaining property was nationalized. The clubs' fates turned out differently, but that's a separate story.

The river is life. It's a connection with other cities and states. It's trade, it's fish. It's, after all, visiting friends or going on a date. Therefore, the breaking up and freezing of the Neva was an event. An event that was accompanied by various ceremonies. Religious services and public festivities were held. Fireworks were launched.

The breaking up of the river was celebrated especially solemnly. Three shots from the cannon of the Peter and Paul Fortress announced the beginning of the action. A caravan of boats proceeded through clear water from the Peter and Paul Fortress to the Winter Palace. Initially, the tsar himself crossed the Neva in a small boat. Then this role was taken by the commandant of the Peter and Paul Fortress. In the middle of the river, he would scoop up a cup of Neva water and present it to the emperor. The emperor would drink the water and return the cup to the commandant, filled with gold coins. Under Alexander II, they even formalized a document "Ceremonial for the breaking up of the Neva River from ice and the opening of navigation thereon." The ceremonial was observed until the revolution.

The freezing of the Neva was also a celebration. One of the court jesters would announce the formation of ice. In a funny costume, accompanied by an entourage, with a canvas banner in hand, the procession would cross the Neva, thereby announcing that the ice had set. The sleigh route could be established. People could cross to the other shore in carriages.

But it wasn't just leisurely rowboats that scurried along the Neva and canals. By the end of the 19th century, 337 rowboats were for recreation, while 306 were engaged in transporting St. Petersburg residents to their destinations. Not only rowboats served as taxis on the Neva. St. Petersburg became the first city where water trams appeared. They could transport up to a hundred passengers at once. The company "Light Neva Steamship" was the first to organize regular transportation. And then competitors appeared. The main ones were merchant Shchitov and the "Finnish Society of Light Steamship."

The Finnish Steamship Company built their small blue steamboats in Vyborg. The company kept them clean and tidy. Safety measures were observed: life preservers were available, warning signs "Do not put your hands overboard" hung where needed. The service staff were Finns who spoke Russian. The steamboats operated both on the Neva and on canals. They ran strictly according to schedule. But the hot-headed Finnish guys drove fast, drove recklessly, and often caused accidents.

Shchitov's company often bought already aging vessels, repainted them green, repaired them slightly, and put them into service. There were no cabins; canvas covers protected from rain and sun. Shchitov's small vessels operated only on the Neva. People called them "galoshes."

In 1907, on the eve of Easter, the Neva had its own Titanic. The Neva had broken up several days before, but ice floes from Ladoga arrived. Shchitov's steamboat "Arkhangelsk," carrying passengers from Smolny to Malaya Okhta, collided with such an ice floe. The vessel capsized and sank. 39 people died (according to other data — 69). Yakov Shchitov was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to pay compensation to the families of the victims. But, as they say, it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good. A bridge in this part of the city was needed yesterday. Nicholas I had already included it in the city's General Plan. But something always hindered construction. Or rather, someone. The boatmen. They didn't want to lose their profits. After the accident, Nicholas II issued a resolution: "Do not delay the construction of the bridge." And voilà, in the autumn of 1911, the Bolsheokhtinsky Bridge was already opened.

Passage on the Neva was not cheap — 20 silver kopecks. For comparison: 1 kilogram of coffee cost 80 kopecks.

The routes were transverse and longitudinal. Transverse — from one bank to another. For example, from the Winter Palace to the Zoological Museum, from the "Bronze Horseman" to the Rumyantsev Garden. The longitudinal route — along the river (canal).

For example, from Vasilyevsky Island to the Finland Station, from the Summer Garden to the Elagin Island Spit. Long-distance travel enthusiasts were taken to Shlisselburg, Kronstadt, Lisiy Nos, Valaam, and even Petrozavodsk. It took two hours for a steamboat to reach Kronstadt, and people passed the time in the buffet with cold appetizers or a hot dinner. Captain-helmsmen were recruited from former navy men. Rich experience was needed to maneuver between all the vessels, barges, tugboats, and rafts that went up and down the Neva. Transportation operated from 7 am to 10 pm.

Although new steamship companies pushed back the rowboat operators, the latter did not give up their positions and continued transportation. They took passengers in places where there were no piers for trams. Or at night, when the companies were not operating. The river police only monitored to ensure that "accordion playing in boats did not occur." At the beginning of the 20th century, boats called "fofan" became popular. They had good maneuverability, stability, and were simple to operate. These boats were used by the Russian Society for Rescue on Water, fishermen, and lovers of river excursions. "Fofan" type boats are still popular today.

There are several versions of the origin of the name "fofan." Choose to your taste:

After 1917, all river transportation and rides ceased. And for a long time. Only in the 1960s did "Meteors" and "Rockets" start to run to the suburbs. In 1974, single-deck motor ships of the "Fontanka" type began to be produced specifically for excursions along the rivers and canals of Leningrad. Water excursions resumed.

Now everything, or almost everything, is as Peter dreamed. Passenger, cargo, and military vessels go along the Neva from early spring until late autumn. And even in winter, the river remains navigable thanks to icebreakers.

Now citizens no longer need to be forced to take boat rides. St. Petersburg is one of the most popular tourist cities in the world, and water excursions play a huge role in this. In 2024, 3.8 million passengers took rides along the rivers and canals of the Northern Venice. In 2025, more than 4 million are planned.

Excursion boats show the city from a different perspective, unfamiliar to pedestrians. From the water, St. Petersburg is completely different. As Peter envisioned it. From the sidewalk, you won't see or appreciate the beauty that opens up from the deck of a boat, vessel, or yacht. Nevsky is undoubtedly beautiful, however even it loses its luster compared to the charm of the Fontanka, the elegance of the Moyka, or the cozy miniature nature of the Winter Canal. And what about the bridges? To visit St. Petersburg and not sail under them is a real sin! For example, the Blue Bridge, stretching for almost 100 meters. When you run across it at the green light of the traffic light, you don't even notice that it's a bridge. But once you sail under it, at some point it becomes even eerie. Is it perhaps a portal to the past? And here's the Yacht Bridge – this is already a portal to the future. On the left, like an alien saucer, the Gazprom Arena glows with neon, and straight ahead – either a giant sailboat or the Lakhta Center rocket soaring into the sky. This needs to be seen with your own eyes.

You can rent a boat and spend time on the water with the whole family. However, this sometimes ends with dad rowing, mom scolding, and children shouting: "We've been circling around this bridge for two hours!" Therefore, it's better to embark on a water voyage with a proven and reliable company. Especially since not everyone knows the rules of the road on water. And they are not simple and become more complicated every year. Let specially trained people handle this. And we will enjoy walks on the water, because this is one of the best ways to feel the spirit of St. Petersburg!