In the summer of 2024, a remarkable expedition took place: aboard the wooden Pomor karbas Matera, a team of enthusiasts travelled nearly 3,000 kilometres under sail and by oars from the White Sea to Western Siberia. Their destination was the site of the legendary Mangazeya, the first Russian city beyond the Arctic Circle.
According to Eugene Shkaruba, the project’s initiator and the vessel’s skipper, this journey was the perfect way to draw attention to the preservation of Pomor culture, traditional wooden shipbuilding, and Russia’s maritime heritage as a whole. While every schoolchild learns about the Age of Exploration, when Europeans charted sea routes to Africa, the Americas, and Asia, far fewer people know how Russian pioneers in the 16th and 17th centuries explored Siberia and the Northern Sea Route.
Sailing "toward the sun," these pioneers navigated seas, rivers, and portages, reaching the Pacific Ocean in less than 70 years. One of the key points along their route was Mangazeya, founded in 1601. A permanent trade route, known as the "Mangazeya Maritime Passage," connected this Arctic outpost to Arkhangelsk via the Northern Dvina River, the White, Barents, and Kara Seas, and the Ob Gulf, eventually reaching the upper Taz River in what is now the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region. The Pomors also established other routes, such as those to Murman, Novaya Zemlya, Grumant (Spitsbergen), and "Norvega," primarily for fishing and hunting. Mangazeya, nicknamed the "gold-boiling city" for its wealth, was considered the fur capital of Siberia. However, by the late 17th century, it was abandoned due to a tsar's decree banning the export of furs via sea routes.
"Opening and rapidly mastering the vast expanse from the Urals to the Pacific would have been impossible without the advanced shipbuilding technology developed and practiced in the Russian North long before Peter the Great began building his fleet in the same region," says Eugene Shkaruba. "Even today, we’ve found craftsmen in Pomor communities who can build traditional northern vessels—koches, karbases, soymas, and Dvina boats. This realisation led us to establish the Pomor Shipbuilding Association in 2019 and later inspired the idea of reviving the Mangazeya Maritime Passage."
Captain Shkaruba is no stranger to ambitious voyages. Between 2010 and 2015, he and his colleagues from the Marine Practices Club circumnavigated the globe aboard the yacht Julietta (Hanse 54), covering over 100,000 nautical miles across the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, visiting five continents and 66 countries.
"Julietta played a pivotal role in my career as a sailing yacht captain and instructor," Shkaruba explains. "That circumnavigation also helped us form a tight-knit team of like-minded individuals. We saw how many people around the world build boats by hand and preserve their national traditions. It inspired us to build a larger vessel. Our main project is not the karbas but a 20-meter schooner currently under construction in Arkhangelsk. It will be a true expedition vessel for our next circumnavigation. The karbas, which can be built relatively quickly, serves as a way to give our community hands-on experience right now without waiting years for the schooner to be completed."
The nine-meter-long Matera was built in the summer of 2023 in Moscow, launched in Veliky Ustyug, and then rowed and sailed 700 kilometres to Arkhangelsk. Constructed strictly according to 17th-century techniques, the karbas was built without a single nail. Its planks were sewn together using vitse—peeled, boiled, and twisted spruce roots. Historically, this type of vessel, typically 8 to 12 meters long, was widespread across the Russian North. Karbasy were usually open-decked, with straight vertical stems, three to six pairs of oars, and two square spritsails mounted diagonally. After Matera’s first navigation season, a bowsprit and jib sail were added to improve manoeuvrability and speed.
The karbas was intentionally built without an engine. However, for safety and communication, it was equipped with modern navigation and rescue equipment, solar panels, and batteries. A sail-powered inflatable catamaran named Tovarishch (The Comrade), equipped with an outboard motor, accompanied the karbas during the voyage, serving as a support vessel and filming platform.
The expedition was not only about retracing the routes of daring sailors from the past but also had an educational mission. Matera acted as a "floating lecture hall," with stops in local communities along the route for meetings, film screenings, and masterclasses on shipbuilding history. The crew included not only sailors but also historians, researchers, and artists.
In the footsteps of great ancestors
The voyage followed a cabotage route. After leaving the mouth of the Northern Dvina River and entering the White Sea, Matera and Tovarishch crossed the Arctic Circle and navigated through the Mezen Bay to the shores of Cape Kanin Nos, where the so-called Chesh Portage began. After overcoming this obstacle, the expedition continued along the coasts of the Barents and Kara Seas to the Yamal Peninsula, crossing it via a network of rivers, lakes, and portages. From there, they entered the Ob Gulf, then the Taz Gulf, and finally ascended the Taz River to the site of the long-lost city of Mangazeya.
