Russian sailboat Pallada set for trans-Pacific expedition

The Russian sailing vessel Pallada sets off on Friday from Vladivostok in Russia's Far East for an over three-month international trans-Pacific expedition, a spokesman for the Far Eastern State Technical Fisheries University, which owns the vessel, said. The expedition is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Yury Gagarin's first space flight and to the 270th anniversary of discovery of the Russian America by Russian seafarers. "The new expedition of the Pallada will last over three months. The route of the sailboat stretches along the coast of North America, the lands that were discovered by Russian seamen in the middle of the 17th century and which are Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. The sailboat with cadets onboard will pay visits to ports of the United States, Canada and Japan," the spokesman said. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who paid a visit to Vladivostok on Thursday, also visited the Pallada and met with the cadets and the crew of the vessel. The three-mast Pallada is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest sailing vessel in the world, with a speed exceeding 18 knots. The sailing ship, the winner of many international festivals and races, has performed over 100 international trips over 13 years. It has also been visited by many famous people, including Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger.