March Revolution

While some Russian citizens regularly take to the streets in revolutionary bursts, in the Saint-Petersburg Sailing Union a revolution of their own is brewing. Yesterday four vice-presidents at once issued an open letter on the state of affairs.

« It is no secret that in recent years SPSU is losing its authority among the yachtsmen of St. Petersburg. The number of the members of the SPSU which take part in its work has fallen from 700 to 200» for 4 years - is said in this letter.

It all, however, did not start yesterday. Several years ago, the patriarch of St. Petersburg sails Vladimir Loginov was replaced as president of the SPSS By Nikolay AsaulThe chairman of Committee on transport and transit policy of St. Petersburg at that time. Undoubtedly, there was logic in such decision: a man close to the city authorities will help to have understanding with the authorities (in fact, the whole point of the existence of the Sailing Union is in it - according to the Law on Sports, the authorities can cooperate with sportsmen only through a public organization created by the latter). Besides, an official can always raise additional funds, and money is always needed.

The new leadership, while beginning to work actively, brought with it an ineradicable bureaucratic style of government. Since he stopped attending presidiums regularly, the SPSS president took it into his own practice to fulfill not so much the decisions of the presidium as his own vision of them. In the end, he left for Moscow for a promotion and did not even leave a power of attorney for the SPSS.

Later, Acting President of the SPSU, Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Committee of the Legislative Assembly of the Sverdlovsk Region, was elected as the Union's president. Andrei Chernykh The Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Committee of the Legislative Assembly, who was later elected president of the Union, has conducted his business in an extremely peculiar way. The results of his work are as follows: «...The number of SPSS events has sharply declined and their quality has worsened. In 2011. The "SPSU" only conducted 2 events - St. Petersburg Sailing Week and the Championship of St. Petersburg, at that only 12 yachts participated in Sailing Week, and the Championship was held with a number of violations of rules. The training of helmsmen was stopped and the quality of judging has dropped so low that the organizing organizations are forced to invite non-resident judges to the competitions in St. Petersburg».

It even came to the point that some sailors seriously proposed to bury the SPSU and create a new one from scratch.

However it's not a solution: to bury own public organization by your own hands is not only a shame but acceptance of the fact that there is no yachting community as such in St. Petersburg.

In order to avoid it all eligible yachtsmen of St.Petersburg should come to the report-election conference on March 10 and state their opinion on the new candidates. The list of candidates will be posted on the SPSS website not later than February 21. By the way, if anyone has dreamed all his life to become the SPSU President - it is high time to declare about such a desire.

ItBoat loves revolutions, so get some popcorn and will follow closely everything that's happening in St. Petersburg. If there are interested parties in the process on either side who want to speak out on the merits - welcome!