"All hands report to docking stations, all hands to docking stations" exclaimed first mate Lauren, over the ship's PA system. It was nearing one o'clock in the morning and I'm sure that at this point, the majority of the students, teachers and pro-crew alike were more than pleased to have the first sail of the year come to an end. Over the course of the past week, students discovered much about life at sea on a tall ship. Some of our lessons involved learning how to live together in small quarters, the responsibilities of both day and night watch, working in the galley, having to complete our homework while being sleep deprived, and of course who could forget the joys of seasickness.

In response to the docking stations call, students quickly threw on some warm clothes (a popular choice being the red foul weather gear) and their safety harnesses. As we came up on deck, we were each welcomed by a pleasant late summer night's breeze, a very cold one at that. At last, it was evident that we had made it to the Motherland.

After patiently waiting for what seemed to be over an hour, we were able to successfully navigate through the narrow shipping yard of St. Petersburg, locate our designated dock and pull alongside. We were told by our pilot that the site we were docked at, which was oh so conveniently located near the city centre was one of the best locations in the city.

St. Petersburg, formerly known as Leningrad and Petrograd, was at one time the capital of the Russian Empire. Located at the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska, this large city had much more to offer than just cold weather and burly Russian men sporting big furry hats. For instance, if you weren't to be found at the Hermitage Museum, analyzing the tremendous amount of art pieces by the likes of such names as Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh and Da Vinci, then perhaps you were taking in the spectacular architecture of St. Isaac's Cathedral and the many mosaics which it housed. If neither of these places seemed appealing, then have no fear, walking the streets of St. Petersburg and examining the many remnants of the communist era was a cultural experience in of itself. A number of these included the communist symbol of the star on the sides of many buildings, various paraphernalia including lighters and hats with the sickle and hammer and a gargantuan statue of Lenin, which was truly something to behold.

But in the end, I'd be lying to all of you if I were to say that all our time spent in Russia was spent walking around great big museums and taking part in cultural activities. In reality, upon completing our first sail, I'm sure I speak on behalf of the students when I say that all we truly wanted to do the moment we made it to land was relax. Whether that meant gorging ourselves on diverse foods, ranging from local restaurants to even McDonald's, or just heading down to an internet cafe to keep in touch with friends and family back home, the Motherland had it all.