Miles Clark (sailor)
Encyclopedia
Miles Clark was an Irish sailor and writer. He was the son of Wallace Clark
and the godson of Miles Smeeton, themselves both distinguished yachtsmen and authors. A few months before he died, Clark circumnavigated Europe through several of Russia
n waterways, which led him to winning the Cruise World Medal for Outstanding Seamanship.
, Clark saw the opportunity of travelling through Russian internal waters. He departed from Northern Ireland
in 1992 with his family's 60-year-old wooden yacht named Wild Goose, circling Norway and entering the White Sea
. Then he travelled to the Black Sea
crossing the White Sea - Baltic Canal until the Onega Lake, then proceeding through the Volga-Baltic waterway
to the Rybinsk Reservoir
and the Volga River
, then successively following the Volga-Don Canal
and the Don River
to the Sea of Azov
and the Black Sea
, returning to Northern Ireland.
Miles Clark died while he was writing a book about the trip. The book was finished by his father.
Wallace Clark
Henry Wallace Stuart Clark MBE was a Northern Irish sailor and author and businessman.Clark was educated at Shrewsbury School and served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in World War II. He was an officer in the Ulster Special Constabulary and upon its dissolution became a major in the Ulster...
and the godson of Miles Smeeton, themselves both distinguished yachtsmen and authors. A few months before he died, Clark circumnavigated Europe through several of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n waterways, which led him to winning the Cruise World Medal for Outstanding Seamanship.
The Circumnavigation of Europe
After the collapse of the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Clark saw the opportunity of travelling through Russian internal waters. He departed from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
in 1992 with his family's 60-year-old wooden yacht named Wild Goose, circling Norway and entering the White Sea
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
. Then he travelled to the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
crossing the White Sea - Baltic Canal until the Onega Lake, then proceeding through the Volga-Baltic waterway
Volga-Baltic Waterway
The Volga–Baltic Waterway, formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System , is a series of canals and rivers in Russia which link the Volga River with the Baltic Sea...
to the Rybinsk Reservoir
Rybinsk Reservoir
Rybinsk Reservoir , informally called the Rybinsk Sea, is a water reservoir on the Volga River and its tributaries Sheksna and Mologa, formed by Rybinsk Hydroelectric Station dam, located on the territories of Tver, Vologda, and Yaroslavl Oblasts. At the time of its construction, it was the largest...
and the Volga River
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
, then successively following the Volga-Don Canal
Volga-Don Canal
Lenin Volga–Don Shipping Canal is a canal which connects the Volga River and the Don River at their closest points. The length of the waterway is 101 km ....
and the Don River
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
to the Sea of Azov
Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov , known in Classical Antiquity as Lake Maeotis, is a sea on the south of Eastern Europe. It is linked by the narrow Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea to the south and is bounded on the north by Ukraine mainland, on the east by Russia, and on the west by the Ukraine's Crimean...
and the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, returning to Northern Ireland.
Miles Clark died while he was writing a book about the trip. The book was finished by his father.