Behind this dry description lies a wealth of vivid events—Matera’s logbook reads like the script of an adventure film. The crew rowed and sailed, navigated tides, ran aground, got lost in fog, and occasionally drifted. At times, they resorted to burlachka—hauling the boat by towlines while walking along the shore. On one occasion, the catamaran capsized, forcing the crew to spend an entire day diving and using boat hooks to recover their belongings from the riverbed. Smaller incidents also occurred, such as a leak at the joint between the starboard plank and the fore stem, which was patched using a piece of bandage.
The most severe trial was crossing the Baydaratskaya Bay, which was still locked in winter ice. Despite assistance from meteorologists, no one anticipated that the expedition would be trapped in the ice for an entire week. Initially, the sailors were intimidated by the towering ice ridges, some the size of houses, which closed in, threatening to crush the karbas, then shifted apart, revealing narrow channels. However, as they learnt the techniques for navigating through the ice, they grew more confident, clearing paths by pushing and breaking ice with poles. To this day, the crew says they dream of the surreal labyrinths of ice sculptures.
Residents of coastal villages greeted the expedition warmly, listening with great interest to their stories and helping in any way they could—offering hearty meals and heating up saunas. Even the local wildlife seemed curious: for several days, a seal followed the crew as they navigated the ice, while beluga whales playfully swam under the karbas in open water.
The route was divided into five stages, allowing for crew rotations and giving more people the opportunity to participate. When asked what was the hardest part, the sailors replied, "All the physical labour—rowing, standing watch—and simply existing on an open boat. You don’t get to choose when to rest or sleep. If the wind is favourable, you sail, sometimes for days without stopping, grabbing sleep in short bursts. Fatigue builds up." Despite the hardships, everyone agreed it was an invaluable experience that offered profound insights into both themselves and, as they put it, the history of Russia.
On August 23, the expedition reached its goal. From the site of the now-vanished city of Mangazeya, Matera returned to Moscow by truck. The karbas, along with a film about the voyage, a photo exhibition, and materials collected along the way, was showcased at the Moscow Museum and later at the Technology of Discovery exhibition in Arkhangelsk.
What’s next? Eugene Shkaruba believes the karbas’s capabilities are limited and plans to build a koche—a larger vessel with an egg-shaped hull and double planking to withstand ice damage. Unlike the karbas, the koche will have a deck, allowing for greater cargo capacity and more comfortable living conditions aboard.
Meanwhile, the long-awaited schooner is nearing completion. The team plans to sail it around the world, tackling harsher conditions along the Northern Sea Route, the Pacific Ocean, and even around Antarctica.
Soon, the long-anticipated schooner will be launched. The team plans to sail it around the world under even harsher conditions, navigating the Northern Sea Route, the Pacific Ocean, and the waters around Antarctica.
Here is what the crew members had to tell.
Egor Shkaruba, crew member during the 4th stage:
"This was my first sea voyage. The hardest part was the uncertainty—when we got trapped in the ice, we had no idea when we’d escape or if we’d even make it out. Day after day, the crew gave it their all, but it was clear we were covering only tiny distances. At that pace, it would take weeks—far longer than we had planned. Still, the captain kept morale high, assuring us there was a way forward and that we’d make it. It’s incredible to think about how sailors in the past managed this. They couldn’t count on rescue if something went wrong. The strength of spirit those people had is just awe-inspiring!"
Stanislav Tereshkov, crew member during the 5th and final stage:
"Previously, I had sailed on a reconstructed 11th–12th-century vessel in the southern Baltic, but this experience required completely different skills. When the wind died down on the Taz River, we had to haul the boat 20 kilometers along the shore using towlines. The shore wasn’t always friendly—it was often a muddy, boggy stretch known as nyasha (a sticky, swampy terrain typical of northern Russia and Siberia) with fallen trees in the way. The hardest part was emotional: knowing we were so close to our goal, yet moving painfully slowly, with our efforts not yielding the progress we hoped for. That said, earlier in the Taz Gulf, we set a record—Matera reached 10 knots, even though calculations suggested it couldn’t go that fast. A favorable wave and tailwind helped us achieve planing speed."
Maxim Matveev, captain of the support catamaran Tovarishch:
"I’m from Arkhangelsk, and most of my family are either sailors or connected to the sea. In 2022, I joined Evgeny on another karbas, Vashka, and for this expedition, I earned my skipper’s license, passing the exam just two days before we set off. Navigation in northern seas is challenging due to the many shallows and highly unpredictable weather. This year, spring was unusually late, delaying the onset of summer by about a month. We kept running into ice where it shouldn’t have been. Locals said such conditions hadn’t been seen in 18 years. On the bright side, the cold kept the mosquitoes at bay.
