news & events

        Anniversary of Vitus Bering Expedition and discovery of Alaska and Aleutian Islands

2011 marks the 270th anniversary of the Vitus Bering Expedition and discovery of Alaska and Aleutian Islands. CRA met with organizers of various special events planned to commemorate this year, which includes the arrival of the Russian sail training ship "Pallada" at Fort Ross and San Francisco and the Russian international relay swim team that plans to make a record swim across the Bering Strait from Russia to US. The Pallada was built 20 years ago in the Polish seaport of Gdansk and has a crew of cadets from marine institutes of Russia. It has won numerous awards at prestigious international festivals and famous regattas and has its place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest sailing vessel in the world, setting a mark of over 18 knots per hour.

In May 2011, CRA met with Alexei Kuznetsov, Vice-President of the American-Russian Sport Association "Harmony" in Washington DC, and Alexander Brylin, President of the Amur regional public organization "AQUAICE - Sport Federation" and the supervisor of the relay swim team. A. Brylin holds the record for "longest swimming distance in ice-cold water". CRA arranged various meetings for the delegates to visit the Russian Museum of Culture, the Russian Consulate, United Humanitarian Mission and Fort Ross officials.