BAIKAL Report

Minnesota DNer Mike Bloom checks in from the other side of the world in Baikal- He sounds a little worn out at the moment!

“All good here. Except I’m exhausted and sleep deprived. Jet lag is hitting me hard.
Arrived at Lake Baikal yesterday. All it took was an 8 hour flight to Amsterdam followed by a 4 hour flight to Moscow followed by an 8 Hour flight to Irkutsk followed by a 5 hour bus ride down a dirt road Lake Baikal.

Don’t want to say this place is in the middle of nowhere but the town is so small and so remote the locals haven’t even bothered to name it.

Lake Baikal it is literally half way around the world. There is a 12 hour time zone difference from Minnetonka to Baikal.

75 sailors are here. Upon arrival saw many familiar faces and meet many new ones. This place is so remote I’m not sure the locals have even heard of the coronavirus. Every Russian greets you with a big, full on, Russian Bear hug.

Today the fun begins. Must get boat out of shipping container. They containers were sere shipped via Semi from Germany via semi truck nearly a month ago. They arrived last week. They were brought down to the lake by Semi truck last night.

First order is to set up boat Opening ceremony at 11 then then it’s off to race course.

More later.

Mike Bloom”

Photo 1 is a DN on the roof of a car. With the plank on and the mast stepped. Something tells me this would be a bad idea anywhere but there!
Photo 2 The Road To Utopia
Photo 3 Looks like a lake ahead….
Photo 4 The Lake
Photo 5 A town on the way that Bloom claims is so small that no one has bothered to name it!