The most unusual experience was drifting in the ice. Once we entered the ice field, it closed behind us, leaving no way back. At that point, it wasn’t about what you could or couldn’t do—you just had to act. We drew on our physics knowledge, using logs, boat hooks, and even axes to push and break through the ice. Everyone pitched in, doing whatever was needed. That teamwork is what saved us."
Andrey Yagubsky (Chifan), crew member during stages 2–4, sailor, and project photographer:
"I’ve sailed all over the world, so this is a normal way of life for me. Honestly, going to a bank or government office is more of a torment for me than being out at sea. The sea is always amazing. Getting stuck in the ice wasn’t a problem—on the contrary, it was fantastic. That’s real life, the kind that’s exciting and meaningful. Of course, I wouldn’t recommend expeditions like Mangazeya Maritime Passage to inexperienced sailors. These kinds of journeys aren’t for unprepared people. Even with our experienced crew, luck often played a big role.
Most people aren’t drawn to the sea—they stay home. But if you feel the urge to venture into the elements, even if it’s just on a comfortable yacht under mild conditions, that’s already a good and worthwhile step! For me, as an artist, photographer, and writer, this expedition was an incredible experience. My only regret is that we were in such a hurry and didn’t have enough time to explore the wild coastal landscapes and enjoy the natural beauty."
Recreating Historic Ships
Enthusiasts around the world are building replicas of historic vessels, from humble fishing boats to large sailing ships capable of ocean crossings. These handmade fleets actively participate in festivals and retro regattas worldwide. While this trend may seem like a recent phenomenon—perhaps bringing to mind the famous expeditions of Thor Heyerdahl on the Kon-Tiki and Ra rafts—it actually began much earlier, in the 19th century.
In 1862, during excavations near Schleswig, archaeologists unearthed the first Viking longship, the Nydam Ship, dating back to the 3rd–4th century. This discovery was followed by other iconic finds, including the Tune (1867), Gokstad (1880), and Oseberg (1904) ships in Norway. These discoveries inspired scholars to recreate these ancient vessels to test their seaworthiness.
The first reconstructed Viking ship, Viking, was launched in 1893 thanks to Norwegian Magnus Andersen. It was an exact replica of the 9th-century Gokstad Ship, measuring 23.3 meters in length and 5.1 meters in width, with a single square sail and 5.5-meter-long oars. The Viking proved its seaworthiness spectacularly. That same year, a 12-man crew sailed it from Bergen, Norway, to Newfoundland, USA, crossing the North Atlantic in 27 days at an average speed of 10 knots—a respectable performance even by the standards of modern sailing ships of the time. The Viking was showcased at the Chicago World’s Fair, where it captivated audiences and became a sensation.
Since then, over 30 Viking ship replicas have been built worldwide. The largest of these is the Draken Harald Hårfagre ("Harald Fairhair"), named after the 9th–10th-century Norwegian king who unified the country. Launched in 2010, this wooden ship measures 35 meters in length, 8 meters in width, and 2.5 meters in draft. Its 24-meter mast carries a 260-square-meter sail, and it is propelled by 25 pairs of oars. While the ship is equipped with a diesel engine and modern navigation tools, the 100-person crew chose not to use them during its 2016 voyage to North America. Departing from Haugesund, Norway, the Draken sailed through the Shetland and Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland, encountering icebergs and storms along the way. After just over a month, it reached Newfoundland, the land the Vikings once called Vinland.
Russia has also embraced historic shipbuilding. In 2018, our magazine featured the Varvara, a 10-meter-long boat built in Petrozavodsk. It completed a 1,000-kilometer journey along rivers to Moscow and has since sailed across the Baltic, Lake Onega, and Lake Ladoga.
One of the most ambitious Russian projects was the Rusich, a 15-meter-long sailing and rowing vessel with a beam of 4.1 meters, a draft of 1.5 meters, a 50-square-meter sail, and seven pairs of oars. In 2006, the Rusich gained fame for its From the Varangians to the Persians expedition from Petrozavodsk to Astrakhan. Between 2010 and 2013, it undertook a multi-stage journey across the Indian Ocean to Australia, stopping in Oman, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and even braving the treacherous Bass Strait to reach Hobart, Tasmania.
These projects, blending history, craftsmanship, and adventure, continue to inspire a deeper appreciation for maritime heritage and the resilience of those who sailed before us.
