Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland (Finnish: Suomenlahti; Estonian: Soome laht; Russian: Фи́нский зали́в; Swedish: Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland (to the north) and Estonia (to the south) all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn. The eastern parts of the Gulf of Finland belong to Russia, and some of Russia's most important oil harbours are located farthest in, near Saint Petersburg (including Primorsk). As the seaway to Saint Petersburg, the Gulf of Finland has been and continues to be of considerable strategic importance to Russia. Some of the environmental problems affecting the Baltic Sea are at their most pronounced in the shallow gulf.
Open Water Swimming
- The Kotlin Race or the Swimming Marathon St. Petersburg - Kronstadt is a 25 km marathon swim held in St. Petersburg, Russia.
- It is site of the second stage of the Three Swims Tour of Russia.
- It was the site of the Gulf of Finland Relay, a 25 km crossing of the Gulf of Finland by Roman Karkachev, Timur Falomkin, Andrey Zamyslov, and Anton Kutuev that was selected as the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year. On 20 October 2019, the foursome completed a 4-person 25 km relay across the Gulf of Finland from Yelagin Island in St. Petersburg to Kotlin Island in 9 hours 52 minutes 40 seconds in 7°C - 9.6°C water.
- On 21 June 2021, a 5-person team with Roman Karkachev of St. Petersburg, Timur Falomkin of Tomsk, Andrey Zamyslov of Moscow, Ivan Kupriyanov, and Anton Kutuev completed a 103 km relay down the Neva River into the Gulf of Finland in 22 hours 30 minutes in 17°C water.
2019 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year Nomination
Roman Karkachev, Timur Falomkin, Andrey Zamyslov and Anton Kutuev's Gulf of Finland relay won the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year Award:
Marathon swims across the Gulf of Finland in the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea occur in the summer when the water warms up, but four Russian swimmers Roman Karkachev, Timur Falomkin, Andrey Zamyslov and Anton Kutuev decided to challenge themselves to a 25 km relay swim across the Gulf of Finland in late October. The foursome started off with 30-minute legs from Yelagin Island in St. Petersburg to Kotlin Island in the Baltic Sea. The water temperature started at 7°C and never rose above 10°C. Their major challenge was the short recovery time between each leg repeated 7 times without hot tubs and saunas, but they prepared with an onboard doctor of physiology who cleared each swimmer each time. For each swimmer cumulatively swimming 153 minutes each (they swam together the last part of the relay) in very cold water, for accepting a challenge that pushed themselves to their physical limits, and for the genuine camaraderie and ambiance that they enjoyed along their journey, the Gulf Of Finland Relay by Roman Karkachev, Timur Falomkin, Andrey Zamyslov and Anton Kutuev is a worthy nominee for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year.
External links
- Russian Relay Navigates Neva
- Cruising In Kotlin
- Tuomas Kaari Heading Across The Gulf Of Finland
- The Baltic Adventure By Remigiusz Gołębiowski
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- Kotlin Race
- Kotlin Race From St. Petersburg To Kronstadt
- Three Swims Tour In Russia
- Grand Swim Series Lives Up To Its Name
