The Russian barque Sedov, the world’s largest sailing ship, is celebrating her 90th birthday in 2011.

Barque Sedov under sail again

Having undergone repair works in the port of Kaliningrad, the world’s biggest sailing ship, Russian-owned barque Sedov, has embarked on a new voyage. Across the Baltic Sea and via the territorial waters of Germany and Denmark, the vessel will call at St. Petersburg which is preparing to celebrate the legendary ship’s 90th anniversary.

Despite her age, the four-masted barque is still capable of carrying out long journeys, participating in international regattas and winning them. The vessel’s official record speed of 20 knots has never been surpassed by any sailing ship of this class. In September 2010, the barque crossed the 78th parallel north to become the first to reach the Arctic territories of the Svalbard Archipelago at this time of the year.

Without exaggeration, the upcoming celebrations of the barque’s 90th anniversary are a world-scale event. The legendary windjammer, as this type of ships is sometimes referred to, is the pride of Russia’s Sailing Fleet and a monument of shipbuilding history.

The German-made barque, originally called The Magdalene Vinnen II, was passed on to the Soviet Union after the Second World War and renamed after prominent Russian polar explorer Georgy Sedov. The Sedov has an overall length of 117.5 meters, a displacement of 7,320 tons and a crew numbering 320. She also has a double steering wheel, with two or even four sailors keeping the watch at it.

As part of official celebrations of the barque’s construction anniversary on July 10th, St. Petersburg will announce the establishment of a museum on board the Sedov. It will feature unparalleled items received from renowned Russian and foreign travelers and is planned to be supplemented in Sedov’s future voyages.

Thanks to Miroslav Antic and Irwin Bryan for passing the articles along.