Like St. Petersburg? Chelyabinsk becomes cultural capital and sailing hub

Chelyabinsk is the capital of sailing. Three years ago, few would have believed it, but today it is a reality. This weekend, the yacht club «Your Privilege» hosted the Russian Cup for the first time. Competitions of this rank had never been held in the Southern Urals before. How did the coast of Shershni reservoir become a point of attraction in such a short time, drawing the country«s strongest yachtsmen? And is it true that the Chelyabinsk leg changed the course of the competition? Watch the highlights of the spectacular regatta and read the participants» impressions.

Kilometers of distance, hours of preparation, and... anxious waiting for the right wind. On the first day of the race, the Ural weather showed its full range. Athletes went out on the water under downpours and thunderclaps, then the clouds cleared and calm set in. On shore, such tranquility can only be enjoyed, but sailing requires wind, with a certain speed. And also — strong nerves and the ability to understand without words those who are in the same boat with you.

— At the Cup, there are many teams whose members have been racing together for 10, 15 years. Our crew has been sailing in this lineup for only one season, — said Alexander Bozhko, helmsman of the Pirogovo team from Moscow Region.

The team has already completed two stages in St. Petersburg and has now had the chance to get acquainted with the Shershni «sea.»

— Here in Chelyabinsk the water area is easier because it is sheltered, there are no waves. In St. Petersburg the wave is quite treacherous, low and short. On the other hand, here the wind shifts more. In any case, you cannot relax! — the participants share.

Since 2024, the Chelyabinsk yacht club «Your Privilege» has regularly hosted all-Russian regattas: every summer, for example, one of the stages of the MX700 Class Association Cup is consistently held here.

In 2025, after another successful competition, the organizers had the idea of one day hosting the Russian Cup at Shershni. Just a year passed — and the prestigious races took place.

— Preparation began long before the start: after all, this is an official all-Russian competition included in the unified calendar plan of the Russian Ministry of Sports. Preparing infrastructure, delivering boats and equipment, organizing the work of all services, forming a jury — all this involves enormous work by dozens of people, — said the competition organizer, General Director of the yacht club «Your Privilege» Alexander Ekimov.

— For us, this is an experiment, because the organizers« task is to provide the best possible conditions for the competitive process, and the quality of the water area is the main indicator. After all, it is one thing to compete on the Gulf of Finland, another to race on enclosed reservoirs. But we have come to Chelyabinsk for competitions many times before and we have always been lucky with the weather, and the water area completely suited us, — emphasized Dmitry Zhayvoronok, Vice President of the MX700 Class Yacht Association.

The weather did not disappoint this time either — over three race days, the entire planned program was completed.

The leaders of the tournament table constantly changed — in sailing, this is common, and the outcome of the competition can be decided in the last minutes. Sometimes the participants went literally nose to nose, snatching centimeters of victory from their rivals.

After three days, the W Sailing team from Moscow took first place, second place went to the BARS Sailing team from Sochi, and third place went to the S. Kotiki team, which brought together participants from Bashkortostan and Crimea.

— All three days were tense, in fierce competition. We had a very good regatta, we liked everything, everything was wonderful. We will come here again! — Alisa Kirilyuk from W Sailing team does not hide her emotions.

— We thank all our opponents for the great races. In this stage we turned out to be stronger, we will continue to fight. Our team is gaining momentum, so we will try to continue to delight everyone with our results. Thank you to everyone who cheered for us, and thank you Chelyabinsk! — adds Denis Gribanov.

Partners of the 3rd stage of the Russian Cup: Swiss Dentistry of Chelyabinsk, the «Lenses for Free» optics chain, the WEGOOD company, and the «Lapochka» brand of natural lemonades.

The team takes gold medals from Chelyabinsk, but the fight for the main prize is still ahead. The final of the Russian Cup will be held in Leningrad Region.

Meanwhile, Chelyabinsk is preparing for new events already in its status as the cultural capital of Russia. And many note that the harsh industrial metropolis increasingly resembles a resort city.

Snow-white yachts already now slice through the water area of the Shershni reservoir from May to September, and young children now dream not only of playing hockey but also of sailing, especially since there are opportunities to raise future champions.

— We always see a surge after such events: children start signing up for sections, taking an interest in new directions, — noted Vitaly Yakushev, Deputy Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of Chelyabinsk Region.

In Chelyabinsk, children from age 14 and adults can try their hand at sailing this summer. The yacht club «Your Privilege» regularly conducts professional training, master classes, and educational courses on yacht handling, and organizes corporate regattas.

The yacht club on the shore of the Shershni reservoir is part of the all-season multiresort «Fanpark», which will bring together the most popular types of recreation. A tubing track has already been launched, and construction of a water park recently began. In the future, on an area of 63 hectares, there will be a ski complex, amusement rides, restaurants, and hotels that will attract guests from different regions.