Close

To Our Fellow Captains and Crew in the Tall Ships Community

To Our Fellow Captains and Crew in the Tall Ships Community

I write to you today not only as a fellow captain but as a member of the same sailing family. As you may have heard, the sailing ship Shtandart has been denied permission to enter the Port of Aberdeen and participate in The Tall Ships Races, despite our long-standing involvement and planned participation.

This decision, motivated by anti-Russian sanctions, I believe, is deeply unjust. The Shtandart is a non-governmental, non-commercial sail training vessel with an international crew and a long-standing commitment to youth education and maritime heritage. She has not sailed in Russian waters since 2009 and operates with openness, transparency, and peaceful purpose.

Many of you know me personally. You know that I have never supported the current political regime in Russia — not president Putin, and certainly not the war. My commitment has always been to peace, cooperation, and the international maritime community we are all part of.

You can imagine, then, how devastating this situation is for my young trainees — they have sailed 1000 miles from France with the dream of participating in The Tall Ships Races. Now they find themselves on the sidelines, confused, disappointed. It is difficult to put into words just how much this means to them — and how deeply this decision has affected their spirit.
Despite officially we are not registered to participate in TSR, we will drop an anchor near Aberdeen , and we plan to come to starting line together with you and race to Norway.

May I kindly ask for your solidarity?

First, I ask that you consider welcoming aboard for a night in port few of Shtandart’s trainees while in Aberdeen.

Second, I would be deeply grateful if you could share a few words of support — either privately or publicly — that I might include in my open letters and media outreach. A short statement from respected members of our community can help remind the public and organizers that the Shtandart is not a political symbol, but a working sail training vessel dedicated to youth, heritage, and peace.

Now we are fighting not only for the Shtandart but for justice and for the freedom of sailing.
Thank you for standing with Shtandart. Your support — in any form — means more than words can express.

With respect and solidarity,
Captain of the Shtandart
Vladimir Martus

ru_RUРусский